1. Create a very specific and detailed goal
“You need a plan to build a house. To build a life, it is even
more important to have a plan or goal.” – Zig Ziglar
The first success mantra from Ziglar is to set
specific goals because goals help you focus.
Ziglar
wants you to set the following types of goals:
·
Big goals: Big goals are the
type of goals that cause excitement and motivate you. If setbacks happen,
focusing on these big goals will help push you forward.
·
Long-range goals: These can
include monthly and yearly goals.
·
Daily goals: Daily goals help you
work consistently toward your long-range goals.
Once your
goals are in place, you can develop a plan on how to achieve them. Find out
what obstacles you face, the skills you need to learn, and the people you need
to meet to achieve your goals.
You don’t
need to have everything figured out in the beginning. You can alter your goals
and plans as you progress and as things become clear.
2. Visualize reaching your goals
“If you want to reach your goal, you must see it, be able to smell,
touch and taste it, know how it looks and what it feels like in your own mind.”
– Zig Ziglar
Imagination (or seeing things using your mind’s eye) is the most powerful tool at your disposal. You can achieve miracles
if you use this tool properly.
So take a
few moments daily to relax, clear your mind and actually visualize yourself
living the type of life you intend to live. See yourself with the nice things
you want in your life such as owning a house or taking a vacation. While you
are doing this, bring some emotion into your body to mimic the emotions you
would feel when you actually achieve your dreams.
Visualizing
this way helps change your attitude, removes limiting beliefs and reprograms
your subconscious mind with positive, empowering beliefs, so you can move
toward your goals faster.
3. Plan your day first thing in the morning
“Every morning, run through your mind the things you are going
to be doing. As you plan the day, as you think of all the things you have got
to be excited about, it really does renew your energy.” – Zig Ziglar
A powerful tactic to ensure that you achieve your daily goals is to plan your day
first thing in the morning. You can sit in silence and simply visualize all the
things you are going to do today and how you are going to do it. As you
visualize your day this way, you are filled with positive energy that will
motivate you to utilize your time perfectly and take the right action.
4. Develop habits for success
“Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there.” – Zig Ziglar
Ziglar is
right in pointing out that, motivation doesn’t last forever, but habits once
formed, last forever. As human beings, we are creatures of habit. Habit-forming
is difficult in the beginning, but it’s formed, you start doing it
effortlessly.
In order
to reach success, you need to substitute your bad habits with good ones. For
instance, a good habit would be getting up early in the morning, planning your
day, and working for 1 to 2 hours without giving in to distractions. Remember
that habits are formed once you repeatedly do something for 21 consecutive
days.
5. Believe that you can
“Before you can reach that goal, it is true that whether you think
you can, or think you can’t, you are generally right.” – Zig Ziglar
If deep inside, you do not believe that you have what it takes to
reach your goals, then you will never reach them. Therefore, it is crucial that
you believe in your
abilities and back yourself up to reach your goals. Whenever
thoughts of self-doubt arise, do not pay them any heed and instead shift your
focus to empowering and uplifting thoughts of self-belief.
6. Optimize your mind
“Remember, you are what you are and where you are because of what’s
going on in your mind. And you can change what you are and where you are by
changing what goes into your mind.” – Zig Ziglar
As we
grow up, we unconsciously imbibe a lot of negative and limiting beliefs from
our surroundings. These beliefs unless discarded will hamper your growth, so
become conscious of your limiting thoughts. Study these thoughts and figure out
from where they arise.
In other
words, what beliefs in your subconscious are responsible for them. Once you are
aware of these beliefs, stop giving them power by consciously shifting your
attention from the negative thoughts to positive and empowering thoughts. Using
affirmations and positive self-talk is also a great way to reprogram your
subconscious mind.
7. Develop a positive self-image
“If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as
a winner.” – Zig Ziglar
How you
perceive yourself in your mind’s eye is one of the most important factors that
determine whether or not you will succeed.
If you
think of yourself as someone who has what it takes to achieve success, you will
achieve success, but if you think you are not good enough, you will see your
reality reflecting that thought back to you. In fact, your current reality is
reflective of the self-image that you hold within.
Therefore, become conscious of the type of image you hold of
yourself in your mind. Ask yourself these questions: How do I
view myself? Do I think I am capable of reaching success? Do I believe that I
deserve success? Do I see myself as a winner that everyone looks up to?
Simply
becoming conscious of your self-image can help you alter it from negative to
positive.
8. Don’t worry about what others think of you
“Don’t be distracted by
criticism. Remember ~ the only taste of success some people have is when they
take a bite out of you.” – Zig Ziglar
People
will always have something to say and you cannot please everyone. Don’t waste
your time and energy worrying about other people’s actions and opinions. Keep
your attention focused on your priorities because that’s what matters.
9. Learn from your mistakes
“If you learn from defeat,
you haven’t really lost.” – Zig Ziglar
It’s only
human to make mistakes. The important thing therefore is to not dwell over your
mistakes and instead, ask yourself, what your mistakes are trying to teach you.
In doing so, learn from your mistakes, because they are the greatest factors
for your personal growth.
10. Always be open to learning
“Life is a classroom – only
those who are willing to be lifelong learners will move to the head of the
class.” – Zig Ziglar
The moment you think you know everything is the moment you stop growing. In order to succeed, you need to keep growing. Always keep an open mind, and always be open to learning. Do not become a slave to your beliefs, doctrines, and ideologies.
11. Connect with yourself
“Outside of your
relationship with God, the most important relationship you can have is with
yourself. We must be healthy internally, emotionally and spiritually – in order
to create healthy relationships with others.” – Zig Ziglar
Spend
time with yourself. Get to know and understand yourself by practicing self-reflection. The more you know yourself, the more you get in touch with your
true nature, desires, and goals. Similarly, only by knowing yourself can you
begin to know others. Only by loving yourself can you start attracting the
right people into your life. All of these characteristics are crucial for
success.
12. Spend time in solitude
“If you want to build a
winning attitude, you need to take time to be quiet. And you need to do it at least three to four times a week.” – Zig Ziglar
Ziglar is
a major advocate of spending time in solitude. Spending time in solitude helps
you reconnect with yourself. It also helps you clear your mind and attract life
changing ideas. So make it a habit to spend time alone doing nothing. Spending
even a few minutes with your own reflective thoughts can make a huge
difference.
13. Surround yourself with uplifting people
“Surround yourself with
people who want the best for you and the people you love!” – Zig Ziglar
For the
most part, people can be divided into two categories – the lilies and the
leeches. The lilies are those who uplift you and leeches are those who drain
you.
If you
are surrounded by leeches all day long, they will suck your energy dry and you
will find yourself feeling a lot less motivated and productive. Instead, when
you surround yourself with good people, you will find yourself full of positive
energy to take action.
So make a
conscious effort to cut out toxic people from your life and surround yourself
with people who inspire you to be yourself and who accept you for who you are.
14. Express gratitude
“Of all the “attitudes” we
can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far
the most life-changing.” – Zig Ziglar
Expressing gratitude changes your mindset
from one of lack to one of abundance. When you feel abundance, you attract
abundance into your life. Therefore, every day make it a point to feel
gratitude for everything that you have in your life.
15. Value your time and use it effectively
“If you don’t plan your
time, someone else will help you waste it.” – Zig Ziglar
Use time
as your most valuable resource. This is where planning your day can help you
immensely. When you have a set plan in place, you will automatically learn to
say no to things that are not productive.
16. Start slow and develop as you go
“Peak performance is
dependent on passion, grit, determination, and a willingness to do something
poorly until you can do it well.” – Zig Ziglar
You don’t
need to have everything figured out from the very beginning. It is also not
important that you are an expert in your field of work from the very beginning.
You can begin small with whatever you have and develop as you go along.
Remember that it is the slow and steady that wins the race.
17. Do not compare yourself to others
“Make a careful
exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink
yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself
with others.” – Zig Ziglar
In order
to reach your goals, it is important that you know your strengths and
abilities. Focus on them instead of focusing on your weaknesses. When you
compare yourself to others, you automatically start to see things that you lack
and lose perspective. Get rid of the habit of comparing yourself to others, and
keep your focus on yourself.
18. Be persistent
“If you have the character
to hang in there when it's tough, you will develop or acquire every other
characteristic necessary to WIN in the game of life.” – Zig Ziglar
And
finally, the most important of all is to be persistent in your efforts even
when the going gets tough.
Ziglar’s book, ‘See You
At The Top’, was rejected 39 times before it was published in the year 1975.
The book is still in print today and is considered an American classic. Goes to
show what persistence can help you achieve. It does not matter how slow you are
as long as you are persistent.
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