Don’t be your own Critic number one

“I am my own competitor”,

“I compete with no one but myself”

“I am my biggest competition”

“I am not in competition with anybody by myself. My goal is to beat my last performance”

Like these are quite a few motivating quotes in the domains of “self help”, “self development” which are based on the philosophy of constantly urging yourself to perform better, better and better than before. Many authors on the subjects of ‘self development’ and ‘how to be successful’ advocate the philosophy of constantly challenging yourself. Their techniques are based on the process of competing with oneself and not look for competitors outside of you.

It is also a well know fact that to achieve something above average or unusual, hard work is one of the important mantras. It would be no exaggeration to say that to become successful almost every winner has given his or her best along the way before tasting the sweet fruit of success and achievement. Such a discipline demands a lot of perfection which in turn demands focus, determination, action with full concentration and of course, application of right skill and knowledge of the related field.

But is it not a very tough road to success? Does it not make you a tough critic of your own performance? If you are also heading a team, don’t your team members start hating you for your demanding attitude and critical behavior? Is it not a too heavy a price to be paid?

In other words, don’t be your own critic number one!

“But why?”……you may demand to know. If you have been a fan or an advocate of this principle of success (competing with yourself) then you would probably work for long hours, draining your energy to dangerously low levels. You would also perhaps, deny yourself things like much needed sleep, healthy food to give nutrition to your body, entertainment, interaction with family members, social life etc.

In other words, you are not living a balanced life!

“But that’s how the world moves”…could be your argument, if you are still not very convinced. “No pain, no gain, if I don’t push myself then who will?” …you may put forth another point.

Without being disrespectful to these principles, ask yourself that can you drive a car endlessly without re-fuelling it? Don’t you take the car for a regular service and checkup?

Also do always you overload the car with goods and passengers more than it is designed for?

Similarly, if the human body and brain are put under too much pressure, initially they may perform exceptionally well but for a short period only and soon fatigue will set in and the performance level / learning curve may taper down – even below the normal level.

This is quite similar to one person exercising for about 30 minutes every day for 5 days in a week. In a month of 4 weeks, this is equivalent to about 10 hours. Compare him to another over ambitious person who exercises for about 2 hours in a single day and he may not be able to hit the gym for next 4 days.

In simple words, slow and steady wins the race.

If you just look around you will find many examples of successful people in your family, social circle, neighborhood and community who have been slow and steady in their approach to reach the top in their chosen field.

Why go far ? It is good to emulate some good and admirable habits of people around us only. This will definitely act as a motivator for you to take an alternate approach which will also help increase effectiveness of your managerial skills.

If you are dreaming to be a top notch professional and aspire to have a corner office then you may enjoy reading Common Habits of Effective CEOs, Winners and Successful People. Emulate them if you too want to be at the top.

Hopefully, you are better convinced now. So let us now move to a better plan of action, which is AAA – acronym for Audit, Aim and Act.

1. Begin by taking a stock of your present position, where you want to go (targets and goals), what resources you have at your command and what you need to acquire to help you achieve your target. The resources could be tangible or intangible, ranging from physical assets, money, education, skill sets, your partners or team, your social circle and even your reputation.
2. Calculate the time and other resources required to help you achieve your cherished goal.

You may have many goals to achieve.

But it is very necessary that you work on one goal at a time. This means you will have to prioritize your goals.

1. Put together the resources required.
2. Make a time plan
3. Be focused. Your prioritization will help you keep the distractions at bay.
4. Be disciplined. You have already chalked out the schedule of activities to be undertaken as per the time plan to achieve your target. So be regular and stick to the time schedule.

You are now a well trained, well informed and well equipped soldier who knows the path to success. There is almost nothing unexpected which can happen in your journey to success as you have already provided for the roadblocks and contingencies in your planning and calculations.

You have eliminated all the reasons and sources for anxiety, worries and tension. Here is another helpful hub in this regard which you may find useful: Simple Tips to Being Emotionally Strong and Enjoy Better Life

Enjoy also

Now enjoy the journey with a happy, relaxed and prepared state. On the way, take regular breaks from time to time to rejuvenate and recharge.

All the best!