Mindset, Skillset & Taking Action
“What makes you different?”
I get asked this a lot. My natural reaction is to ask why it matters. In most cases, people want to know what it takes to make a difference in their lives and to better themselves. This got me thinking about myself and what I have done to make a difference in my own life and how I have bettered myself without even realizing it.
The truth behind the answer is quite surprising and actually very simple. Well, simple in its concept because this is what Adam teaches in his kids program. I only knew about it because I shot and produced the promotional material for him during my last days in the media business. In one of the lessons, he teaches the kids two very simple but significant formulas to succeed: E+R=O and Goal Setting.
Quick Lesson 1: E+R=O
“E” stands for the Events that shape or change or interfere with our lives. We have no control over these events and often, the events are untimely and unwanted. How we choose to deal with these events is known as “R”, the Response (Reaction). By responding positively and productively, we are able to regain control of the situation rather than let the Event dictate our state. And by controlling the way we Respond, we ultimately take control of the “O”, the Outcome.
Learning that simple formula was my defining moment in changing the way I took on my problems and regain control of my life to get out of bankruptcy. Step by step, bit by bit, I made changes to everything that was running (rather, ruining) my life and very soon, I was moving back up in life again.
Quick Lesson 2: Goal Setting
The second part of this life-changing formula was not as simple. Goal Setting is way more complex and took more discipline to execute. Basically, it comes in three parts:
Part 1 – Setting realistic, specific and stretched objectives
Part 2 – Planning and Strategizing the execution to achieve those objectives
Part 3 – Taking Action and Doing Whatever It Takes
To cut a long story short, at age 39, my plan to become a full-time online trader was my objective with my immediate goals being my discharge from bankruptcy, financial freedom by age 42 and by age 45, financial retirement. Along the way, several events changed my objectives and I responded by creating more objectives with more goals to achieve. This included multiple income streams and creating passive income streams.
Of course, not everything will happen the way we plan them . But with clear goals and a flexible strategy, we can always alter the plan to accommodate changes to the way we respond in order to achieve our objectives. And if the new plan fails again, keep changing the strategy till you find something that works. This is taking action. This is doing whatever it take to make it happen.
But what makes me different?
As I recalled everything I did to change my life, the really significant difference was in Part 2 of Lesson 2 – Planning and Strategizing.
As someone who lacked a complete and proper education, I found myself relying on the next best thing I had to offer; common sense and experience (which I had a lot of). I believed that for every weakness, there must be strength. So I looked deep within myself and realize that I had always depended on good old common sense for most of my past successes and leveraged on my experience to carry me through any difficulties in executing my plan.
This could be what separates me from most. My lack of a complete education has forced me to rely on different strengths than those who depend on their qualifications. For some, dependence on their qualifications become their strength as they adapt their knowledge to suit their needs. This is called a Mindset.
What comes next is a necessary pre-requisite for any success formula – the right Skillset. There is no shortcut to this part of the formula and nothing short of hard work will ensure success. I banged out hours at the library, on-line and attending workshops and courses to attain this skillset. After attaining it, came more hard work as what I learned had to be put into practice. I banged out more hours practicing, refining and mastering the skill to trade. Mistakes were made, lessons were learned, experienced gained and knowledge grew. This was the final part of the lesson – Taking Action.
As I continued my plan, adaptations had to be made to accommodate unexpected events. One such event was the interference of a certain Mr Adam Khoo. On top of achieving my goal of becoming a profitable trader, Adam threw another challenge my way. This required me to make a major stretch to my mental and physiological state. This was to be my moment of stepping out of my comfort zone – something most people are extremely uncomfortable with.
In order to succeed in anything, the goal has to be a Must. And for me to stretch myself further, Adam got me to teach. As soon as I resolved to take this action, I quickly realized that failure was no longer an option as this course of action was truly a must - must succeed and must not fail. Failure in this situation would have meant failing those I chose to teach. Thus, it was no longer all about me. This was putting myself on the line. You see, the logic behind that concept is that you will not be 100% committed to your goals unless there were bigger things at stake, namely, anything other than yourself. Now that I had students that I had to be responsible for, I had to succeed and I had a duty to help them to succeed. Thus, no room for failure.
This, to me, was doing whatever it takes to achieve my goals. A false sense of security is what prevents most people from achieving more than they are capable of. Their fear or reluctance to leave their comfort zone is their only obstacle between being a Have rather than a Have More Than. Its called a Limiting Belief System.
So in summary, now that I have answered the question about what makes me different, shouldn’t you now be asking yourself,
“How do I start making a difference in my life?“
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