Success Information

Success Takes Practice


As a speaker and trainer, people often approach me after one of my programs to tell me how excited they are about the strategies they have learned and how they plan to put these ideas into action. When I connect with these people later on and ask how the techniques are working for them, I usually get answers such as "I really planned to use them but then things got so crazy that I never had the chance." or "I tried them once and wasn't successful so I gave up."

Success, like anything else, takes application and practice. Anyone who plays a sport or has achieved expertise in any skill knows that it doesn't happen the first time. They learn what to do and then apply it over and over again until it becomes easy and natural for them. They would never think of expecting to improve if they didn't apply what they had learned. However, they think different rules apply to success strategies.

If you want to make a change in your life or career, you must work with positive ideas until you can apply them effortlessly. They need to become part of your operating system. The following tips can help you do this more easily.

Work On One Thing At A Time

Often people want to change many things and they try to do it all at the same time. This can be overwhelming. Choose one idea and work with it until you gain mastery. Then you can work with another idea until you are successful with it and so on. In this way you can make changes without a lot of stress.

Determine What The Benefit Will Be To You

It's great to want to change, but if you aren't aware of how you are going to benefit as a result of the change, it is easy to get discouraged. How will achieving this change make your life better? What value will it bring to you? It is much easier to stay motivated when you have the answers to these questions.

Recognize That You Might Initially Feel Uncomfortable

Sometimes people give up working with a new idea because it feels uncomfortable. They don't want to deal with these negative feelings. Any time you try something new it feels awkward. This is a temporary situation. As you work with the new idea it will begin to feel more natural for you. It is all part of the learning process.

Commit To Using The Ideas For 30 Days

It is very easy to give up if you don't achieve instantaneous success. Make a commitment to apply the idea consistently for 30 days. If something happens to interrupt the process, then start again with your 30-day commitment. If you make the commitment at the beginning of the process, you are more likely to achieve your goal.

Appreciate Your Successes

As you work with the new idea, recognize your successes. Maybe you are trying to deal more effectively with stress. Congratulate yourself when you remember to breathe deeply when you feel your stress starting to increase. When we recognize our small successes it helps us achieve bigger successes.

Be Patient With Yourself Don't be self critical if you find yourself occasionally falling back into old patterns. You have been operating in that manner for years. It is going to take time before you fully integrate the new idea into your life. As you work with it on a consistent basis, you will find that you revert to old patterns less and less frequently.

Like anything of value that we achieve in life, success takes practice. Make a commitment to put in the practice time that is required so you can experience the wonderful rewards that success brings.

Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who inspires people to achieve greater success from the inside out. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers e-zine - send blank e-mail to subscribe@dellamenechella.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Global CIO: A 10-Point Plan For Success In 2009
InformationWeek, NY - 3 hours ago
Your letter mentioned my 2008 success in data-center consolidation, but we could have had even more success if Susan hadn't stonewalled my attempts to ...
CIO Replies To CEO: 10 Reasons To Keep Me Information Week Weblog
all 9 news articles


findingDulcinea

Nearly Utah 60 schools recognized for success
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 2 hours ago
By Lisa Schencker The Utah State Office of Education honored 56 schools with Utah Title I High Performing School Awards on Tuesday and three schools with ...
Aggressive overhauls of troubled schools should be examined Honolulu Star-Bulletin
all 10 news articles


CharlotteObserver.com

GM leverages Chinese success to reinvent LaCrosse
The Associated Press - 2 hours ago
DETROIT (AP) — With help from its design team in China, General Motors Corp. is trying to reinvigorate the Buick brand with its 2010 LaCrosse luxury sedan. ...
GM leverages Chinese success to reinvent LaCrosse Fox 28
2010 Buick LaCrosse could fill tall order for youthful voice ... Detroit Free Press
2010 Buick Allure Autonet
all 83 news articles


Voice of America

China experts score success against snail fever
Reuters - 9 hours ago
HONG KONG, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Chinese scientists appear to have found a formula to get rid of "snail fever", an age-old but neglected tropical disease ...
Scientists Cite China's Success in Controlling 'Snail Fever' Voice of America
all 7 news articles


Keys to Success for a New Leader
New York Times, United States - 2 hours ago
By Toni Monkovic Tony Sparano, Mike Smith and John Harbaugh had remarkable success in their first seasons as NFL coaches. The Jets will be looking for a ...


Illinois State's success could be boon for coach Tim Jankovich
Chicago Tribune, United States - 3 hours ago
By John Mullin | Tribune reporter Illinois State lost its undefeated season Tuesday at Bradley. What the Redbirds may need to work on before long is not ...


The Money Times

Low-key Eli Manning key to success of New York Giants' offence
The Canadian Press,  N.J. - 7 hours ago
Because you have had some success, it doesn't change your mentality or the way you approach things." Manning's closest friends on the team are the offensive ...
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants NFL Odds & Picks Locksmith Sports Picks
Giants' Jacobs wired, inspired to face Eagles Newsday
A Giant Collision of Defensive Minds NBC Philadelphia
Big Blue View - Reading Eagle
all 966 news articles


Recipe for Success: Presidio Helps Food Industry Manufacturers ...
MSNBC - 10 hours ago
To demonstrate how the adoption of new network infrastructure can be achieved while significantly reducing up-front costs, Presidio cites the successes of ...


Product Reviews

ARMing GNU/Linux Netbooks for Success in 2009
ComputerworldUK, UK - 21 hours ago
One of the surprises of 2008 was the runaway success of the ultaportable/netbook form factor. Now that systems running Windows XP are available people tend ...
Analysis: Did Intel underestimate netbook success? EETimes.com
all 132 news articles


New York Daily News

What are ingredients to Meyer's success?
Florida Times-Union, FL - 13 hours ago
By Michael DiRocco RECRUITING: Urban Meyer was at Nease High to watch QB Tim Tebow in this 2005 photo. Florida coach Urban Meyer is second only to Southern ...
Florida Gators outspend Oklahoma Sooners on football by 63 percent Palm Beach Post
Core curriculum for Sooners Boston Globe
BCS National Championship game could mean big money for S. Fla. TCPalm
MiamiHerald.com - Crimson and Cream Machine
all 2,175 news articles

Success - Google News

home | site map
© 2006