The person who is preparing to go anywhere, usually succeeds. (Dale Carnegie)
In this article, I will offer you proven strategies and tools to get more out of your initiatives and get you there!
I suggest you do a little experiment.
Imagine that I present you a large clear glass jar that I place in front of me.
I then gently put in the pot, one by one, eight big pebbles.
These pebbles fill the pot to the brim. Is the pot full?
Not really.
I now take out a bag of small rocks with which I fill the pot taking care to allow them to fill the interstices between the big pebbles, to the bottom of the pot.
This time, is the pot full?
Aha! I see that there are many who doubt this time.
It's perfect !
Indeed, the pot is still not filled …
So I present you a second bag, filled with sand that one.
I empty the contents in the jar taking care not to leave any empty space between the large pebbles and the small rocks.
The pot is filled to the brim.
Is it really full this time?
I feel more ambivalence on your part than the last time I asked the question …
But if you answered "no", you are still right!
I finally leave a pitcher of water that I empty into the glass jar.
This time, the pot is well filled …
What lesson can we learn from this little experience?
Maybe you think I wanted to illustrate that we can always do more things, even when we believe that our schedule is saturated with activities, tasks and responsibilities?
It's an interesting possibility, but that's not what I meant.
What I would like you to remember is that if I had not first put the big stones in the pot before adding rocks, sand and water, these pebbles could never have entered later.
And in our life, what are these big pebbles?
These pebbles are your personal achievement, self-awareness and homeland security, family and relationships, health, passion, career and financial security.
If you do not choose to integrate first the pebbles of your personal achievement in the pot of your life, you will simply have no place to live in a balanced way.
And unfortunately it's often what happens …
We follow the flow without asking questions and we clutter our existence with unimportant concerns that grab our attention.
It is therefore not surprising that our lives are often unsatisfactory.
In this case, we must make the effort to empty our pot of water, sand and rocks it contains to start again and insert first these big stones so important …
Refusing magical thinking to get results
We end our journey at the heart of the attitudes, strategies and initiatives that really make it possible to live the life we dream of.
I particularly emphasized efficiency, that is, ways to increase the quantity and quality of results we achieve while decreasing the effort and the hours of work to achieve it.
The strategies I have presented to you have been used for years by the most successful people in the world.
And I am convinced that to be satisfied with "asking the universe to receive", the famous "Secret" is very insufficient.
Asking us puts us in a passive position: it is not we who change things and build but the "universe" towards which we direct our expectations.
It is the belief in the form of an advertising slogan that is ideal for the consumer and entertainment society in which we live: "realize your dreams and make a fortune without lifting a finger, without changing your habits, without taking risks, in short , effortlessly… "
It reminds me of the high-profile commercials that, just after the holidays, sell amazingly powerful exercisers, knowing that people with good intentions will buy them en masse but do nothing.
All these scammers sell dreams, at great expense, and fill their pockets, but they never talk about the reality much less sexy, with the failures and the efforts to be made …
The "law of attraction" can give the impression that we only have to wait passively to receive what we have requested, such as after a car order at McDonald's.
This vision is unfortunately not realistic.
Unfortunately, this is magical thinking and people who just "ask" without taking action may wait a long time for their order …
Even the term "law of attraction" resembles something that has been scientifically confirmed, such as Isaac Newton's Law of Universal Attraction (or law of gravitation).
However, it is not !
Absolutely nothing tangible or scientific has ever demonstrated that this smoky "law of attraction" works …
For wonderful events to happen and for your dreams to come true, you need to do something:
[…] the principle "ask, believe, receive" could be more accurately formulated as follows: "ask, believe, act and greatly increase your chances of receiving"1
Of course, the first step of asking is fundamental.
But those who present the "law of attraction" often fail to mention that the desire and the conviction to succeed must be accompanied by concrete actions.
Many initiatives can help you succeed faster.
With unlimited growth, I presented you with effective strategies to turn your actions into concrete results.
That is why, before finishing this book, I would like to share with you two last strategies that will kick off your success!
The strategy A B C D E
This is an initiative that has proven successful in transforming day-to-day operations into results.
This strategy builds on the 80/20 principle and the list of priorities.
If you use the ABCDE strategy, you'll make sure you get good results quickly.
This strategy applies to the different lists of activities you have given yourself, to achieve your goals every day, every week, every month and every year.
This strategy is as useful to your work as it is to achieving your personal goals.
First take one of the action lists you have previously written and choose the activity you would do if you could only complete one before leaving for a long trip.
This activity is the most important. Write "1" in the margin next to this activity.
Now, if you had the opportunity to finish a second activity before leaving (still the most important, but after the number 1), what would it be? Write "2" next to it.
Continue this exercise by continuing to number them (3, 4, 5, etc.) to those that are no longer particularly important.
The second step is to categorize your activities into five distinct categories.
The numbers you gave them will help you to put them in each category.
Category A is that of the most important activities.
You absolutely must do these activities if you want to get results.
Worse, you will suffer adverse consequences if you do not finish!
Many of your activities may be in this category.
Pay attention to these priorities because they will help you succeed faster.
Category B brings together the activities that are important to do, such as those in category A, but whose negative consequences are less severe if you do not achieve them.
These activities are also the ones you need to do because they involve results.
But do these activities only when all those in category A are finished.
Category C contains activities that would be nice or useful to do but are less important than the previous two categories and which do not imply any negative consequences if you do not realize them.
These activities do not contribute at all to your success.
So it is best to spend time only when Category A and B activities are completed.
Category D is interesting because it includes activities that you can directly delegate to others.
For results, it will be helpful to delegate everything possible to free up more time for really important activities.
Category E brings together activities that you can eliminate altogether.
These activities do not bring any positive difference to your life.
Spending time on these types of activities does nothing to help you achieve your goals and even takes away valuable time that you could spend on your important activities.
The ABCDE strategy preceded by the priority list (when you assign numbers to your activities) is very useful because it allows you to identify which activities are really the most important, those you need to focus your efforts on first.
This exercise is also useful because it helps you to become aware of all activities that you value but are not important or priorities.
Another fundamental reason why this type of exercise is really useful for success comes from the fact that, most of the time, people get poor results because they do not work in activities that are really important and important.
They disperse, react to events and lose sight of their goals.
The lack of results makes them fall behind: this delay causes a lot of anxiety and can even undermine self-confidence!
A good way to remedy for real to this problem is to distinguish what is really important from what is only urgent…
The "method" of unlimited growth2
I just introduced the first of the last two strategies that I wanted to talk to you about to help you achieve.
Here is the second.
I name it simply unlimited growth method because it involves getting involved personally to get more results every day.
The method of unlimited growth depends essentially on the involvement that you have to realize yourself and your conviction to success.
It also depends on your concrete actions and your ability to learn each of your initiatives to solve problems, break dead ends and increase your efficiency.
This method is demanding, but it is worth it.
This is the reason why I present this method to you at the very end of this book because she's taking advantage of all of what we've seen.
This method depends on the accelerated return of success that I presented to you.
| From this perspective, the more you take the initiative, the more concerned you are with your personal achievement, your goals, your vision and your efficiency, and the more results you get quickly and easily. |
Remember that good habits are hard to take, but when you have them, they become very easy to maintain and create a happy life for a long time.
All this allows me to return to what you may have been taken aback in the title of this article:
How do you eat an elephant?
What a thorny question is not it?
Perhaps you have never thought of enjoying a pachyderm?
Neither do I.
In fact, elephants are each ambitious goals that you will give in your life.
But such goals can become daunting because of their size.
So how do you eat an elephant?
The answer is simple: one bite at a time!
As you incorporate positive changes into your daily life, you will see how easy it is to get good results quickly.
But you have to start slowly.
You do not have to see all the changes you want to make to your life like a mountain (or like an elephant).
The mountain is high to climb and you may be discouraged.
Focus instead on the ease and simplicity of each step, the direction you should take to avoid getting lost, and do not forget to taste the satisfaction of seeing you advance and enjoy the beauty of the landscape that stretches before your eyes.
Any improvement is gradual and only patience and discipline will allow you to enjoy the pleasure of each step and nourish your perseverance.
Good. That's all very well, you say, but what does this famous "unlimited growth method" consist of?
It's okay, you won …
Here is how I could summarize it.
Do you think it would be possible to start now to realize, to give you goals and to take action?
Do you believe that you can improve your life by one percent within a week?
In fact, what I'm asking you is to start right now to improve your life.
Do you accept my challenge?
Meeting this challenge is the first step in this method that encompasses all of what we have seen in this book.
And if you want to take up my challenge in a day and not in a week, just start working right now on an activity that is a good performer.
But overall, what I want to explain to you through this ultimate method is that you can increase your results and improve every day, for the rest of your life.
And how can you achieve such a feat?
How to achieve this unlimited growth?
Continuing to make efforts across different dimensions:
- Taking new initiatives;
- By trying to get to know you better
- By continuously improving your skills and learning;
- By defining clear and precise objectives and revising them;
- By doing activities that are really important to you (take action).
- By persevering, standing up, and learning from your mistakes.
If you apply this global method now, without even being too ambitious, at the end of the year, it's no exaggeration to say that you will have increased the quantity and quality of your results by 25% compared to your current situation.
Do not you think ?
And this will continue for the next few years.
But how a growth unlimited is it possible?
Because each of your new achievements, such as your results and your learning, build on your previous achievements.
Each improvement of yourself will enrich other parts of who you are and your work.
You will better manage your time and priorities, for example.
Each of your personal improvements will lead you to new improvements.
It is therefore an exponential dynamic.
"How difficult it must be! You say maybe …
Not that much.
And to help you succeed, here is a completely wrong idea that you would win to unbolt.
This idea, which is widespread, consists of believe that personal improvement requires more effort than if we do nothing.
This seems true in the short term, but when we look long term, nothing is more wrong!
Indeed, to the extent of your life, you may have to provide much more effort to survive your bad habits, if you do nothing.
As Edward Stanley put it, "Those who think they do not have the time to exercise will sooner or later find the time to be sick. "
It's a bit the same principle …
Once again, this is the difference between proactivity, the ability to do something and predict, and the reactivity, which consists of waiting for events to happen and simply reacting to them …
Do not you think that triple coronary artery bypass grafting or chemotherapy because you do not do prevention in health requires effort?
And what about the serious conflicts you will have to deal with if you do not deal with your relationships with others and your way of communicating.
To take one last example, what takes the most effort: the fact of struggling every day to find a few extra dollars to pay interest on over-consumption debts or work quietly to improve his personal finances by saving first and spending less?
And I could give you another hundred examples!
Although this is not immediately obvious to conceive, the decision to improve your life will require much less effort than to do nothing!
The law of accelerated return of efficiency and success corresponds to the image of compound interest that I presented to you previously: the new results are calculated from the capital (what you were) added interest (the increase that you brought).
This will allow you to experience long-term growth.
To summarize, unlimited growth relies on a modest but continuous improvement.
If you commit to improving the quality of your life a dailythe results you will get will have a great chance to make your dreams come true!
And this improvement is not a magic recipe: it is a real way of life.
Continuous improvement is an extremely powerful tool to provide you with real results.
This continual and exponential ability to improve to new heights was the central element that I wanted to share with you in this book.
And here is what is most encouraging when you take advantage of continuous improvement:
- As you have the courage and determination to do things differently, to truly dream and improve your life, you will be happier and your motivation will increase every day.
This is the reason why unlimited growth starts and ends with yourself.
Some suggestions in closing …
I have made suggestions throughout my articles on the subject.
But true to my habit, I can not finish this article without mentioning some small details …
Take action immediately and finish each of your projects one after the other
You know that the action corresponds to each step that allows you to climb a mountain, no matter how high (or to eat an elephant, at your choice).
That's why your personal achievement should not be wishful thinking!
Start as quickly as possible, damn it!
Stop procrastinating! 😉
A little trick to avoid putting everything to rest is to do your activities as they arrive, as long as they are urgent and above all important.
What will be the result?
You will have fewer separate projects to manage, less information that weigh you down and always more results.
Learn to learn
You can invest in your body by exercising and eating well, but you can also invest in your mind.
The world is changing faster and faster …
In this context, listening to television or reading the newspaper is less and less useful.
Try to spend 30 minutes each day learning more deeply in an area that interests you.
Reading about a topic that is useful for achieving your goals is a good example of this type of learning.
Always keep your goals in mind
To guide your actions, you must always remember your goals.
Take a few minutes each day to re-read and review your goals.
Write them using verbs in the present, it will help you to imagine doing them.
Live consciously with yourself
To know and grow, listen attentively to every message that life sends you.
As much as possible, ask yourself questions after each of your experiences, after your successes and failures.
These questions will help you know what to remember and what to do differently to improve your life.
This is what will make you rhyme with wisdom and you will avoid repeating mistakes.
And above all, make your unlimited growth not just a priority but a personal and irrevocable commitment
And I strongly support the words "personal and irrevocable commitment".
Without the strength of your determination, it will be very difficult to change your habits.
You may even have to put yourself at the foot of the wall.
Make the decision, once and for all, to achieve each of the goals you give yourself.
You will be accountable to yourselves!
In this context, failures will be learnings and opportunities, but stop realizing yourself will no longer be a feasible option.
Four ways to trigger unlimited growth
It's never too late to make positive changes major to your life.
Only when you decide that you can not do anything that nothing is possible.
This is how we condemn ourselves to being unhappy.
In contrast, you can "condemn" yourself to live an extraordinary life!
Here are four ways that will help you trigger this unlimited growth:
1. Everything you excel at that gives you the most results is difficult to master at first
Values associated with a negative version of the American dream abound.
They believe that you can succeed without effort (remember this article).
It also corresponds to the simplistic vision of the law of attraction of which I spoke earlier, this magical thought where the mere fact of believing would be supposed to give results, without having to do anything else!
It seems that the values of the facility are becoming more and more widespread in our societies …
Alas, because it obscures all the pleasure that rigor, work and discipline give.
And I do not write that for fun!
One must have developed the patience of the job well done and results, and the discipline to master something complex, to taste all the happiness they offer.
The pleasure of writing and playing music are two good examples for me.
And both of these activities required a lot of work, patience, perseverance, discipline and rigor.
Wait … "Work, patience, perseverance, discipline and rigor" …
A beautiful enumeration of sad and forbidding terms is not it?
In my opinion, that should never be the case!
And was all that worth it?
I can guarantee you that the pleasure that writing and music give me far exceeds the pleasure of going to the cinema, for example.
This quest for ease is one of the unfortunate reasons why people do not exercise their real potential in their lives.
They try to develop new skills or achieve a goal but they want the results right away!
They do not take the time to improve or develop their long-term vision.
They do not see how much they enrich themselves as a person (from the point of view of being and not to see her).
Blind to their results realpeople often get discouraged on the way back to their old activities and results, that is to say something that does not satisfy them.
"But what are these real results if they do not achieve their goals? Are you going to ask me rightly …
Here they are !
Having new goals, hopes and motivation, improving their relationships with others, their health, feeling time goes faster when they do activities they like, etc.
In summary, and that's a very good newsyou will probably live happier before to achieve your goals, simply by living in the process of reaching them, as long as you have the conviction to succeed, and patience …
To be successful, you must cultivate excellence. You have to try and try again …
Perseverance illustrates how difficult everything becomes easy to achieve when you give it a shot.
2. The only limits to your success are the ones you give yourself!
You now know how much you limit yourself, often without realizing it, especially when you do not accept full responsibility for the results you get in your life.
Your belief that you can or can not succeed makes the biggest difference in your ability to achieve.
Thus, the only real limits to your success lie in your imagination!
Your freedom is much greater than you suspect.
You have the choice.
Your success does not depend on a single option.
You can choose to always give yourself more opportunities and stop restricting yourself.
All you have to lose is what does not satisfy you in your life!
3. Your past does not matter, only your present and your future are important because they allow you to go where you want
When you focus on your area of unnecessary concernyou attach balls to your feet that prevent you from moving forward.
Do not allow your past to stop you from living the life you dream of.
Instead, focus on the fact that every action and initiative you take in the present builds your future.
4. Learn how to get by and use the resources you have
The human brain is "designed" to enable you to learn throughout your life.
So you can choose to learn and use what is most useful for your success.
You can also discover what others have learned to have more success and results.
When you value learning, you know that every failure, every difficulty is an opportunity to improve.
Coupled with the desire to excel and the ability to persevere, learning is a great tool that greatly facilitates your personal achievement.
People who realize themselves often find surprising results when they change their habits and increase their power over their lives.
But these people do not become more intelligent than before.
They only exploit their intelligence and their actions in a more productive way.
That's what you can do, too, every day of your life!
If you liked this article, know that it is from my book Unlimited growth. You can get it in ebook version to read it in full.
References
- Karen Kelly, The secret of secrecy, Editions The Day, 2007, p. 67.
- This method is inspired by the notion of continuous improvement developed by W. Edwards Deming, who is considered one of the fathers of the economic revolution in Japan after the Second World War.
Here is a book that I suggest you to go further:
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