by Mark Sichel, LCSW
www.marksichel.com
© 2005
1. Persistence
Samuel Clemens (also known as Mark Twain) once said that achievement
is 99 percent perspiration and one percent inspiration. Being
persistent and getting through frustrations and set backs and
sweating whatever difficulties you encounter will get you where
you want to go.
2.The Capacity to Dream
If you're really motivated, you can find answers to life's dilemmas
through your dreams. Our unconscious minds are much smarter than
we are in our waking hours. My computer consultant was once stumped
by a problem with my computer. He dreamt the answer!
3. The Ability to Nourish Ourselves and Others
The ultimate parental challenge! Use that red pencil of yours
to circle and highlight everything that you and your loved ones
do that's RIGHT. It's as simple as praising your dog when he toilets
on the street and ignoring him when he has an accident on your
priceless Persian rug. This activity goes on (hopefully) in every
therapist's office, employee evaluation session, and classroom
in this country: highlighting what is right with a person or situation
instead of focusing on mistakes that can't be changed..
4. Competitiveness with Self
With the willingness and determination to compete with yourself
on whatever the task of your choice, you will get better and better
all the time. This means a real disregard of that old narcissistic
need for applause, adoration, and worship.
5. The Ability to Love
Freud said that the reason for his phenomenal success was that
his mother was madly in love with him. Parental love is a key
element in fostering amazing accomplishments in children. It also
translates to self-love; adults can learn to parent themselves
in a similar fashion.
6. Integrity
In these frenetic times, achievement and accomplishment become
such a driving force that we often overlook the basic values of
integrity and honesty. Extraordinary people never take shortcuts
and will not compromise on their personal belief systems. When
an extraordinary achiever wants to create his or her vision, compromise
and dishonesty are out of the picture.
7. Gratitude
Those who cannot achieve are burdened by envy; those who can achieve
feel tremendous gratitude for that which they've been endowed.
People who get swallowed up by the "Green Monster" remain
unable to achieve and excel; they slowly wither away with self-pity,
resentment, and feelings of deprivation. On the other hand, people
who can emulate those whom they envy often achieve their goals.
8. Aspiration
You can learn a great deal about yourself by examining that which
you aspire to. Do you aim high? You should. Why not? Aspirations
are our hopes and dreams; they are fuel for our joy and contentment.
If you tend to aim low, think about why that might be. Children
whose aspirations are encouraged, supported, and nurtured are
confident in achieving their goals. Children who hear statements
like, "You could never do that," or "You're not
smart enough to do that," soon give up on reaching their
goals and eventually forget what they ever were in the first place.
If you've forgotten what your aspirations were, it's never too
late to resurrect them. Aspire and achieve.
9. The Ability to Give
Money, power, fame and glory is not enough to make you happy.
Those elements, of course, tend to help make things easier and
I, for one, would not disavow any of them. However, surprisingly,
all of the money and power in the world is not what tends to motivate
the greatest of achievers. The artist, scientist, businessman,
politician, writer, doctor or what have you who truly feels great
about his or her achievements almost always focuses on giving
something back to the world. Being able to make a lasting contribution
is the best motivator on earth. Truly impressive achievers give
something back to the world in vision, scope, and inspiration.
10. Focus
Those who succeed in their aspirations and reach their goals do
so with blinders on. While great achievers tend to have a generalist's
hunger for knowledge and a curiosity for all that's happening
in the world, they also possess a precision of focus when they
set themselves to a task and are determined to achieve a goal.
All of us who've survived into the 21st Century are exceptional,
whether we know it or not. We each possess the above characteristics
in some measure. Our job in the new millennium is to nurture these
qualities to further develop excellence in our lives.
