There are two things that we need to remember as we journey on the path to success. Firstly, we need to remember that the energy to persevere when faced with obstacles comes from having the right attitude. Secondly, we need to know ourselves and understand that the way in which we interpret an event influences the way in which we see the event and consequently our reactions to the event. Finally, we need to learn from our mistakes and experiences.
How can we create the energy that it takes to persist when things are not going our way? The energy to keep striving can be generated by having a positive attitude and a determination to reach the goal. An attitude is simply a state of mind and a positive attitude is one that makes us feel optimistic about overcoming an obstacle whereas a negative attitude makes us feel that we cannot or are unlikely to succeed in overcoming an obstacle.
We have a choice, either we control our minds or our minds will control us. Our thoughts and feelings are shaped by many factors, especially our assumptions about the causes of things as these assumptions influence our attitudes. The mind is a meaning-making machine. We automatically give meaning to everything and the meaning we give depends on the assumptions we make about the causes of an event. In this seminar, we will examine factors, such as implicit theories and frames, which influence the assumptions we make about both ourselves and the world, and how these assumptions affect our attitudes and consequently the energy we have to persevere when faced with difficult obstacles.
As the old saying goes, you need to know yourself. How can we know ourselves better? It is vital to know your personality if you want to be successful in your career and in your life in general. We all have psychological filters through which we see the world. The way in which we respond to circumstances is determined to a large extent by our personalities: For example, some people see change as a threat whereas others see change as an opportunity. The need to achieve and the locus of control are important aspects of personality when it comes to reaching our goals. In this seminar, we will look at different aspects of personality and how they influence the way in which we think, feel and behave.
How can we learn from our mistakes or experiences? All of us have experienced failure because of our own shortcomings or because of unfavourable circumstances. Failures can be seen negatively (e.g., I do not have what it takes) or they can be seen as learning opportunities (e.g., now I know what to do when faced with a similar situation). If we decide that failure to achieve a goal is due to our own shortcomings or to factors that we cannot change, we can suffer from learned helplessness, which can lead to us giving up and not learning from our experiences, depression and to a lack of motivation to persevere when faced with obstacles.
The key to learning about oneself is to be aware of one’s thoughts and feelings. A thought is simply something we say to ourselves or a silent insight. The key to controlling thoughts is to be aware of thoughts rather than merely to react to thoughts. Self-talk (i.e., what we say to ourselves) is an important part of who we think we are and when we refuse to say negative things to ourselves and learn to say positive things to ourselves we can increase our self-confidence. Being able to separate the thinker from the thought is the first step to thought control. Additionally, we need to reflect so that we can gain a better understanding of ourselves. Reflecting on our experiences is not about justifying ourselves but rather is about re-evaluating the way we see and do things so that we can improve. In this seminar, we will look at how we can manage our self-talk and learn from our experiences so that we are better equipped to face the future.
Article Contributed by Dr Gian Casimir , Honorary Academic Advisor of Training Edge International and was a lecturer with Wharton School in the University of Pennsylvania. He currently lectures at the University of Newcastle in Singapore.
Email : Gian.Casimir@trainingedgeasia.com;
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com
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