Today, I need you to embrace what is difficult for the average person but
practiced by some of the most successful leaders in the world.
In your career life, what is it that you want to achieve? What is that one thing
you want bad enough in your career? Ask yourself this question: What do I
want?
When you write it down, it will create an image in your mind which will keep
on growing.
And if you know what that is for you, you must believe in it. You've got to be
relentless. You are not moved by how hard it is or how impossible it looks, and
you are not discouraged by how long it is taking you. You won't give up
because people say so. You're not going to settle for mediocrity. You're not
going to take NO for an answer.
Remember this: the body has limitations. The mind does not. We focus so much
on what the body can accomplish that we forget what our minds can make us
achieve.
If you're not mentally ready, you're never really physically prepared for the job,
for that promotion, for that next big project.
And so, I ask you again—where do you see yourself in your career life? Now
listen here. I am not asking you if you can get there or not. I am not asking you
to do a current reality analysis of your life and situations. I am asking you to see
yourself where you want to be in your career.
Once you do that, you've got to take full responsibility for your growth. The
responsibility for your success is not on someone else—not on your boss, not on
your spouse, not on your friends, and not on society. It's on no one except
yourself.
I coach people from the corporate world daily, and I see that most don't take
responsibility for their growth.
They prefer to play the blame game. It makes them comfortable and makes
them feel safe.
These are the people who focus on the outside. For them, everything that goes
wrong and even things that go right in their lives are because of someone or
something out there.
And so they feel powerless.
But let me tell you this: Responsibility is not avoided for those who focus on the
inside. In my twenty-two decades of coaching, I have seen that most people
aren't as successful as they wish they were.
Successful people focus on themselves and continuously question themselves:
"What can I do better? How can I improve my game?"
What is the one thing I know I am doing wrong? That I could fix -
What would life look like if I was caring for myself properly?
What career would challenge me and render me productive and helpful?
What should I do when I have some freedom/time?
What are some of the things I am doing to improve my health, to expand my
knowledge
You have to focus on yourself, get to know yourself, and keep developing your
strength.
What's stopping you from moving ahead? Has some sort of one-eyed monster
gotten you in its grip?
When focusing on yourself, you have to know who you are.
You need to know where you are going so that you can limit the extent of chaos
in your life and bring all your energy to do what you want to do.
Start with yourself, take care of yourself, define who you are, and refine your
responsibility. The best leaders have a high degree of self-awareness. These
leaders understand themselves and their needs, strengths, weaknesses, and
temperament. They are aware of their thoughts, feelings, and personal
motivators.
As the great 19th-century German philosopher Fredrich so brilliantly noted- 'he
whose life has a why can bear almost any how.
I believe that Tthe art of leadership is like wresting: You have to be ready to
face new challenges each day and overcome them with wisdom and calmness.
Success in your career life is all about you v./s you. Inside each of us is a big
YOU and a small YOU. The big YOU is confident and wants to play big. And
so, this big YOU v/s the small YOU is a contact battle and the only area you
have full control over.
I once coached a mid-manager who was struggling in his career. He was
constantly comparing himself with his colleagues, constantly worrying about
what his boos thought of him, always fretting about the economy and about the
loss. And guess what? He was miserable and was stuck in his career. He was
not able to structure his thoughts.
One day during our 1:1 coaching session, I asked him a simple question-- what
would happen if you stopped worrying about things and people and instead
started to focus on improving your game? I must say- the look on his face was
priceless. In the next few months, he began writing down all things he could do
to focus on himself. And to improve himself. For the first time, he realized he'd
been fighting the wrong battle. His battle was not him v/s the outside world. The
struggle he had to focus on was him v/s him
My dad always told me that if you're too preoccupied with getting what you
want, you'll never get it. It's counterintuitive, but you have to go after what you
want indirectly. The outcomes you get must be the byproduct of your type of
person.
Don't spend your time chasing butterflies; they'll fly away. But if you spend
time making a beautiful garden, the butterflies will come to you.
When you focus on yourself and improve yourself, everything you want will
come to you. Remember, you get in life who you are, not what you want.
Learning how to focus on yourself is all about becoming the type of person
capable of achieving an outcome without needing the outcome to happen in a
certain way or at a particular time.
Anyone can be their best self, but it requires work.
Focus on yourself and everything you want will fall into place.
As featured in CEO World magazine - November 2024.
Your Good Friend and Mentor
Payal Nanjiani
Read Payal's New Book - "MAKE IT TO THE TOP".
Order your copy on Amazon.
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