Steps Towards Success

Behind every success made by great people there were series of steps that led them towards their set goal.

Set Realistic Targets

Decide what you want to do Check and make sure that your goal is sensible, realistic, practical, and related to the resources. It must fit in within your abilities and there must be a fair chance of your making it. This does not mean you should not have high ambitions. In fact you must have laudable worth while goals. But work out the step. Decide on the intermediary goals. Proceed surely and steadily step by step. Attempting the impossible may make you give it up. It may make you feel beaten and heart broken. The best way never to feel beaten is to know your strength and make the best use of it. Although we may lack much, most of us have a great deal. Success without health is a poor thing. Money without love is mockery. you cannot afford everything you want, think what a thrill you get when you can affords some thing. If you are methodical put the first things first and remain resolute. You will find that you are making definite progress towards your goal. Motivation to set our energies going in the right direction comes invariably from having before us a clear definite picture of our ultimate objectives. Self discipline enables to channel energy into a constructive direction that might otherwise go wasted by dissipation. The secret of concentration is interest and well power, especially in the beginning. It is helped by forming a clear picture in one’s mind of the ultimate objective.

Be Energetic

To be active, to be industrious, to produce quick reaction you need energy. In fact, control of energy is the starting point of all useful achievement. Whatever the activity whether it is manual labour industrial output, painting a picture, playing football or doing house work, energy is required. In order to achieve, one’s energy will have to be channeled into the right directions. Great energy may be merely destructive if it is not properly harnessed. Without self discipline we are prone to waste our energies in despair, anger arguments, and vacillation etc. which are unproductive and harmful. Self discipline enables us to utilize our energy in a positive and constructive manner.

Motivation to keep our energies directed in the right course comes mainly by holding before us a clear unwavering picture of our ultimate goal. By relating all we do to this goal we gain a sense of purpose. Belief in ultimate success faith in one’s ability and will power to stick at it, will enable the individual to draw upon the vast reserves of energy. A time schedule is essential requirement. You also an must have deadline for the things you wish to do. It will ensure that everything is done as and when it ought to be done.

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Mistakes may Help

We all make mistakes. To err is human. All great men have made mistakes and have also benefited from them. When you make mistake, don’t keep fretting about it. Do not look hack at it long. Analyse and take the reason of the thing into our own mind. Institute remedial measures and then look forward. Mistakes must be regarded as lessons of wisdom. One should, therefore never be afraid of mistakes. We must take reasonable precautions against making mistakes. But we must remember that mistake do and can happen. If you are afraid of making mistakes. You may never begin at all. If you do not try, if you do not make any attempt, the question of making mistakes may not arise. But then the question of making progress and gaining your goal also does not arise. When mistakes do happen we can look at them as positive opportunities as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks to success. Often mistakes teach us important lessons and tell us how can avoid bigger and more costlier mistakes. The rules to make the most of one’s mistakes are quite simple and they can be readily adopted.

First of all, we must take the necessary precautions as a prudent and reasonable person takes, to avoid them. One must thus be careful to avoid mistakes whenever he possibly can.
Next, one must learn from every mistake he makes. As we have seen men we become great not because they never made mistakes, but they had the wisdom to learn and benefit from their mistakes.
Thirdly one should not he weighed down because of the mistake committed. It should not inhabit his further actions.

On the other hand, he should take courage from the lesson he has learnt from the mistake and from the fact that he is now wiser and better fortified. The individual should not therefore be too much downcast by a mistake. He must go ahead with greater confidence and preparedness. Lastly, we should he prepared for the mistakes and be ready to attend to them when they occur. The knowledge that others also make mistakes will give the individual the necessary confidence and courage. If you thus accept mistakes the undue worry, you will gain your objective surely and certainly. We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do. Probably who never made a mistake never made a discovery.

Nothing is Really Difficult or Impossible

When any particular work seems difficult or impossible to us, we must nevertheless make a try, start it and keep it going. We must realize all works appear like that in the beginning until we begin and develop the interest and enthusiasm. Once our interest has been aroused, then nothing is impossible or difficult any more. if we work patiently, resolutely and without doubt, the way will unfold. Every noble or great work at first seemed impossible to practically every one, except the one who boldly made the attempt with determination and enthusiasm. Telephone, television, radio, cinema, electricity, aeroplane, all might have seemed impossible at the start. If man had thought that walking on the moon is impossible, he would never have made it. In many instances, the reason why any individual accomplishers much greater things in life than most others is not that he has more talent or ability than the average, but that he has learned to master tasks that first appeared impossible. More than the talent and knowledge, it is the attitude that counts, it is the faith that prevails. If you wish to master the seemingly impossible or difficult task you must follow certain definite principles.

First you make a start. Begin and keep working on it. Once you start, it will automatically gather momentum.
Secondly when you find the going difficult or when you get stuck, wait and relax. If you become relaxed and allow you unconscious mind to play its valuable part you will always find the answer.
Thirdly, work at a steady pace. Proceed according to a definite plan. Do not run into arrears or rush things up. When you commence your task you must work unhurriedly with single minded concentration.

Next have a generous noble aim. Let your motive be right. As far as possible let your work benefit also others and the community. The other rule is to be bold and enterprising. Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Often the mistakes have proved to be the opportunities for great deeds of great men. Next, one should not be touched or affected by criticism. You should not be disheartened by other people’s discouraging remarks. Your faith n yourself should never falter. View the criticism objectively and dispassionately. Effect improvements and corrections if called for. Lastly; let not set backs deter you from your goal. You must persist doggedly in the face of defeats. Failures are only the stepping stones for success.

Will power and Imagination

The will is the seat of power and what a man wills to do and be, he will do and be. And where the will calls in the help of imagination, there are few things he cannot achieve, in the changing of habits, in the re-shaping of personality and character. Tremendous achievements are often accomplished by people whose only asset in the beginning appeared to be their sheer will power. In the world of business politics, profession, family and social life, they attain success by determination. It is only possible but also easy for anyone to develop his will power. To begin with he must understand how the will works and how it can be developed first by the conscious mind and ultimately by the unconscious mind. Unwavering faith, strong self confidence and an optimistic outlook are the essential aids to strengthen one’s will power. The will has been compared to the engine of a motor. It is there all the time strong, capable and powerful. However it needs, like the engine, some outside force to propelit, activate it and make it go. According to psychologists, this magic power is imagination. Imagination serves as the basis of success in everything. It fires us with enthusiasm, it creates and sustains the interest and it motivates each and every one of our actions. Emil Coue has clearly demonstrated the close relationship between the imagination and will by a simple example. If there is a narrow plank which serves as a bridge very close to the ground, our imagination does not visualize accidents and dangers. We walk across the plank nonchalantly. But if the very same plank is placed at a considerable height, our imagination makes us develop cold feet. We hesitate to walk across the plank. Here the imagination conflicts with the will. Where this happens, the will power is weakened. We must therefore ensure that imagination and will work together.

Imagination will enable us to get rid of undesirable habits and attitudes. First we have to imagine and picture in our mind as we would like to be. This means developing a positive frame of mind by using our imagination. If we are reserved, irritable, shy, timid, dull and hesitant we can imagine ourselves as being free from these drawbacks. We can picture ourselves as free, jovial bold, active and dashing. Then we can exercise our will to work towards those aims. It would be better to reduce to writing as to what all we desire, what exactly is our goal, and how we propose to work to attain that goal, and how we propose to work to attain that goal. The ideal must be kept clearly and persistently before us. We must then pursue the path selected by ourselves with determination. We should avoid distracting temptations by exercising but will powers. When the will is weak or hesitant, it should be reinforced by imagination.Imagination has always been the pivot of our mental power. The great men have always displayed will pivot. concentration and determination in their efforts. Since imagination is part and parcel of the mental make-up of every human being, it can be de developed to great advantage be every one of us. In words by acting and enriching our imagination we can develop our personality and make it attractive as well as forceful.

Force of Will Power

We can consider for a moment what wonders the power of imagination has worked for the human race. All the scientific discoveries are the fruits of imagination. Whether the man flies around the world or rockets to the moon, whether he splits the atom or transplants the heart, all such amazing achievements have been accomplished by great fruitful and positive imagination. Imagination increases by exercises of application. It sustains the will-power. It also strengthens the will power. It makes the individual hold on when the going gets tough. Imagination helps us to plan and provide for the future. The method of acquiring and strengthening the willpower by imagining success and then taking steps to achieve it can be beneficially employed by all of us, to attain our chosen goal.

The force of will power will grown by constant practice. Suppose you have decided to get up at 5 in the morning, you must set the alarm accordingly and get up when the alarm goes. On the first few days when the enthusiasm is there and when our imagination is centred on the goal we will get up readily. After a few days, especially. After a tired night and so on we may feel reluctant to get up when the alarm goes. On such occasions, we must press our will power to play its part. The hesitation should be overcome by imaginative will power. Similarly we may apply the will power to take our morning exercises evening walk, difficult and unpleasant tasks etc. Thus the strength of our will power will steadily grow. Its application will become a matter of habit. Thereafter you will be able to apply the will power even in difficult instances. It can be successfully employed to get rid of smoking, stammering, shyness and so on. You will automatically acquire the gift of getting things done by the sheer force of will power. It has truly been said that where there is a will, there is a way. If you apply your will power with resoluteness and termination and if you Persist with your efforts inspite of initial set backs, you will certainly succeed. Firm must be the will, patient the heart and passionate the aspiration to secure the fulfillment of our noble and worthy aim..