The Secrets to High Achieving
Sharing is caring!
26 shares Facebook 26
It's easy to feel envious of those who appear effortlessly to achieve not just one thing, but everything "“ all at the same time. They don't just have one project on the go, but many. They're serial accomplishers "“ and always successful. So, what are their secrets?
High Achievers don't do clutter
You may have an untidy desk or a bit of chaos in your wardrobe, but that's not how a High Achiever lives. High Achievers have clear minds, clear thoughts and clear desks, ready to go. They haven't got "˜Tidy my desktop' on the top of their "˜to do' list, they've got "˜Meet Mr. A regarding sales program'. What could you do to start getting rid of your clutter? How could you clear your mind to be ready for action? What would you achieve first once you were on the start line?
High Achievers don't drift
When we think about success and the times we've been successful, we're usually thinking about the goals we've set and completed and the things we've achieved. These goals can be large or small, it doesn't matter. The success comes in having set and achieved them and, also importantly, noticing that you've achieved them. If you make a plan and follow it through, you are and feel successful. The next time you'll set a bigger goal. I've had participants at Life Clubs workshops who feel lost in life and it's because they haven't taken the time to decide what they want to do next.
Knowing what you intend to do is the route of the High Achiever. They know that having a goal is essential, that the focus needed to achieve that goal feels good and that the discipline of achieving a goal boosts confidence. High Achievers aren't afraid to break their goals down into small steps so they can get them done, and they aren't afraid to plan well in advance.
High Achievers don't sit on the couch
Unlike the rest of us, High Achievers don't waste time procrastinating. It's easy to get hung up on having to do something perfectly or be overwhelmed by the task in hand, but just get on with it. We may spend hours surfing the net, chatting on the phone, waiting for people and in general distracting ourselves from the task in hand, High Achievers will get on with things "“ if there's a reason that they have to do them "“ or they'll delegate. They don't hang about waiting for life to happen, they make it happen. Ever heard a High Achiever say "˜I'll do it in a minute' or "˜I'll do it in five months' or even "˜I'll do it in five years'. Stop putting off your life. Do it now.
High Achievers don't focus on failure
How easy is it to focus on what's gone wrong? Very. But High Achievers think about what's going right and build on that. Even when things go "˜wrong', learn from your mistakes. Like a High Achiever, focus on whether your failure is real or not. Maybe your painting didn't sell at that gallery, but how many people get the chance to be in an exhibition. Maybe your cake didn't rise as you wanted it to, but your friends had a great evening. You're a High Achiever already. Focus on those achievements.
High Achievers also focus on how they're going to think when they have reached the pinnacle of their career, when they're feeling really successful. Every time they need to make a decision, they think about how they'd make it if they were already really successful. You'd be surprised at what decisions that High Achieving you will make.
High Achievers don't slouch about in jogging pants
After I'd had my third child we moved from the rural suburbs into Central London. I was walking down my street one day, pushing my buggy and surrounded by children, when our refuse man came up to me and, with the best intentions, told me to "˜smarten up'. "˜You're in London now', he said, "˜You can't walk around looking that casual'. It was a wake-up call. I'd felt a High Achieving mother, but suddenly realized that the rest of my life was going nowhere.
I started observing how other people looked and began to imitate them. I'd check out what outfits they were wearing and read lots of fashion magazines until I'd found my look. It may sound superficial thinking about dress and physique, but it's vital. When did you last see a High Achiever with so much as a hair out of place? Our clothes, shoes and indeed our body say a lot about us. What do you think your appearance is saying about you right now?
High Achievers don't beat themselves up
Working with a High Achiever the other day, he told me his name was James, but he asked everyone to call him "˜Jimmybiz'. He knew he was "˜the business' and he wanted everyone else to give him the respect he felt he'd earned. High Achievers aren't modest. They don't hide their light, they let everyone know how good they are. On a big scale they enter themselves in competitions "“ just how many awards can I win? And on a small scale they pump themselves up by noticing every compliment they get, every small thing they achieve.
High Achievers don't read autobiographies
It's a real "˜No No' to compare yourself to others. You may think it's motivational to read Donald Trump's autobiography to learn from him, but there's learning and learning. If you're learning about the characteristics you share with the Trump to boost your confidence, that's one thing, but if you're feeling "˜How come he's successful and I'm not', put the book down and start focusing on you and everything you've achieved. It's so easy to blame ourselves when we compare and then we start feeling the very debilitating envy.
Another reason not to compare is that your values may be very different from the person you're comparing yourself to. Someone at Life Clubs said she wanted to be fantastically wealthy and yet two of her main values, equality and charity were opposed to personal wealth. Would being wealthy make her feel successful? I don't think so.
Instead flip it around. What can you do that they can't? And, if you don't know the answer to that, find out. Being a High Achiever is all about knowing your skills and appreciating and using them.
High Achievers don't burn themselves out
It may look as if High Achievers sometimes forget to breathe as they rush around making things happen, but they relax as "˜hard' as they work. And that's what you'll have to do to sustain a high energy performance. Eat healthily, remember to take days off work, keep super fit and learn to enjoy relaxing as much as you do working. Now you're achieving!
Some Amazing Comments
10 Best Success Books You Need to Read to Be Great at Business
Take a minute and think about some of the most successful people you know.
I’d bet they’re great with people, are super-productive, and think differently than most. After all, that’s how they got to be where they are today.
Jealous of them? You don’t have to be.
You can learn these same skills by studying some of the best business and success books that can help you take your game to the next level. Here’re 10 of my favorites:
1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie’s best-selling book that helped to launch a personal growth empire should be required reading for everyone who wants to learn how to build and nurture relationships for a lifetime.
Read this book and you’ll learn some simple advice than can help you build popularity points within your current network and just as important, expand it to others.
Get the book here!
2. Focal Point by Brian Tracy
⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄
⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄
Got a lot on your to-do list? Of course you do. But what separates productive people from others is their ability to focus on a singular task at a time, and getting it done before moving on to the next one.
Sounds simple in theory, but this can be extremely difficult in practice. In Focal Point Brian Tracy offers tips to help build discipline and organization into your day so you can get more stuff done.
Get the book here!
3. Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Creating a “me-too” product can be easy at the start but can doom you to business failure. That’s why marketing maverick Seth Godin recommends creating a product that is truly different from anything already available in the marketplace.
In essence by making the product different you’ll be building the marketing into the actual product development…which just makes your actual marketing a helluva lot easier.
Get the book here!
4. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
If you’ve struggled with procrastination or small thinking, this is the book for you. In it Schwartz offers practical advice that can help you get inspired and motivated to create a bigger life for yourself. And with it can be a more lucrative and rewarding career.
⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄
⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄
Get the book here!
5. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel
It can be difficult for lots of people to keep things in perspective, especially when working on high priority and urgent projects at work.
Man’s Search for Meaning can be a life-changing book in the sense that it can open your eyes to a first-hand experience of one of the greatest atrocities in the history of mankind, while also teaching a valuable lesson about having purpose.
Get the book here!
6. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
Solo-entrepreneurs can learn a ton from the guy who made lifestyle design popular. But guess what? The 4HWW isn’t just for guys and girls who want to start a small online business.
Smart moves like outsourcing, following the 80/20 rule, and automating processes should be made by entry-level workers and established executives alike.
Get the book here!
⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄ ⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄
7. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
I remember sitting on a couch and opening this book on a Saturday morning, thinking I’d get through a chapter and then get on with my day. Instead, about 12 hours later, I was finished with the book. The concepts in it were mind-blowing to me.
To think that thoughts can create your reality sounded a little far-fetched at first. But after going through the book and understanding that your thoughts create your beliefs, which lead to actions, which then lead to you can get where I’m going with this.
If you focus your thoughts on success, achieving it will be much more likely than thinking about obstacles, failures and everything else that can get in your way.
Get the book here!
8. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard
If you’re going to read one management book in your life, this should be it. It’s simple. You can read it in an afternoon. And the advice works.
Get the book here!
9. The Lean Start-Up by Eric Ries
⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄ ⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄
Before you create any sort of business you’ll want to give Lean Start-Up a read through. Doing so can save you money, time and other resources you could have potentially wasted otherwise.
Get the book here!
10. The Monk and the Riddle by Randy Komisar
The story Randy Komisar shares in the Monk and the Riddle offers advice about not just about how you need to think when starting a new business, but also about how to build a life you’re passionate about.
Understanding the technical aspects of launching a start-up is great, but if you don’t have the staying power to stick with it when the going gets tough then it’s not likely to work.
This book can help you understand this lesson before you spend blood, sweat and tears on a project that you’re heart isn’t into.
Get the book here!
More Inspiring Books
Featured photo credit: Unsplash via
12 Best Books To Read For Success
Everybody wants to be successful in life but without reading books written by successful people, it will be hard to achieve success. Every reader they say is a leader, so it is time to say no to sitting on the sideline and get more from life. One thing we all have in common is that we all desire to make progress. We want to see that we are moving forward for the better. Now is a good time to evaluate how much progress you have made and make plans for progress.
To keep yourself motivated and inspired to keep pushing forward, you want to dedicate yourself to reading at least one book a year. While a book in itself will not necessarily make you successful, they open your mind to boundless opportunities and to what is possible. Following through with this will keep your goals afresh month after month through the year.
So today, we share with you 12 books you should read if you want to be successful.
1. The law of Human Nature by Robert Greene
This book from the author of 48 Laws of Power is epic. This is a book on all your flaws as a human, how to understand other people, and how to turn this knowledge into power.
Sometimes it seems like people really suck, to put it bluntly. We struggle with ourselves and others. People are deceptive, trying to appear generous, nice, and polite to hide mean-spiritedness.
Learn the law of human nature through observation and turn this skill into huge advantages in your career or business. You’ll learn to see through people’s masks, get to understand your dark side and learn to effortlessly influence and persuade people. Knowing yourself is the ultimate source of power. And this book will guide you toward it.
2. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
This book tells the story of a South African-born entrepreneur who is shaking the world of business as we know it. The author tells the story of Elon Musk from his childhood, all the way to founding all his companies. Get to learn about the dogged nature of a man many refer to as a rare combination of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Thomas Edison.
From the story to starting joining PayPal to starting SpaceX, his rocket company, Tesla, his electric car company, and SolarCity, a solar and battery company. If you aspire to achieve something worthwhile in your lifetime, this book will show you that nothing can stop a man who is determined to make a difference.
3. Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg
This book gives you insights into the eight productivity concepts that help explain why some people and companies are able to accomplish so much more than others. The book draws from information on neuroscience and behavioral psychology, along with the experiences of successful CEOs, generals, pilots, FBI agents, and Broadway songwriters.
This well-researched book reveals how productive people and companies view the world in profoundly different ways than those who find less success. It is innovative explorations of productivity that can help anyone learn how to succeed without having to endure stress, struggle, or sacrifice.
4. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
This book was originally published during the Great Depression, and it is about the art of convincing yourself to become wealthy. It addresses the highly effective and important steps to take and the equally important steps to avoid in this process.
There are a lot of captivating points and ideas in this book. For example, the author argues that 99% of people do not have a goal in their life, and are therefore trapped in jobs that make them unhappy. The focal point of this book is that you can change your destiny by changing your attitude of mind.
5. The Power of Broke by Daymond John
This book is about how empty pockets, a tight budget, and a hunger for success can become your greatest competitive advantage. The book is written by the well-known Shark Tank star and Fubu Founder, Daymond John. He wrote this book to explain to readers why starting a business on a tight budget can actually be a great advantage for an entrepreneur. The author has been using the practices described in this book since he was a young entrepreneur selling home-sewn shirts in his neighborhood. On an extremely tight budget, Daymond had to create his own strategies to sell his products. His creativity led to a campaign that later became the well-known $6 billion dollar industry, FUBU. This is a very good business book for every entrepreneur.
6. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
The book presents a principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity – principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.
7. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
A fun and a fast read, this book prompts much thought and discussion involving the secrets to success. Gladwell draws on a diverse and interesting set of examples to paint a picture of what it takes to make a person a success story. One of the most important takeaways is that hard work matters much more than raw talent. In the chapter ‘10,000 Hours,’ Gladwell cites a study of music students, which found that the number of hours spent practicing is the key determinant in mastery. But, while successful people must invest the time to master their craft, they can only do that when the circumstances and unique events of their lives allow it. There’s an important lesson for everyone about the value of a lot of hard work and some luck.
8. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
The main concept of this book is that change is a constant cycle that should be welcomed rather than resisted. The world is constantly evolving and what worked three years ago is now likely an outdated technique. While this may initially be viewed as a challenge, it shouldn’t be. The Heath brothers’ book teaches us that when leaders articulate their vision and empower employees for broad-based action, industry shifts can become a driving factor for the success of a business.
9. Focal point by Brian Tracy
Got a lot on your to-do list? Of course, you do. But what separates productive people from others is their ability to focus on a singular task at a time, and get it done before moving on to the next one. Sounds simple in theory, but this can be extremely difficult in practice. In Focal Point, Brian Tracy offers tips to help build discipline and organization into your day so you can get more stuff done.
10. Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Creating a “me-too” product can be easy at the start but can doom you to business or career failure. That’s why marketing maverick Seth Godin recommends creating a product that is truly different from anything already available in the marketplace. In essence, by making the product different you’ll be building the marketing into the actual product development…which just makes your actual marketing a lot easier.
11. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
The difference between someone who is successful or not isn’t usually capabilities, it is the ability to believe in their capabilities. There’s a pervasive myth that successful people are born with an abundance of self-confidence–they just knew early how good they were. In reality, some of the most skilled people in the world start out with significant self-doubts. The difference is that they take the time to learn self-confidence. You can spend your career-building skills in your chosen field, but without personal confidence, you won’t give yourself the opportunity to fully express your expertise. This book breaks down how to recognize the difference between self-doubt and capabilities, and how we can manage self-sabotaging beliefs.
12. 99 Perseverance Success Stories by Michal Stawicki
In this book, the author shares stories of success and perseverance from every walk of life, every level of success, and across many different cultures. This is not just a dry recitation of the thoughts of a few millionaires on success. It is wide-ranging, and therefore much more useful. This is a great book to read when you feel a little bit down and unmotivated and want to get the motivational equivalent of a shot of adrenaline straight to your heart.
There you have it. 12 books you should read if you want to be successful in life.