Avoiding Dangerous Traps

In all the things that we go about doing each and every day in business, family or social life, being able to think realistically on our feet is perhaps one of the most important. Failure to do so will result in detrimental effects to the outcome of what we intend to achieve.

Being realistic means that we are focused not only what we are aiming to achieve but also taking into consideration our own abilities and the resources available for us to complete the task at hand. Most people disappoint themselves when they fail at their goals without knowing that they have in the first place subject themselves to completing their targets irrationally. As managers or senior executives in the corporate world, it's imperative that we give our subordinates a chance to develop and grow by being truthful and honest with them when it comes to job performance reviews, instead of being the naive with the goody-old-shoes character.

Another important area which most people fall prey to is timing, due to its complexity in understanding it. Motivational and leadership guru Dr. John C Maxwell sums up timing in the following way. The wrong action at the wrong time equals disaster; the wrong action at the right time equals a mistake; the right action at the wrong time equals resistance, and the right action at the right time equals success.

Whether it be setting up a business, managing a small conference or just planning a family holiday, it is absolutely essential to know the right way, know-how and skills to execute it to achieve your targets.

The Key to Long Term Success

Countless books, articles, studies and research has been conducted, written and detailed carefully over the centuries on how and why certain groups of people become a great success in life as well as being financially independent during the course of their working lives. Some of the various factors involved include family lifestyle and background, education history, intelligence, influential contacts etc. As we dwelve deeper into all the aspects of personal success development, it would finally dawn upon us that the single most important key is the attitude - more so the attitude of the individual's mind.

Famous Harvard sociologist, Dr Edward Banfield termed this all-important factor "long term perspective". By this he means that the particular successful individual took the pains during the course of his early years to develop a well-planned and systematic layout of what he intends his future would look like. The more detailed he his and the more thought-out his plan of execution, the more successful he will be. In simple terms, the successful person takes the future into consideration with every decision he makes in the present.

Take a look at the legal and medical profession, for instance. The years of gruelling hard work and study, assignments, practical work, apprenticeship has groomed the individual to a level of competence where he is capable of earning a very good living on his own. This long-term perspective has been ingrained in them consciously or unconsciously and has made these sets of professionals one of the most respected in any society today.

How does one start to create such "long-term perspectives"? A simple and sure-fire way is to have a solid set of priorities in your daily life, be it for work, family or social circles. Will what you are doing right now have a significant impact on your life in the future? There is a co-relation when it comes to priorities and success, and it is simply measured by the actions and activities which you are doing in the present. Take for instance, an employee who takes extra night classes on her own to improve her personal confidence in speaking is acting on a long-term perspective. A husband who comes home after a long hard day at work, sits down, chats with his wife and plays with his children is placing a lot of emphasis on family life. He views the importance of quality family time for a rewarding future.

Having a long-term perspective on success also requires one to follow a strict set of guidelines on personal discipline, particularly delayed gratification. With a mind-set of having a little less of enjoyment at the present moment, you will be rewarded in the long run with personal satisfaction and greater success.