Keep A Journal

I have found that great people take great notes, good people take good notes and most people take no notes at all. The notebooks of Leonardo daVinci are legendary. Use a journal to note your accomplishments, ideas and insights, and capture your key learnings and take aways as you go. It is also very powerful to write down your dreams, goals and objectives.

No Success Without Sacrifice

There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is always a price to pay if you want to obtain something of value. There is an investment to be done either in terms of energy, focus of attention, time or money. Think about everything in life in terms of ROI (return on investment) and it will all start to make sense to you. There is no success without sacrifice.

No-one Can Do Everything

We all have a limit of capacity. There is only so much you can do. That's why the ability to prioritize is so crucial to your success. Place your bets carefully. Pick your battles with care. Do they further your cause? Everyone can do something but no one can do everything. Preserve your energies to where they do the most good.

Build The Self-Esteem Of Others

Self-esteem, the sense of being important, valuable and worthwhile is the deepest need of every individual. Everything you do in your interactions with people affects their self-esteem in one way or the other. Give them what you would like for yourself. Perhaps the simplest way to make another person feel good about themselves is your expressions of appreciation for what that person does for you, large or small. Remember to thank them at every opportunity you can.

That's Interesting!

Very few people are stupid and everyone behave rationally from their own perspective. When you have difficulties understanding someone else, say to yourself: "That's interesting!" and look at their thought process and behavior with an open, curious mindset. It is fun to learn other ways of viewing the world and to try out new perspectives. Attempt to understand before you try to make yourself understood.

Contingency Planning

You have heard about Murphy's law which says: "If something can go wrong it will." Never assume this will not happen to you, it will. It is a wise thing to build contingency plans and put them in place, just in case. Business philosopher Jim Rohn remarks: "I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change."

Psychology Of Greed, Hope And Fear

We have talked about the strong human motivators of desire for gain and fear of loss, earlier in this column. This psychology becomes especially obvious when dealing with real money in places like the stock market. Because of the psychology of greed, hope and fear, most people cut their winners and hold on to their losers instead of cutting their losses quickly to ride the winners. This is an allegory for success in life, really. Learn to cut your losses and hold on to your winnings.