2 Character Traits to Develop for Success!
Finishing the year with my Nursing Students, I was thinking about the “great wisdom” I should impart to them in our final class together. As I look back at my own life, my advice today boils down to two critical character traits. Neither of them were inherited. Both were developed by first observing them in others, watching their success, then trying them out in my own life. I share them with you here, with a side note that they both go hand in hand.
Bring It On!
Yes, that’s right. It’s the thought process that shows you have the upper hand. It comes about from a lifestyle of learning, being prepared, and building confidence. It’s not arrogant, just confident that when you are approaching a situation, a problem, a new circumstance, or a new day, you are ready to deal with whatever it brings.
“Bring it on” is a mindset that says, no matter what, I will figure out a way to handle the situation, and am confident that I will succeed.
When my son was a young baseball player, he read something that encouraged him to have this type of thinking. The question posed was something like “when you are out in right field, are you saying to yourself, I hope the ball doesn’t come to me, please, God, help the ball not to come to me, I know I’m going to drop it or miss it”, or are you thinking “I hope the ball comes to me so I can make the play and help my team win this game – bring it on!”
That’s the difference in success and failure. Always being in the mental “ready position”. Always confident that you are prepared to do what needs to be done to win with integrity.
What’s Next?
This is the question successful people ask themselves constantly, even more so when a failure, roadblock, or something unexpected occurs. They don’t sit and pine over the loss or failure. Well, maybe just for a minute. But the very next thought they have is “What am I going to do to move forward? What is my next step? How am I going change what I’m doing to achieve my goals?” They adapt, perhaps alter, their course, always putting one foot in front of the other.
This is huge! This question will keep you on the path moving forward. Yes, you may need to change a few things, but what do you need to do to move forward? After you have accomplished something, don’t stop, instead just keep ask yourself: What’s next? Where do I go from here? It may mean steadying the ship and staying the course, or you may need to adjust the sails and move in a slightly or totally different direction. When you are in the ready position, you can easily adjust and keep moving in a positive direction.
Are you ready to Bring it On?
What’s Next for You?
