by Brian Tracy

Successful people have been studied in depth for more than 100 years. They have been interviewed extensively to determine what it is they do and how they think that enables them to accomplish so much more than the average person.

The Harvard Discovery on Success
In 1970, sociologist Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard University wrote a book entitled The Unheavenly City. He described one of the most profound studies on success and priority setting ever conducted.

Banfield’s goal was to find out how and why some people became financially independent during the course of their working lifetimes. He started off convinced that the answer to this question would be found in factors such as family background, education, intelligence, influential contacts, or some other concrete factor. What he finally discovered was that the major reason for success in life was a particular attitude of mind.

Develop Long Time Perspective
Banfield called this attitude “long time perspective.” He said that men and women who were the most successful in life and the most likely to move up economically were those who took the future into consideration with every decision they made in the present. He found that the longer the period of time a person took into consideration while planning and acting, the more likely it was that he would achieve greatly during his career.
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By Joe Farcht

Practice a behavior once and find out how it is done. Repeat the behavior once more and you correct some mistakes. Practice the same behavior a third time and start to feel more comfortable. Practice it a fourth time and start to feel a little confidence. Practice it six more times and start to build mastery. What’s so hard about mastering new skills that will bring you greater success?

Fear of never having behaved in that new way and failing is a huge personal threat to many people. You are taught to always succeed. Succeed and you get praise. Fail and you get criticism. Criticism hurts the ego. Criticism threatens your self-esteem. Criticism doesn’t feel good.

Criticism is a perspective on experiences that you learn as you grow up. Criticism that hurts is carried into adulthood and can cause stagnation, frustration, hopelessness, and is often carried to the grave. Interpreting a communication as criticism is a choice you make. You can just as easily choose to interpret a communication as valuable feedback that you can use to grow stronger and become even more competent in some area of your work or life. Feedback given by those you work and live with is a gift. Look for the seed of truth in every communication, embrace it, and change your work and life for the better. Instead of fear, criticisms, and hurt, choose the interpretation of a communication as invaluable feedback containing a seed of truth that will help you grow, develop more of your potential / greatness, and positively evolve as a human being.
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By Kevin M. Stirtz

I have never met someone who didn’t want to be successful at something. It’s fair to say we all want to be successful. Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years that have helped me stay on track and move toward my dreams.

1. Do the Right Things Every Day.

The best way to accomplish anything is to put the power of action and time to work for you. Just like interest accruing on an investment, when you invest the right actions on a daily basis, you accomplish your goal much faster.

So, whatever you’re doing, figure out the actions you need to take on a regular basis to accomplish your goals. Then do those every day, every week, every month, whatever it takes to get it done.

2. Be Good to Yourself.

Being successful in business, as in life, takes energy and work. And it’s a lot harder when you’re tired, stressed out or otherwise in poor health. So, set yourself up for a win by taking care of yourself. Keep your body and mind well-tuned and in good shape so you have the physical and mental energy to be all that you can be.

We’re all different so we all have things that help us stay healthy and balance. Find what works for you and do them on a daily basis.

3. Keep Swinging the bat.

Being in Minnesota, I was a fan of Kirby Puckett when he played for the Twins. Kirby was well known for being a consistently good hitter. A reporter once asked him what his secret was. He said it was simple. He swung the bat as often as possible. Every opportunity he got, he’d swing at pitches. He said the more he’d swing, the more he’d hit.
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by Vince Lombardi

Winning is not a sometime thing. You don’t win once-in-a-while. You don’t do things right once-in-a-while. You do them right all the time.

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that is first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game-but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be the first in anything we do and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes out to play, he’s got to play from the ground up. From the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That’s okay - you’ve got to be smart to be number one in my business. But, more important, you’ve got to play with your heart. With every fiber of your body. If you are lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.
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