Christopher D. Connors's Blog, page 40

These 8 Words Are Your Wake-up Call to Living a Great Life

“Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful (people)with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” — Ray Kroc

The next time you find yourself sitting there gazing at your smartphone, somehow expecting the answers are magically going to come to you, remind yourself first — it never works that way. And second, think of this great line from the movie Boiler Room,

“Motion Creates Emotion”

I say this because the biggest thing that holds all of us back is:

IndecisionComplacencySitting still and believe it or not, what may actually be worse…Tepid action. Lukewarm, half-hearted, uninspired, simply-not-gonna-get the job done… action.

I’ve seen this manifest itself in my life. I’ve seen so many intelligent people’s career dreams crash and burn because they weren’t persistent enough. They didn’t know the right way to communicate. They thought they were doing the right thing, but they weren’t truly going all-in and giving things maximum effort.

Please don’t make the same mistake.

You and I will make mistakes throughout our lives, and we’ll find that we actually improve and learn from those mistakes. But some mistakes tend to compound themselves, making it harder to rise to our feet. And no mistake is more damaging than repeatedly giving a half-ass effort. You must give things maximum attitude and effort if you want to live the life you dream about.

A Story to Tell

Earlier in my career, I had a manager who genuinely cared about both my personal and professional development. It was more the “tough love” type of encouragement and motivation that I needed.

I was trying to move forward and make progress on some important tasks but I seemed to keep running into the typical red tape that plagues many organizations: Poor responsiveness to communications; multi-tasking and missed deadlines. I wasn’t getting responses. But then again, I was doing virtually everything by e-mail. Maybe an occasional phone call.

When I explained this to my boss, he patiently sat there and listened to everything I had to say. When I stopped talking he asked, “Are you finished? Because here’s my advice:

GET OFF YOUR ASS AND MAKE IT HAPPEN.”

The point was taken.

It was blunt, somewhat startling, but the exact medicine that I needed. I was doing something, but I wasn’t doing enough. Sending emails weren’t as effective as physically getting up and meeting with someone to send the message I needed. The act and art of face-to-face communication was needed for me to complete my work.

It was needed for me to build the vital relationships in the organization with executives and senior-level influencers. It was needed for increased exposure and opportunities that would only help me grow and build confidence.

Sitting behind my computer was getting me nowhere. It’s a story, for sure, but it’s also a microcosm for where so many of us find ourselves all throughout our lives and career.

We complain about not knowing the way.

We complain about not getting a response for that opportunity we want.

We get so complacent when we don’t get what we want, and sometimes we stop right there and don’t think about what could be a more effective way. Far worse, we stop altogether and give up.

Focus on Taking Action

“The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something.” — Seth Godin

Part of the pitfall of living in a digital world is thinking that everything is going to come to us as instantly as the delivery of a Direct Message via Instagram. No matter your age, reflect on this for a second:

Think about how truly astonishing it is that someone in Jakarta can send a message that is instantly received by someone in Chicago. Communication, at the speed of now.

There is a way to give your all without burning out. There is a way to meet your obligations without feeling like you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off. You have to start with planning, but here’s where most people get it wrong: They put together a plan, thinking it won’t change, and then end up terribly disappointed when their plan falls apart.

Life changes and as a result, plans must be modified accordingly. I encourage you to bake in to every plan the values that will carry you, enabling you to flourish and sustain you when you think you’ve hit too devastating a setback:Values like persistence, perseverance, hard work, optimism, courage and hope. These things are the bedrock foundation for success.

So what are you waiting for? The world is not going to come to you. There’s too many other qualified people. There’s way more effective ways to get things done that earn results. You can’t just sit around and function at lukewarm. Get inspired. Get fired up. Get off your ass and make it happen!

Get Moving into High Gear

Join my newsletter where I give away life-changing productivity and personal development tips that will lead you toward amazing results

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +427,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

These 8 Words Are Your Wake-up Call to Living a Great Life was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Absolutely the case and love how you took it a step further with “Most boring, high ROI.”

Absolutely the case and love how you took it a step further with “Most boring, high ROI.” You nailed it, Nick! Thank you for this!

The #1 Way to Reduce Stress and Live the Live You’ve Always Wanted

The #1 Way to Reduce Stress and Live the Life You’ve Always Wanted

Stop rushing.

Stop.

Please, it’s not going to help you. If you’ve procrastinated, trying to make up for lost time in just a few hours and expecting a masterpiece won’t cut it. Not only is it likely that the results won’t be what you want, you’ll cause yourself stress by going full-fledged “rush job”.

And we all know, stress is a killer.

Many of us are living with stress, anxiety, fear and insecurity about what will come next in our lives. It’s not just a part of life — it’s a way of life for millions of people.

Some of us get so used to it, we may not even realize it. So we start to worry. And when we worry, we either do not commit to action, or we begin to internalize stress, which manifests itself in anxiety. When we do make a move, it’s rushed and feels forced. It doesn’t feel natural.

It feels like we’re not really ourselves. We hurry.

We lose.

It’s so important that we master the processes and routine that we perform every day. It’s critical for us to become great planners! Once we do, we become more efficient. We get quicker. Then, we don’t need to hurry. And we worry less. We stress less. Life comes more natural in the flow.

The reality that we need to wake up to is that intelligent, diligent and focused planning is the saving grace for us to live a productive, happy and healthy life. The more prepared we are for each day, the more productive we will be. No magic pill. No “secret.”

While a positive, industrious mindset will help you, you’re so much better prepared when you have a plan.

Psychologist Robert Epstein explains according to one of his surveys that planning is our best weapon for managing stress:

“Fighting stress before it even starts, planning things rather than letting them happen, that means planning your day, your year and your life so that stress is minimized.”

Epstein’s survey was also able to track stress management with participants’ overall levels of happiness. “The association was very strong,” says Epstein, “suggesting that nearly 25% of our happiness is related to our ability to manage stress.” Source: Time Magazine

Sex Appeal?

Planning isn’t sexy. Let’s just get that out of the way!

It’s not going to give you results now. So as a result, many people don’t do it. We’re so attune as a society to thinking that once we take action, we get a result right away. This instant-gratification thinking clashes with the real world.

It’s a lie. Results often come many steps after the first step that we’ve taken.

It’s only when we begin to plan and exercise patience, and couple that with the experience of living — that we understand this. It’s much harder in life to go off memory alone and achieve big results. The problem is that life tends to add on more responsibilities as we go. We’re not wired to be multi-taskers. And according to the APA, multi-tasking simply isn’t efficient.

Multi-tasking leads us down a path where we focus on several activities at once, while not being able to give our 100% full concentration and effort to their completion.

Planning gives us the confidence that we need, it helps us prioritize and engenders an affirmative feeling of positivity that we are well organized and structured. Once you start doing this, you’ll realize that multi-tasking only makes things worse.

Root Cause Analysis

Let’s get back to stress, for a minute. If stress is the cause of our productivity downfall, then some basic root-cause analysis would be helpful. By solving the problem to understand why we’re stressed — which is often associated with a lack of planning! — we’re better able to conquer any worries, fears and obstacles that surround it.

This is precisely what clinical psychologist, Susan Heitler believes.

“ My #1 technique for dissipating stress is to solve the problem that is producing the stress. Unlike most stress-reduction methods, solving the problem removes stress at its roots. Problem-solving usually has three steps:

1. Face it

2. Clarify your specific concerns

3. Create a plan of action”

Confront your reality. Get clear about what’s concerning you. PLAN.

Planning is what leads to powerful action!

We’re best when we focus on one thing at a time, in short, powerful bursts of concentrated, focused work. The best way to set us up for this success is through planning. Quite like having a great morning routine will launch our day, planning will enable our brain to do less “busy” work and help us hone-in on the tasks in front of us.

Planning enables quickness and anticipation for what’s to come. It helps us to visualize the activities that will come over the course of the day. It reduces the need to worry, because we understand the activities that will comprise the outcomes that we’re looking to achieve. A well-planned person is someone that is powerfully and boldly equipped to handle each day.

Reverse Engineering Your Plan

Take this from Danny Southwick, a researcher for the High Performance Institute, and University of Pennsylvania research assistant for Grit author, Angela Duckworth:

“Last November, researchers at Korea Business School and the University of Iowa published an article in Psychological Science showing that people are much likely to accomplish goals when they engage in something called “future retrospection.”

What is future retrospection? Simply put, future retrospection is imagining yourself as if you’ve already accomplished your goal, and then planningbackwards about all the steps that you had to take to get there. Doing so increases productivity, motivation, and confidence. Backwards planning also reduces the amount of stress people feel as they pursue their goals.”

You won’t find a bigger proponent of reverse engineering than I, namely because it requires deep thought, visualization and positive emotional reinforcement. You see, visualization should be all about you succeeding, doing and winning in thrilling fashion. It’s self-motivating and empowering. Using your imagination, visualizing and planning takes time and effort.

You must be willing to make your planning become a habit. And you should have the right tools to do it. I realize that tools will differ per each individual. Some of us favor one, single instrument. Others combine and integrate multiple apps or programs into one efficient machine. I tend to mix the digital with the old-fashioned paper journal.

I use Bullet Journal, OneNote and Outlook to keep me planned. I also write out big goals and ideas in a simple journal — paper and pen. OneNote is the basis for my ideas. Bullet Journal is about pure execution of tasks. And Outlook helps me manage my schedule and remind me of appointments and meetings. To get to this point of planning wasn’t easy.

It truly was about forming the habits to become successful. I knew that if I didn’t do this, I’d keep getting mediocre results. When I brainstorm, schedule and plan tasks, I become an efficient machine. And the research backs up why this is the case. Planning programs our minds to be more centered and mindful on completing tasks, while also knowing we eventually need to move on to what’s next.

When we have nothing in front of us, we become idle and our minds start to wander. Sometimes toward great ideas! But oftentimes, toward less helpful or virtuous thoughts.

So back to stress and planning, right?

Habits lead to productivity. Dr. Stephen Covey made that abundantly clear 30 years ago!

Simply put — habits help us to get the job done and do so more efficiently. This gives you more creative time, more time to rest and time for leisure with friends and family. Habits form the cornerstone for a productive life, and they fuel the planning that is needed to propel you forward.

Take this from Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of the book, The Power of Habit:

“When psychologists have looked at quantum changers, what they found is these are people who suddenly became very deliberate about their habits. There’s something almost magical about understanding how habits work, because studies show that once you understand, once you think about the structure of a habit, it becomes easier to change that habit. And once you change that habit, you start making these small, incremental adjustments to your day that over a year or over a decade can add up to a huge difference.” — Charles Duhigg Source: HBR

You’re on your way. If you’re here, reading this, you’re on your way to doing big-time work. Don’t ever doubt that or feel like you’re not succeeding.

Do the work! Work that will become the backbone and joy of your life. You need a plan. Know that the importance of the plan leads to the future steps of powerful, lasting results. And before you know it, you’ll be living stress-free, more healthy emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally.

You’ll be living the life that is rightfully yours. Keep going and let me know your progress!

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +424,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

The #1 Way to Reduce Stress and Live the Live You’ve Always Wanted was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Finding the True Meaning of Love on Valentine’s Day

Believe it or not (wink, wink) there’s a message in Valentine’s Day beyond the chocolate, flowers and valentine cards. While it’s fun — and chocolate is delicious — it’s always worth asking with holidays and days of celebration: what exactly are we celebrating? Certainly not the billions we spend each year as we give companies our dollars in the name of love and kindness.

The message of Valentine’s Day is, of course, love, but it’s important that we don’t reduce that message to only the superficial kind. The legend of St. Valentine shares as powerful of a story of love as exists. The choice to love selflessly is just that — a choice. The legend of St. Valentine is worth retelling.

This piece is not intended to debate the authenticity of the legend of St. Valentine (it remains unknown, hence the word, “legend”) but rather to inspire through the message of love. St. Valentine was a priest in 3rd century Rome and is best known for a selfless choice he made.

The story is that St. Valentine defied the orders of the Roman Emperor, Claudius Gothicus, and married young couples. The problem was, the Emperor barred marriages from taking place because he needed single men to help fight for the Empire. St. Valentine was executed for his defiance — which was his belief in the spirit of love.

The reason for the day is obvious: To borrow a phrase from The Beatles,

“Love is all you need!”

No Greater Love Than This

We all know what a remarkable testament of love the ultimate sacrifice is — laying down one’s life for someone else. St. Valentine exhibited this type of love. In Valentine’s case, he laid down his life for the citizens of Rome and in the broader sense- the power of love.

His sacrifice meant many friends in Rome — people who wanted to unite their lives together — got to share in the sacrament of matrimony. This is God’s greatest gift to us: the gift of Love.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:4–8

You’ve undoubtedly read these words above. They are often read at weddings and have frequently been used in movies. You know it’s coming, just like Owen Wilson’s character in Meet the Parents! Part of the reason why is because, while this is included in the New Testament of The Bible, it’s frankly religion-agnostic in its meaning.

St. Paul’s definition of what love is — in action — is as sound as any I’ve ever read or heard spoken.

It’s crystal clear about its intentions: what love is, what love should be and how the self-giving nature of this pure act is what makes it so special. It’s a wonderful blessing to put these words forth now. St. Paul was right: love is many things. Its message endures forever.

In the case of St. Valentine, his love was acted by giving up his life for others. He had to know his actions would infuriate the Emperor but he believed in its power so much, he risked everything. For St. Valentine, love rejoiced in the truth and endured long after his death. His love was embodied in the couples he married and the spirit it demonstrated to the citizens of Rome.

Think about your relationships and particularly, the way you love others. I know I have more love to give. My wife, son and family are counting on it. Our love will inspire others, enrich our relationships and permeate our lives. It will make us smile more often and bring joy to the lives of others.

While most of us will not need to lay our lives on the line — as our way of showing love — we should take St. Valentine’s example (legend or not) as inspiration to give more of who we are. We can always live with greater love for the people in our lives. I’m committing to doing this and I hope you will make the commitment with me.

If you’re in search of greater meaning and value for your life, please consider joining me on your journey to greatness.

Finding the True Meaning of Love on Valentine’s Day was originally published in P.S. I Love You on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The truth is, we run away from our biggest dreams and goals because we’re afraid of actually doing…

This is What it Takes to Achieve Exactly What You Want

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” — Napoleon Hill

The truth is, we run away from our biggest dreams and goals because we’re afraid of actually doing the work required to get there. When I say “required,” I mean that absolutely nothing great comes easy. Doing the work is hard, but it’s the only way you’ll ever get to know the truth of who you are — you know, whether you really have what it takes to live the life you’ve always imagined.

If you want to live the exact results that you dream about and think about constantly, then you have to be willing to work hard, think more creatively than you ever have, and commit to persevering through good times and bad. It’s not a struggle to persevere when the going is good. It challenges us to our core when we encounter adversity and are forced to give up or press on.

Several years ago, I was fired from a prestigious job in management consulting. I simply didn’t cut it, and while there were other reasons at play, my performance just wasn’t good enough. But I realized that I wasn’t doing something that I loved. Which meant that I wasn’t motivated. Which meant I didn’t hustle hard enough and pour my heart and soul into it.

And I paid the price.

BOOM.

What happens next?

What happened next was one of the greatest moments of reckoning of my entire life. I wasn’t doing the work that I really wanted to do. I desperately needed to pursue my passion of writing and to turn my full energy to my calling of coaching business professionals to help them through their careers and in their personal lives.

I needed to believe in myself more than I ever had in my life, at a time where it would have been so easy not to.

“I wonder how many times people give up just before a breakthrough — when they are on the very brink of success.” — Joyce Meyer

As soon as I started moving in this direction, my life began to change and I became much happier. I had a much more positive outlook and opportunities that I actually wanted came my way. During the aftermath of losing that job, I began writing my book which was published in 2017 and became an Amazon bestseller.

I grew a stable of coaching clients and generated some nice income, while receiving feedback that I had forever changed people’s lives for the better. I found my calling. I found my purpose and mission. I found myself.

I learned that in order to achieve exactly what I want, I had to immerse myself and go “all in” with maximum intensity, hustle and passion. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made, of course other than marrying my wife!

The problem is, most people don’t ever reach the pinnacle of self-actualization and human achievement, because they don’t plot out the course it will take to get them there. Make no mistake, without a plan, you really don’t stand a very good chance. Most people are so afraid to actually sit down and do the work, it never gets started. And they flounder with worry.

I’ll tell you what — when you first get started, it’s simply not fun. You want to fight it. Call it resistance, call it procrastination, blame every distraction or outside excuse that you want, the reasons often don’t matter as much. You know as well as I do, that it becomes hard to buckle down and “get to work.”

If you’ve ever really, really wanted something great, you’ve probably struggled with commitment at first. You get your first taste of success — of giving something a shot, and it seems so attainable. It’s not that it’s ever unattainable, but once you really commit and get consistent, you realize pretty quickly that you don’t just immediately headline The Apollo.

That star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame isn’t handed out after your first “year in the business.”

Rather, you know that all the talent in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t back it up with intelligent plans and dedication.

Clarity and peace of mind? Those come when you have a definite purpose and mission for accomplishing your big goals. Even when you know your big prize at the end, just ambling along isn’t a surefire strategy. You may get there, but it will take a lot longer. And it won’t mean as much. And it will be harder to sustain for the next go-around.

While I constantly fight the pressures and realities of our instant-gratification society, I also embrace the parts of it that demand greater efficiency and intelligence in action. Knowing who you are, what lights the fire inside of you, and what will make you great and in-demand, is having incredible power in your hands.

It’s tough to start, but once you get some momentum going and shut-out the distractions and worries of the outside world, you get in this remarkable zone that is powered by flow and creativity. Nothing else seems to matter. You worry less about the outcomes and most about how fulfilled you feel, and how irresistible that freedom of mind and spirit truly is.

This will lead you to knowing exactly what you want to do with your life, why that matters, and then how to position yourself in the marketplace. Which is really all about how to market and brand yourself in such a way that will allow you to elevate yourself faster and with greater growth.

Every equation of how you plan to achieve what you want should truly be about time and money, but mostly about time. You want to get there with the greatest efficiency that you possibly can, without sacrificing quality, or the incredibly powerful feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment that will sustain your momentum, inspiring and motivating you to keep going.

That’s where perseverance comes in.

Be willing to do the work that others are not, and you will be rewarded with the opportunities that most people aren’t given. Outworking your competition isn’t enough. It takes more than that. It takes heart and soul.

It takes a willingness to go “all in” with commitment, consistency and joy in your heart. Building a game plan that is committed to continued excellence, with dedication and passion is how you begin your journey to greatness.

What are the big decisions that have most impacted your life? Please share them below!

Liked this article? Check me out here, where I share powerful insights on how to break through and find the career you’ve always wanted.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +424,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

The truth is, we run away from our biggest dreams and goals because we’re afraid of actually doing… was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Why One of Your Beliefs is Actually Your Biggest Limiting Belief

“If we can see past preconceived limitations, then the possibilities are endless.” ―Amy Purdy

Your biggest mindset shift in life comes when you recognize the power behind the belief that you can and will make things happen in your life. This is palpably different than simply believing something is possible. It’s this mindset shift that will make the difference in happiness, success and every grand pursuit that you choose to make a part of your incredible journey.

I speak of faith purely in the context of your belief in yourself, and the belief that things will work out in your future. Present and what’s to come.

It’s how you see the power of faith and the way that it illuminates everything in your life that will truly color your thoughts, emotions and feelings. As this deep faith lights your world, you recognize that this enormous shift in belief is about certitude and conviction. Most of us believe that good — even great — things are possible.

But how many of us truly believe that good and great things will actually happen to us? I’ve found in my life and in the lives of so many other successful people that this mindset shift literally makes the difference of a lifetime.

For so long, I’ve been blessed with a great power of faith and belief that my big dreams will come true. I know, this is a difference from when I used to fear that things wouldn’t work out. And I recognize it’s a step above not having the belief and hope that things are going to come true.

But once I got to this level, I realized that this actually can be a devastating limiting belief. One that will actually keep you stuck where you are and make it harder for you to reach the grand, new heights that you believe you are destined for. You see, possible is never guaranteed. And possible could actually, at least in one potential outcome, be considered improbable.

Think about this distinction:

Something might happen.

Something will happen.

I want the sure thing. When it comes to your life and career, I bet you do, too.

Taken one step further, do you want to believe that it’s possible that you could one day be the Chief Operating Officer of your organization? Or do you want to believe that you will become the Chief Operating Officer of your organization, and then build the plan and goals to back up that huge achievement?

Don’t worry — that last question is rhetorical!

The Will

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” ―Mary Kay Ash

Believe that things WILL HAPPEN for you. This strikes a mental, emotional and spiritual accord of commitment that is essential for making your big goal or dream come true. Powerful confidence is born from having the certitude of faith that leads to commitment and consistency that maniefests into something far bigger than just the initial thought in our heads.

This belief takes flight and leads to tangible, proven results! You go from thinking that something could happen, to believing that it absolutely will, which empowers and fuels your actions with great purpose, passion and resolve.

What do I mean? Look at your current belief system.

What are your limiting beliefs? What’s holding you back?

List those things out! It’s a powerful exercise that will give you greater clarity.

If you can honestly say that you believe it’s POSSIBLE that things will work out in your future — I’m here to tell you that’s not enough.

It’s the belief that you can and WILL make things happen that is of paramount importance. Once you have this, and you commit to action, you can truly accomplish exactly what you set your mind to.

The more confident we are, the more we know ourselves and can bridge the gap between our thoughts and actions, the more likely we are to do the things we want — and to do them well.

Proven results lead to confidence, and re-application leads to consistency. To start, you must be committed. To finish and achieve your goals, you must be consistent. These actions all begin in the mind once you believe so strongly that you can make things happen, that the belief becomes the knowledge that you already have it within your reach.

It’s not enough to say that you believe things are possible. This is the beginning step, and it’s an absolutely necessary step. But in an odd way, it becomes a limiting belief. Here are some ways to smash your limiting beliefs by developing greater conviction to believe that things are absolutely going to happen for you in the way you desire.

Steps for Empowering Beliefs :Create time — ideally at the beginning of your day, to set the tone — for inspired, believing thoughtsGive life to your thoughts and beliefs with enthusiasm and ambitionLock those thoughts in by believing in yourself and in the people in your life. Think about these relationships throughout your day.Believe in yourself to follow the path that leads to achieving your goals. Be accepting that you won’t understand or know in advance each step of the process but that you won’t doubt yourself and of course, that you’ll never give upBreak Free

Remember: we all get what we tolerate. So stop tolerating excuses within yourself, limiting beliefs of the past, or half-assed or fearful states. — Tony Robbins

I’ve had plenty of conversations with business professionals, friends and famous people that currently — or at a previous point — simply could not see a way forward because they were so focused on doubting themselves in the present. Their biggest enemy was the way they perceived themselves or how their company, fans or circle of friends saw them.

It took a step outside of their arena to realize how valued they were by the outside world and to realize how much they had accomplished. It was then that they could better value themselves. Limiting beliefs are often derived from when we are too tough on ourselves. If we fall short of lofty expectations, our worlds come crashing down.

It’s one thing to set goals, it’s much different to live in dismay and heartbreak if things don’t work out exactly according to our plan! Because what is a plan, anyway? It’s a set of marching orders. It’s a road map or game plan. Well, guess what?

Plans change.

Road maps don’t always account for detours.

And game plans are meant to be adjusted if victory in not in the cards.

It’s with this understanding we come to realize that we are often so close to victory, we can practically taste it, yet we don’t always realize it. It’s then that we must stop blaming ourselves. It does us no good to think that our world has come crashing down and we’re back at square one.

We may be 97% of the way there but think about it: in what challenging endeavor — where you have succeeded — did that final 3% come easy?

If you’re someone who believes you can do great things, don’t get too fixated on that belief of what’s possible. Make the mindset shift to convert it into that powerful belief that you can and WILL make things happen. This subtle, yet absolutely crucial shift in mindset will have life-changing effects on the way others see you, and most significantly, the way you see yourself.

Build Powerful Relationships

S end me a message and let me know how I can help you take the next big step in your career that will lead to powerful results.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +423,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

Why One of Your Beliefs is Actually Your Biggest Limiting Belief was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Yes! Absolutely agree, Christophe! Thank you for sharing this!

Yes! Absolutely agree, Christophe! Thank you for sharing this!

Peter Lamka Yes! A man after my own heart! Thank you — you nailed it!

Peter Lamka Yes! A man after my own heart! Thank you — you nailed it!

Certainly the case, Annie Zelm.

Certainly the case, Annie Zelm. No doubt about it. 100% what I coach people on and would always point out those things need to be in place!

The best time to build a relationship is right now!

The best time to build a relationship is right now! It’s a lesson many of us have learned, no? Love it, Scott!