
Be Determined
Let people sense your strong will to succeed. You communicate with your words, your appearance, your manners, but especially with your sense of purpose. Certainty is more persuasive than charm. In business as in sport, the person who wins is usually the one who wants it the most.
Your fortunes rise and fall with your determination. Think of a sale that’s coming up and ask yourself: ‘How badly do I want it?’
One of the questions we often ask delegates is, ‘How many of you believe you could run a marathon?’ Very few, if any, hands go up.
Then we ask, ‘If we gave you £250,000 to run a marathon, how many of you believe you could do it?’ Every hand goes up! And they’d do it, too.
What’s changed? There is no way their ability to run a marathon has changed in maybe 30 seconds. What’s changed is their desire.
You may be thinking, ‘You made the pot sweet enough.’ But that’s not the point. It’s the realisation that it’s our desire not our ability that is so exciting. The desire comes first and you get the ability as you go along.
The main source of determination is having a goal.
Imagine you’re on a bicycle and the wheels aren’t turning. What’s about to happen? No catch questions here — you fall off. But the moment you start cycling towards somewhere your balance is restored.
Your career is similar to the bicycle. If you’re simply doing a job but not going anywhere, determination and motivation disappear. However, as soon as you have a goal, a target that you really want to achieve, motivation is restored.
What is your goal? What do you want to achieve in the next three months? In the next 12 months? Nail it down.
You have to have a goal, a personal mission, a vision of the future that gives you the energy to pull through tough times. Then all you need to do when determination ebbs is to focus on your goal. Like a laser, a goal must be focused, aimed and used.
If you want real determination then get a BHAG – a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Big goals are exciting. If you meet someone with no energy, no drive, it usually means that they have no goals or that the ones they do have have become boring. They need something new to aim for, something big, something exciting to fire up their drive and energy system.
Robert Schuller, who created the concept of Possibility Thinking, came up with one of the most exciting goal-deciding questions ever devised: ‘Imagine you couldn’t fail, what one great thing would you dare to achieve?’ Think about it, picture a success genie who grants you one wish, one goal which, once you decide on, will happen. What would it be?
Whatever your age, background and circumstances, we urge you to set your goals – and to do it now.
Do What You Love
Does Rihanna love to sing? Does Lewis Hamilton love to drive? Does Stella McCartney love designing clothes?
We all do best what we love the most. The simple but profound key to loving what you do is to do what you love. Or learn to love what you do.
What three things do you enjoy most about your job? What makes you tingle with excitement? What makes you feel good about yourself? What gives you a faster heartbeat?
These are your values, what motivates you and keeps you high on life. Set goals and stretch yourself in these areas. They will lead you to your area of excellence.
Your goals and your values must fit with each other otherwise you will burn out. When setting a goal you must first decide what you enjoy and then increase your enjoyment of doing it. That keeps you motivated and gives you the energy to persevere no matter what comes along.
If you don’t do what you enjoy, you’ll feel caught up in a rat race and, as Lily Tomlin put it, ‘The trouble with being in a rat race is even if you win, you’re still a rat.’
Read more about LDL sales improvement programmes
Read more about LDL management development