The Secret to Success Is Being Ready

"The great secret of success in life is for a man 

to be ready when his opportunity comes."

~Benjamin Disraeli

There are a lot of secrets about success, but this one is vital.  Opportunities may come to us, but we may not ready for them.  When we are not ready, we either ignore them, completely oblivious to them, or we attempt to seize the opportunity, but cannot deliver.  We are not ready for that opportunity, and thus, cannot really use it fully.  In this time of economic challenge, people are waiting for opportunities.  But they may be doing little to get ready for those opportunities.  It is a perfect use of your "waiting time" to do what you need to do to be ready, so that you will be able to use the opportunity fully. 

This week:  Ask yourself: "What do I need to do to really be ready to seize the opportunities that come to me?  Is there personal work I need to do to keep myself from self-sabotage?  Are there things I need in my business or in my career that can help better support me when opportunities come along?  Are there skills I need to further develop?"  Write down the ideas that come to you.  You might also want to ask a trusted friend or associate these questions.  Come up with a plan to implement growth in at least one area to help you get ready to take advantage of the opportunities that are coming your way.   Once you have that plan, take the first step!  (Planning isn't enough--you have to take action, too). 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome obstacles to their success.  She specializes in helping people overcome mindset limitations and ways that they sabotage themselves. For more information and free resources, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com . 

Stretch Yourself by Aiming High With Your Goals

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."

~Michelangelo

If you are afraid of failing, you may end up not even setting a goal that will stretch you.  But in doing so, you deprive yourself and others of all that you might be able to accomplish.  Michelangelo is a great example.  Had he not aimed high, we might have been deprived of his architecture, artwork, sculpture, poetry and understanding of human anatomy.  The Sistine Chapel might be painted "ceiling white".  When we stop ourselves from stretching to be the best we can be, we fall short or all that we are capable of achieving.  Aim high with your goals.  Stretch yourself to be the best. 

This week:  Take a look at what you would like to be able to accomplish.  Do you stop yourself from trying because you think it is "too big" or "too difficult?"  Do you let your self-doubt stop you?  If so, set a goal this week that will really stretch you to be your best.  Take at least one action to begin moving toward that goal.  If you don't succeed at achieving it, so what?  Think about what you can learn in the process.  Think about how stretching yourself with this goal will serve you with future goals. 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals that they had not thought possible.  She helps clients overcome self sabotage and self doubt so that they can find within themselves the resources to achieve at the highest levels.  For more information and free resources, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Invest More to Get More

"I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often."

~ Brian Tracy

In order have more luck, you need to be willing to invest yourself.  You need to believe in yourself and the outcome you are seeking.  When you are willing to give your all, you will notice more and more opportunities.  You will notice that your passion for your outcome carries your forward and creates its own "luck."

This week:  What area of your life would you like more "luck" in?  Now look at how invested you really are in that area.  Are you taking chances?  Are you active?  Are you showing up fully and passionately?  Are you really invested in getting your results?  If not, take some steps in increase your investment and passion about this area and what you want to see happen.  Believe it.  Now notice what opportunities show up for you.  Althugh you may not take them all, you will begin to notice that the opportunities become more abundant. 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome obstacles and achieve goals they had not thought possible with her solution focused methods. She specializes in helping people overcome self sabotage--those often unconscious ways in which we block ourselves from success and happiness.  For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Don't Fear Time--Use It

"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."

~Earl Nightingale

Many people avoid starting something because they think it will take too much time.  They think they don't have enough time,so they end up wasting the time they do have.   The time will pass anyway, whether we are doing something that brings us closer to our goals or not.  When we avoid doing things because we think we don't have enough time, we are sabotaging ourselves and letting this excuse stop us from living fully. 

This week: Identify something you have been procrastinating about because you think you don't have "enough time."  Decide how much time you DO have--whether it is 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour or 3 hours.  Invest that time in the task you have been avoiding.  At the end of the time, evaluate. Have you accomplished more of the task than you would have if you had done nothing?  Are you further along toward completion than you were?  Of course.  Use little bits of time and build momentum toward achieving that goal.  It may take you awhile to complete it, but you will be further along each time you use your time for that task.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals, overcome obstacles and discover how to live a meaning life.  She specializes in helping people overcome self sabotage--those things we do unconsciously to block our success and happiness.  For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Enjoy the Dance

"When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way."

~Wayne Dyer

Although I am a big believer in setting goals to move you forward in your life, life isn't only about achieving and getting to some destination.  As we move toward our goals in life, it is just as important to take breaks and enjoy our lives.  It isn't just the destination; we also need to enjoy the dance. When you do that you are most likely living in a balanced way that makes life both exciting and fulfilling. 

This week:  Build some time to enjoy yourself into your schedule.  Take some time off from your goals to do something you really enjoy.  Take some time for yourself.  Take some time to be with others.  Notice how much more energy you have when you return to work on your goals.  Do this often for one week and notice the difference.  Next, see if you can build some enjoyment into the steps toward reaching your goals.  If nothing else, build "dance time" in a reward for actions you take toward your goal.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people change things that are not working in their lives and begin to build a life that is more meaningful and authentic.  Whether it is starting a new business, changing careers or getting rid of self sabotage, Linda specializes in helping people move beyond their limitations.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Before You Start, Envision Your End Result

"We may be very busy, we may be very efficient, but we will also be truly effective only when we begin with the end in mind."

~Stephen Covey

Knowing where you are going, having a vision of your desired outcome, starting with the end in mind is key to really being effective at achieving your goals.   Without knowing where we are going, we tend to waste our resources of time, energy and money.  We meander around trying to figure out what we want.  We start and stop, going down blind alleys, focusing on things that are irrelevant to our end result.  Taking the time to envision your end result will ultimately save you time and energy, and allow you to pursue your goals most effectively. 

This week:  Identify some area of your life that is not working the way you would like it to.  Take time to think about how you would like things to be instead.  Be very specific.  How will you know you are successful at changing it?   What will that end result look like, sound like, and feel like?  Really envision your end result.  Now ask yourself, "What is the first step I need to take in order to get there?"  Take that first step.  What is the next step?  Keep moving toward that goal until you get that end result you had envisioned.  Notice how much more quickly you made progress toward that outcome by being clear about where you wanted to end up.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach, author and expert in helping people achieve their goals.  She specializes in helping people get rid of self sabotage--those things we often do unconsciously that block our success and happiness.  For more information about her services, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

The Rewards of Life Require the Risk of Playing the Game

"There's no reward in life without risk."

~Barry J. Farber

In order to "win" the game, you have to play.  You can't expect to sit on the sidelines, expecting to dream your outcome into being.  Yes, dreaming IS important, but you must take action.  Anytime you commit yourself to taking action, you are taking a risk.  You are putting yourself out there, declaring what you want.  You are stating your intention and you must now ante up.  Some people are afraid of the risk and allow that fear to derail them.  Even though you may not know the outcome for sure, what would you do if you knew you could not fail?  Take a chance.

This week:   Think about something you REALLY want.  Get clear about the outcome you'd like to achieve.  Be specific.  It can be something small or something big.  Now, think about what blocks you from having it?  How much of the obstacle to your success is related to fear of taking the risk?  Just think about how different your life would be if you took that risk AND were successful?  Think carefully about what the rewards are for you in achieving this outcome.  Are they big enough to overcome the fear?  If not, think about how you might make that outcome even MORE rewarding to you--not just at the end, but also along the way.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome self-sabotage.  When fear or limiting beliefs sabotage your best efforts at reaching your dreams, you need to be able to get rid of it.  Linda has a number of resources available, and is happy to talk with you about what might be best for you.  For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/