Library
I don’t know
what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know:
Inspect the
average healthcare provider’s bookshelves, desk or file cabinets and you are
bound to run across an assortment of cassettes, books, seminar notes and other
paraphernalia all dedicated to one subject — achieving success.
Doctors and
their team members are known for building veritable libraries of motivational
materials. Yet, despite absorbing the collected wisdom of many success gurus,
the average healthcare practice remains just that: average.
It doesn’t have
to be that way. Success is your destiny. How do you take control of it? Embrace
these guidelines:
• Define
your purpose;
• Believe
in yourself;
• Make
your actions and
• Learn to
love yourself;
• Jumpstart
your drive to succeed;
• Seek out
a mentor or coach;
• Commit
to your destiny.
Why are so many
professionals stifled in achieving success in their practice? Too frequently
they define success exclusively in a single dimension — money.
People who
operate within a narrow (monetary) definition of success often find themselves
ill-equipped to handle financial setbacks, because if that single dimension
collapses, they have nothing else to hold on to.
While we can’t
always control the outcomes and economic conditions of our practices, we can
always control how we perceive and interpret these outcomes.
Don’t be misled
by the traditional success dogma that offers simple answers to complex issues
through clichés such as, “Persistence is the key to success” or “You’ve
got to set your goals.”
Relying on
clichés to motivate you is like depending on candy bars for nutrition. People
leave motivational seminars all pumped up, but soon lose their enthusiasm to
keep going.
Persistence and
goal setting play a role in achieving success. But instead of focusing on them
as the primary factors leading to success, begin at the true source — your
sense of purpose.
Once your
purpose is in place, you can get more specific by setting goals.
While a variety
of obstacles can keep you from achieving your potential, the most common is the
fear of failure. Underachievers frequently think to themselves, “If I try to go
to the next level, I could fall on my face, and embarrass myself. I could be
exposed as not having the potential that everyone thinks I have.”
Successful
people believe that they have the power to influence the course of events. If
you believe that life is largely up to chance and that what you do doesn’t
really make a whole lot of difference, you won’t have the drive to get out
there and make things happen. You also won’t have the drive to sustain yourself
when things go wrong.
People with an
external locus of control attribute what happens in their lives to the luck of
the draw. As a result, they quit much sooner than someone with an internal
locus of control who thinks, “I’ve been through this before. I know what to do
to bring things around again.”
MAKE
YOUR
ACTIONS AND DECISIONS
MATTER
Maybe you’ve
tried but haven’t experienced the success you are capable of and feel like you
have lost control over your future.
Get over it.
Success is not about how many failures you experience, but how fast you
recover, learn from your mistakes and continue toward your goals.
A belief in
yourself and your abilities is critical to long-term success. However, anyone
who has attended a motivational seminar has heard that “other people can’t love
you until you love yourself.” Chasing this goal, people struggle unsuccessfully
to love themselves. Why? Because it is the other way around —you can’t love
yourself until other people love you.
Introspection
is important, but it will never provide you with an insight to your value. We
can never know who we are except through the eyes of someone who loves us as we
are.
What steps can
you take to jumpstart your drive to succeed? After you have cleared your head
of unresolved conflicts and have gotten in touch with your sense of purpose,
you are ready to begin setting goals. Once you have set a goal, act on it
promptly.
Do not
underestimate the importance of positive self-talk, but avoid the mindless
repetition of affirmations. Ask questions instead. When you repeat to yourself
“I am successful” and write it down a hundred times, your brain responds
automatically by saying to you, “Yeah, right. I don’t feel so successful.”
On the other
hand, if I ask you, “Why is the sky blue?” your brain immediately begins
searching for the answer. Instead of saying, “I am successful,” ask, “Why am I
successful?” to affirm your worth.
Success is more
likely when you seek out people who can exert a positive influence on you.
Surround yourself with people who are more successful than you are. These
individuals can act as coaches and mentors and play an important role on the
path to success.
If you are
wallowing in a negative spiral or merely plateaued and looking for a way to
take the next step forward, these ideas provide fodder for making positive
changes in your life. But therein lies the key. You can’t just think your
way to success. Listening to tapes, reading and dreaming about doing things
differently are not enough.
The most
critical step is to act. When you act as if something is so, it becomes so.
You will meet
resistance. It’s similar to beginning a new exercise program: Your muscles are
tight and stiff and they resist. The same is true with your mental muscles. If
you’ve been running on self-defeating thoughts and beliefs, at first your mind
will resist new ideas.
Consistently
run these new beliefs through your mind at regular intervals, act on them, and
you will find that success is your destiny.
Dr. Mark
Sanna is CEO of Breakthrough Coaching. He can be reached through his Web site
at www.mybreakthrough.com or by
calling 800-723-8423. Send this page to a friend |
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