Inspiraelevation

Opportunity gets you in the door, however it is your talent, skill, and hard-work that will keep you there.

Many mistakenly believe that  success rests totally on your talent, skill, and work ethic. This is an absolute untruth. Success and achievement is not always about what you know.  Out of the 7.3 billion  people inhabiting this vast planet, one must readily understand that there are many people with comparable or even greater talent, skill, and work ethic. These factors alone are not guarantees for success. Rather, success is heavily dependent upon opportunity. Either you create your own opportunity or you must wait  for people to give you one.

Talent (skill) + Hard work + Opportunity = Success

If one is missing any component of the formula the odds of success are improbable.

Opportunity is significant

Opportunity is not so much about who you know, but 80% of opportunity is derived from who know’s you.

This  depresses many to know, that despite years of intense effort and tremendous talent they cannot get a leg up. People are subjective beings who rely on  how they feel, how you make them feel, and who  they know.This is what makes the world seem so unfair.

Unless you create your own opportunities you must depend on someone else to give you one.

Create your opportunity make this knowledge work for you.

Networking

Networking is “the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business”.  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/networking

It is the conscious act of building relationships and leveraging those relationships so they can work for you.

How does one learn to Network

• Become a people person (Study people and their interactions).
• Take a class in  human behaviorism; behavioral psychology, or pick  up books in this subject matter.
•  Learn how to communicate effectively; take a class in public speaking, take on small speaking engagements,  speak publicly whenever given the opportunity (never shy away from an opportunity).
• Learn to connect with people (find common interest,  share knowledge, share information, and take interest in the lives of others).
• Learn the art of conversation (Learn listening skills and how to give feedback).

How does one Network

• Join social groups and clubs of like-minded people (interest groups, book clubs, community clubs, social media groups, Linked In etc…)
• Get to know people at your employ, civic organizations, community groups

Read (the more you know, the more you grow, and the more you have to share)

An excellent read is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie

There are many principles that one must build upon in order to be successful. Many of such principles address the internal as well as the external.  Your strategy and follow through must be solid, but this requires a strong mind and spirit.

Disquieted Mind

A disquieted is a mind, is a mind which is bound by cluttered thoughts running unchecked, un-silenced, wreaking havoc on the inner voice. Such a mental state is the enemy of success. The mind must often be cleansed. This must be a purposeful act.

Noise

The world is full of noise. Noise comes in all forms. Through the various inputs we increase the mental noise (television, radio, social media, books, and other people). Entertaining all such inputs without cleansing disrupts mental clarity. Quieting the noise is imperative lest is overtake you. Many fail to progress at a desired rate due to both the inability and the desire to quiet such distractions.  Growth necessitates moments of solitude and silence.

Be purposed

Find time daily for silence and reflection. Create a space for healing and regeneration of the mind.

Face the fear

Many fear silence and avoid it as the plague, drowning each moment of their lives in noise. Mental clarity is the blank slate upon which our progress is evaluated and formulas for achievement re-framed.  In solitude and silence is where we find the answers and uncover great truths. Face the fear.

Solitude and silence bear great significance. Invest in your success and commit to moments of silence and solitude.

All choices in life come with a price tag. There are costs associated with choosing opportunities. For some opportunities are few and far between, therefore there is an eagerness to accept that which first presents itself. All choices must be weighed. The cost of that which you choose is that of the opportunities lost in the process.

When in a position of sacrifice, when it is necessary to just survive weighing such options seem inane and almost insane. You must be willing to pay the cost of such decisions. An important key to achievement and living a fulfilled and accomplished life is being at peace with your decisions. When presented with opportunity we all have the same choice, whether to take or decline the opportunity. One thing that cannot be taken from you is the ability to choose  your own path. Each individual has to take accountability for the choices made, this is the only way to make peace with oneself. Life is not fair and opportunities do not sprout like trees. At times one has to make their own opportunities or put themselves in  a position to take advantage of what opportunities exist. There are risks associated with every decision that must be made. Sometimes sacrifices are necessary.

Before every decision one must contemplate the opportunity costs and must determine the willingness to pay the bill in full. 

All we have is time. Time is everything. There are only 1400 minutes in every day. One gets no more than this.  Even more,these minutes are lessened.  These hours are divided between those of dream and wakefulness. Each precious minute has incomparable value. Despite the ease with which one may spend the time, those 1400 minutes are used to determine a lifetime of possibilities.

Look at each minute as an investment, a potential deposit in one’s success account. The more invested the greater the return. The potential for wealth building is astonishing. There are no inequities. Not one individual is privileged with more time to spend than another. All one must do to succeed is, learn effective time management.  Never waste time, such a precious resource cannot be regained. Time wasted is a withdrawal of resources necessary to build a sustainable future.

One wastes time by failing to manage and plan. As a result, one loses all mastery and control. Life becomes less about achievement, fulfillment, and more about subsistence. This is the rat race, performance of cyclical activities to the ends of diminutive growth, and mere subsistence. One does not have to live in such a cyclical state. One simply has to desire to change and act upon that desire.

Those whom know better must do better. Those who make excuses for change remain fettered

Manage your time

1. Sit down with a copy of  your written goals (This includes the daily/weekly/monthly breakdown)

2. Write down all  activities performed on a  normal basis. (includes eating/sleeping/work/commute time)

3. Estimate the amount of time taken for each activity. (The total should culminate to 1400 minutes)

*not knowing how you spend your time is a bigger issue. In this case keep a log for a week or two to determine time commitment to daily activities.

4. Compare your goal schedule to your activity time sheet (Are you able to squeeze goal linked activities into your current schedule). If you can, without wreaking major havoc and strain, do so.

5. If you cannot fit your newly composed goal schedule into your current activity schedule, a rework is necessary. Look at the list again and prioritize (Which things must be done, which things are urgent, which  things are important but not urgent, which things are time wasters)

6. Remove or wean yourself off of all  activities which are wasting your time. Replace them with goal oriented tasks

7. Re-structure so that you are able to complete things which must be done with the inclusion of goal oriented tasks.

8. If your priorities take up too much of your time, re-evaluation is necessary. One can find ways to reduce quantity of  time spent but still keep added value. (example: Change commute route, systematize breakfast routine, pre-plan meals, set aside blocks of individual time with children, etc…).

*Never shortchange yourself when it comes to things such as work and family.

9. Stick to your management plan. Things come up and that’s okay but tabling your goals should not be a frequent thing. Your goals must be a priority. One can always find a reason not to commit.

*Media and entertainment only count as a priority if you are directing your goals in this direction. In such a case they should be used as educational mediums.

Everything that has ever existed or ever will exist has sprouted from seedlings rooted in the fertile soil of the mind. Every stride for mankind or atrocity against mankind was first formed in the mind.  Every battle ever lost or won was waged, won, or lost in the mind long before anyone ever stepped foot on the battlefield.

In striving for achievement one must remember that long before one commits to action he or she has entertained a thought. Action begins in the mind. Thus, our most powerful weapon is our mind. That is the engine that drives all behaviors. It is imperative that one train him or herself how to think. Then one must fortify against any strongholds, guard the mind with everything possible.

Many already live in pre-programmed states. Yet, live in constant wonder regarding their failure to grow beyond where they are.  They have solidified their thoughts until every action is  routine,  habits are entrenched and seem unbreakable.  They continue to feed their minds seeds of negativity, discord, and failure. The resulting factors of an uncontrolled thought life are inevitable such leaves the  heart fallow, spirit malnourished, and the mind weak. Such are swayed by every wind and steadfast in nothing. It is steadfastness, drive, and commitment which bring about success.

Reprogramming

1. Question your thought life

2. Monitor input and states of reaction (keep a log of what you write, read, listen to , who advises you)

3. Determine the fruitfulness of the input (What purpose do they serve, and are those inlets serving you)

4. Rid yourself of everything that is not serving you positively in some fashion (make a list of pros and cons if an impact is heavily negative get rid of it)

5. Replace those negatives with positive influences (deliberately replace those negatives with positives and  do this as quickly as possible).

6. Realize you may slip but hold your self accountable. A slip up is not a failure (find an accountability partner who will serve to support you and help you stay on course.

7. Before reacting to anything take a step back. Write down your feelings and desired reaction. Go breathe and meditate. Come back and read what you wrote and weigh the rationality of such a reaction and the possible consequences.

8. Only act on those things you are willing to pay the consequence for.

8. Build your thought life. Flood your mind with input that will take your forward. Do this everyday relentlessly. Creating a habit is a lengthy process but worth it.