Personal Improvement

For a variety of reasons it’s difficult for most people to imagine themselves enjoying spectacular success. The majority of individuals tend to assume that amazing stories of personal success are reserved for other people.

This is pretty bizarre and unreasonable when you think about it. We’re all “other people” from someone’s perspective, right?

A great technique for shifting your perspective is to put yourself in the center of your favorite success stories. Imagine how it would feel to make your first million dollars, win a bodybuilding competition, become a best-selling author, or attain whatever victory meets your ideal of true success.

The reality is you are every bit as capable of great success as any other person on the planet. You might need additional training, education, or experience to get from where you are now to where you’d rather be, but these are all things you can acquire with a small amount of time and commitment.

In my late teens and early twenties I had the privilege of training with a world-class martial arts master; the assistant instructor was also a national champion. Everything about the school and the system vibrated excellence. Both of my instructors had a saying for putting their incredible talents into perspective: “I’ve got two arms and two legs just like you.”

The implication is pretty simple. It’s much like the old cliché that even our heroes “put their pants on one leg at a time”. Individuals who exhibit extraordinary success in any field are human beings; they don’t have any magical powers and they’re not blessed with supernatural abilities.

It’s important to recognize and accept this fact. Resist the urge to make excuses and point out how the successful people you read about all have some kind of unfair advantage over you; i.e. better genetics, a wealthy family, a better childhood, or whatever.

The time-honored tradition of defending mediocrity with excuses about such advantages goes back at least to ancient Greece. In those days the heroes from the culture’s favorite stories were all the children of Zeus or some other deity, the idea being that no mere mortals could be capable of such bravery and skill.

Modern-day excuses are less elaborate but every bit as far-fetched.

While some athletes may be blessed with genetic talents, disciplined training will always overcome natural ability. Many champion competitors, including the great Michael Jordan, were not gifted at an early age with their winning capabilities.

And the overwhelming majority of wealthy entrepreneurs do not come from old money, or wealthy families. Far and away more business superstars come from middle class and even poor homes.

When you open your eyes and take an honest look at the folks who are living the success you crave you’ll find they are very much like you. By this token there is absolutely no good reason whatsoever to deny yourself the thrill and triumph of excelling in your chosen field.

One of my favorite wealth creation authors, T. Harv Eker, teaches his students to “be bigger than any problem”. Eker says if you are being overwhelmed by a problem it’s because you are being a small person.

And the key to embracing and overcoming your challenges is to simply be bigger than any problem.

This is great advice. It requires sustained power thinking but it can really help you change perspective in the midst of any problem.

Look at all your skills, wisdom, and potential and use this to expand beyond the scope of any problems in your life. You truly are bigger than anything that might temporarily stand in your way, and by accepting and visualizing this you can become unstoppable.

Most people in today’s society are so lazy and weak-willed they become angry or depressed by even the smallest setback. But the fact is “problems” are a necessary part of personal growth!

Drop the negative connotation and begin looking at challenges in your life as opportunities to express yourself, think creatively, and expand in all areas. When lack of money, disagreeable individuals, severe weather, physical ailments, software glitches, or any other range of possible problems arise in your life…

STOP.

Look for the possible gift in the overall picture. Is there any reason to be glad or relieved by this so-called problem?

Often there is. And if not simply decide you now have the opportunity to test your skills and mental capacity.

Rise to the challenge and simply decide that you are much larger than the challenge at hand. Imagine yourself towering over the problem, literally looking down on it with compassion and mercy.

This allows you to use the law of relativity to your advantage. Most people choose to use this law against themselves so expect this simple shift in your perspective to open up new doors and empower you in unexpected ways.

Over time you can condition yourself to think and respond differently to problems and adverse events in your life. Where most people see an excuse to give up or have a pity party you can see an exciting opportunity to test some new ideas and learn one or more new lessons.

A life without problems is a non-existent fantasy. Our life experience on this planet is largely about overcoming and evolving; this is especially true for the last, current, and next generations of human beings!

Economically, socially, philosophically, spiritually, environmentally, and politically we (the human species) is at a very real crossroads. Now more than ever it is critical to grow beyond the scope of any problem and feel into the creative solutions that are always available.

A lack of success, money, love, and even time is often the result of our feeling unworthy on some level. When we feel we don’t have enough knowledge, that our ideas are not good enough, that we don’t get enough done during a workday, or that we are unlikable for any reason, we are robbing ourselves of the abundance life has to offer. Therefore the key to massive success in any area is to accept that we are wonderful, highly capable human beings in the present moment.

With so many self-improvement books and courses available today, it’s easy to lose focus of the core issue of almost every self-development scenario: our basic self esteem.

The majority of problems we create for ourselves in life, and certainly every case of lack, stems from a weak self-image. When we don’t feel we measure up to our heroes, or to our own set of ideals, our results will be far below desirable.

This seems so obvious when it’s in black and white. While reading this article you may be thinking “I already know this”.

However the fact remains that millions of people fail to base their actions and dynamic thinking on the principle of strong self-worth as the driving force for all results. We need to remind ourselves constantly that it’s crucial to acknowledge our many capabilities and overall worthiness.

What’s more, we need to let go of the notion that we need “just a little more” to really become the person we strive to be. Constant learning and growth should be the aim of every human being, but not because we are somehow lacking in our present states.

Strive to better yourself, but only after you take the time to honestly love yourself as you currently are.

You don’t need another technique or a new affirmation to be a better person. You are already wonderful.

You don’t need more sales techniques to attract more than enough money to live the life of your dreams. You only need to appreciate the talents you already have and put them into action.

You don’t need to improve your personality to find a loving mate. The world is full of people who see your beauty and goodness as you are right now.

Know that you are more than enough and you will have more than enough in your life. Refuse to focus on any perceived lack and instead be grateful for everything you have; before long you’ll see even more good things heading your way.