Maximise Potential

Wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. As 2019 dawns on us we all want to feel more self-confident. Self-confidence is wonderful quality strongly correlated with success. A lot of times we see people who are highly successful and it is a direct result of their self-confidence. It is not something that you just have when you are born but rather it is something internalized after years of hard work and proving your competence in your area of expertise. Here are the 15 ways I have identified to become a more self-confident person. Keep track of your accomplishments  — Everyone has had success at some point in life either in school, extracurricular activities or college. Write down every single achievement you have ever had right from your start. This can be anything from learning a language, learning a sport, or academic achievements. This will give you a good start on your journey towards increasing self-confidence. Some authors advise to have a victory log of all your ...

Winning is what we all want in life. With 2019 beckoning we all want to set New Year resolutions and hope the next year will be better than the current year. Irrespective of how 2018 has been you can make 2019 better. Here are 7 ways to win in any year. I have expanded each letter of the word Winning. Work Hard and Smart  — It is so important to work hard no question about that. However it is not just about putting 12 hours into your work. It is about maximising productivity with the available time. Focus on top priorities and understand what the key result areas of your job are. Focus only on that and eliminate non value adding activities. Work hard while being smart. Stay Inspired  — Inspiration is the fuel you need to accomplish all your goals. Decide on things that keep your inspired. It may be reading a motivational book, for others it may be when you spend time with people who are inspiring, or it may be playing the sport you enjoy. Whatever it is make sure you stay inspi...

Forget Resolutions Install these 13 Habits With 2019 less than a couple of days away a lot of us want to create resolutions and most of them don’t work over the long run unless there is a strong commitment to follow through. I prefer goals instead which are more long term. Instead of having a goal of losing 5 pounds we can instead just install the habit of exercising daily. If we exercise daily consistently then the 5 pounds takes care of itself over a reasonable period. My aim with this article is to give quick habits that we can implement not only for this year but for life. Our habits make us or break us. If there is one thing that will surely help you on this journey of life it is your habits. There is no scientific formula to develop habits but one thing is sure unless you are totally determined to change then the results will not be what is required. Here are 13 habits that when implemented can really help us get closer to where we want to be. Get up early  — This ...

Wish everyone a great 2019. As 2019 beckons we all have resolutions and goals we want to achieve. We also want to make sure this excitement doesn’t just last for two weeks but lasts for the entire year. So how do you keep this excitement going for a long time? To me the answer is one word which is discipline. It is discipline that will keep you going for the long haul and continue to keep your resolutions and goals in focus. This quote is great “Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.” Roy L. Smith In the book “The Motivation Myth”  Jeff Haden  makes an interesting premise that success is what leads to motivation. Attending a motivational seminar may get you excited but once you are back home you are the same person because you haven’t accomplished anything except paying for the seminar. I really liked this book because it hits right into what is needed for genuine success and it is grit, discipline and hard work. Once you get started that’s wh...

Sharpening the saw is very important as we enter the end of the year. It will also give us an opportunity to start the next year on a relaxed frame of mind. Of course, this metaphor was made famous by Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits. In my opinion as the complexity and challenge escalates the need for the Seven Habits elevates. The concept is simple. Focus on these 4 areas for personal renewal. This what Stephen Covey says are the keys for a successful life. It is to learn(mind), to live(physical), to love(emotional) and to leave a legacy(spirit). If we focus on these four areas consistently we can achieve lasting fulfillment. 1.  Mind – Ensure you read broadly expose yourself to diverse books not even related to your field. Associate with people who are excellent and find a mentor. You can also use your mind for visualization. 2.   Physical – Of course this is taking care of your physical side. This can be done through exercise, yoga or just long walks. T...

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic is short hand for giving importance to trivial things instead of the main thing. This is because the last thing you should do when a ship is sinking is to rearrange the deck chairs. As Stephen Covey said the main thing is to make the main thing the most important. The race we are in is the war against distraction and living our best lives requires us to focus on the wildly important. Here are some ideas on how we maintain our focus in this digital age of massive distraction. Decide on your main objectives – The best way not to allow the trivial things to take over our lives is to be clear on what we want out of our lives. One of the best methods to achieve this is to first define a mission statement for your life. This is something which is deeply personal and need not be shared with anyone else unless you want to. Once you have clearly defined your mission you can then define the clear objectives and goals which can help you on the p...

Maximise Potential is my pet project. I believe each one of us has enormous reservoirs of potential waiting to be unleashed. However, this potential must be harnessed before it becomes latent. Here are some tactics to maximise potential. The author Napoleon Hill said that “Definiteness of Purpose” is the first quality required for success after analyzing the richest men in America. Decide what you want to achieve in your life. Write down your short term and long-term goals. Make it specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time bound. I like this line "Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement."  Create a personal mission statement and vision for your future. My mission is simple “I want to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs.” I have also expanded it further and try to read it daily. It does inspire me. I came up with this in 2010 and it has helped me read everything I can get my hands on and share my learning with everyone. Never sto...