by Kathy Gates
Success is the result of certain habits and attitudes.
There is no mystery; no secret society you must join. It is
a mathematic equation: Think certain thoughts + do certain
things = success.
If you look, these success habits and attitudes are
everywhere. Yours for the taking. However, to work for you
they must be internalized. They must become a part of you,
your natural way.
To make this internalization process work for you, you must
focus on the habit/attitude long enough for it to sink in.
Focus + Time = Internalization.
Reading an article like this, reading a book, or going to a
seminar gives you an introduction to the habit or attitude.
If the information has great meaning for you and you apply
it right away and continue to use it, everyday, you have
adopted a new success habit/attitude.
But think back to the last book you read. If it was a good
book you probably came across several ideas that made sense
and would help you succeed. But each idea was forgotten by
the time you were on the next chapter thinking about the
new idea being discussed.
This is not a weakness in you. It is human nature.
People Become or Achieve What They Focus On.
Once you incorporate that basic fact into your life you can
succeed at anything you are willing to do.
This brings us back to the beginning of this article: Think
certain thoughts + do certain things = success.
The certain thoughts and certain things are success
habits/attitudes like desire, purpose, persistence, etc.
To internalize these success habits/attitudes you must
reinforce them continually. You must focus on a single
habit/attitude at a time for them to become a natural part
of you. The more you do to bombard yourself with one
focused topic at a time the stronger
you will internalize it.
As they become part of you, each habit/attitude mesh and
reinforce each other for a synergistic result. The whole is
stronger than each of its parts.
That synergistic result is desire. Our mind/body is very
smart. We cannot fool it. If it doesn't believe we are
capable of doing something, it won't let us do it. It turns
down the flame of desire and we don't have the energy to even try.
You can reprogram your mind/body to believe and turn up the
flames of desire. Once you really believe, nothing can stop
you. It's like a huge pot of water on a stove. If all the
burners are off, there is no heat - no desire. Turn on a
burner and the water starts to heat up. Turn on all the
burners and so much heat is built up; steam must be released.
This steam is DESIRE.
The great thing is that this stove exists in real life, in
each of us. Each burner is a success habit/attitude. The
burner's labels say: Dreams, Goals, Do It, Persistence, etc.
You can read an article or go to a seminar and turn 2 or 3
burners on all the way, producing a lot of steam - desire.
What nobody tells you is that every burner needs a constant
supply of gas. Without a constant supply of gas the flame
goes out.
Keep supplying the gas long enough and internalization
occurs. At this point you have permanently opened the gas
valve all the way to keep the burner going. This continual
heat builds the steam of your desire.
But one burner, on high, is not likely to build steam. It
will produce heat and some action. That's a step in the
right direction. To get steam going you need lots of
burners adding to the heat. Internalize many success
habit/attitudes and the steam has to blow the top off the
pot.
It takes 21 days to build a habit. Focus your attention for
an entire month on each individual success habit/attitude
and you will blow the top off your pot. Throughout the day,
everyday, reinforce the success habit/attitude of the month.
Every month focus on a different success habit/attitude.
Stir it and let it simmer inside of you everyday for a
month. Let the constant reinforcement turn the knob higher
and higher until the gas stays on and becomes a part of you.
Do that month after month, turn on burner after burner and
blow your top.
2003 Copyright Russ Stiffler
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