You are here: Home / Determination

Achieving Business Success: How to Fuel Determination Today for Breakthrough Achievements Tomorrow & Beyond

March 14, 2011 By frfranki Leave a Comment

Article by Chuck Mache

You’ve probably heard the story of the golfer who steps up to the tee box and hits a wicked duck hook out of bounds. Embarrassed, he reaches in his pocket, tees up another ball and again, hits another horrific twisting shot left out of bounds. Now angry and determined, he walks back to his bag, gets another ball, tees it up again, and duplicates his first two shots out of bounds to the left. In a fit of frustration, he slams his club into his bag, aggressively flings his club over his shoulders, mumbles some choice expletives to himself as he’s chipping his teeth, and heads up the fairway uncertain as to where he’s going to drop a ball to make his next shot.



I use this as an analogy often in my talks with groups when discussing business professionals who are determined to be successful yet continue to fail. People like:



* The determined sales executive who is working extremely hard and is not bringing in the sales and makes the decision to work even harder.

* The determined manager who has a tight grip on her team but cannot get them to take their game to the next level, so she implements even more controls.

* The determined leader whose company is not reaching their numbers and meets endlessly with his team to discuss solutions, but he keeps asking the same questions over and over again to the same people, never getting any outside opinions.



So, in these examples, what’s missing? You certainly can’t fault their determination, can you? These people possess many characteristics of a determined individual. Their persistence, assertiveness, and even aggressiveness are to be admired, right?



Well, yes and no.



You must be determined to rise to the challenge when faced with adversity, challenges, even hardship. However, determination alone doesn’t solve problems.



In my daily work with others, I encounter many different executives in sales, operations, management, and leadership roles who are very determined people. They are successful on many levels, yet many are also struggling to breakthrough to new levels and have hit a wall in terms of how to get there. Usually it is because the very thing that got them this far, their determination, is missing a key ingredient: the willingness to make intelligent changes along the way.



People who make personal and business related breakthroughs of any significance are first and foremost determined individuals. However, inside their determination is the ability to learn from their actions and constantly change those actions until they reach their desired goal. Trial and error causes them to rethink and retool their strategies. Their determination is fueled by their willingness to make intelligent changes and adjustments along the way.



Here Are My Top 5 Things You Must Do Today For Breakthrough Achievements Tomorrow and Beyond:



* Write down the goals you want to achieve and list the obstacles or roadblocks that keep you from reaching them. Be thorough.

* Brainstorm three new ways to get around the roadblocks. Make sure they’re things you’ve never tried before. Run your ideas by someone you have confidence in and see if they can add to or give you any new ideas. Better yet, meet with someone who has achieved the goal you are after. Be open-minded.

* Turn the three best ideas into actual strategies and prioritize them with the most important coming first. Be bold and take some risks outside of your comfort zone.

* Put tactics behind those three strategies. Be detailed on the little tasks you have to complete to implement your strategies.

* Start with your best strategy and implement with pure determination. If that doesn’t work move on to the second one, and so on. If you’ve exhausted the three best ideas and still have not achieved your goal, make a list of three more ideas and repeat the process. Make intelligent changes.



Successful people have a “crack the code” mentality.



Successful business leader, executives, employees and people in general are forever making changes to their problem solving approaches until their problems are solved. Then, they move on to a new one. Like the golfer used in the example, if your duck hooking the ball off the tee – change your grip, your stance, your back swing, something. Don’t do the same thing harder and expect different results. Fuel your determination with intelligent changes along the way.

About the Author

Breakthrough Achievement Architect, Chuck Mache has 25+ years of experience in selling, managing, building and leading sales organizations regionally and internationally. Now you can use his transforming knowledge to find your way to growth, development and breakthrough achievement in 30 days or less. Get his book, The Four Kinds of Sales People: Your Personal Path to Breakthrough Achievement, at http://www.chuckmache.com

Find More Determination Articles

Filed Under: Determination Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Do Others Determine Your Success? Always Remember These 3 Tips

March 14, 2011 By frfranki Leave a Comment

Article by Matthew Toone

Is your success determined entirely by you alone, or do other people actually determine or contribute to your success? Every article and blog entry I have ever written would suggest that we alone determine and create our own potential, are solely responsible for the realization of our dreams and goals, and are ultimately the one’s who control our destiny and successes. While that is absolutely true, one must understand the difference between the words ‘determine’ and ‘contribute.’ To determine is to control, decide upon, or cause; and to contribute is to simply assist, supplement, or help. Thus, you alone determine your potential and success, but remember that others can (and certainly must) contribute in order for your goals and dreams to be realized.


Considering this perspective, it is absolutely essential to understand more fully, and more specifically, how we determine and how others contribute to our success. Let me suggest three essential concepts that must be understood and implemented in order for our successes to be accomplished:


1) You Alone Determine Your Potential: We must first understand that our potential in life is not determined by uncontrollable circumstances and settings, racial or gender characteristics, or even economic conditions or access to knowledge. And it must certainly not be defined or determined by others. Success and potential are created, developed, and determined within ourselves. Because success, greatness, and potential are determined by us alone, we must recognize that all of the characteristics necessary to achieve our goals and dreams already lie within us. If we actually realized how capable, brilliant, talented, beautiful, and powerful we really were (or could be), it would not only astonish us, it would inspire us. And yet ironically, most people are not ignorant of this reality, they just willfully choose to ignore it because they are afraid of their own potential or they are not willing to put in the work necessary to achieve it.


2) Take Advantage of a Mastermind Group: Although our success is determined by us alone, we must recognize and accept the fact that we absolutely need others in order for our goals and dreams to be realized. The talents, knowledge, expertise, services, ideas, warnings, and counsel of others are vital to our success. For an entrepreneur wanting to start a business, for example, a ‘mastermind group’ might consist of legal advisors, financial experts, business partners, co-workers, industry experts, or even family and friends (and ideally a combination of them all). The people included within this type of mastermind group must be trusted enough to share business ideas, and also enhance them. For the person wanting to learn how to develop a talent, for example, their mastermind group may simply be family and friends. This mastermind group must be composed of those people who will encourage, inspire, and assist them – through the good and the bad times. Regardless of what the pursuit is or who forms the mastermind group, the key is to be humble and open enough to go to and receive help from these other people, to both share ideas and bounce ideas off of, and to utilize the expertise of those helping – and be willing to help them also.


3) Learn How to Network & Who to Associate and Work With: An individual who is unwilling to network with others can still accomplish their goals and dreams – it will just be much more difficult. To ‘network’ is to meet, associate with, contribute to, and be benefited by other people. And yet, for networking to be truly effective, it must be more than just a casual meeting, and it certainly must be mutually beneficial. Thus, those who network simply to ‘schmooze’ or selfishly obtain what they desire will usually fail in their attempts because effective networking entails continual contact, as well as both parties continually benefitting each other. Just as important as networking, one must understand the significance of surrounding themselves with like-minded and more talented people. Those individuals who have accomplished great things will collectively agree that they surrounded themselves with people who contributed to their goals, encouraged them, thought similarly, and did not detract or weaken their ability or resolve. They will also agree that their success was partly due to their own drive, courage, and actions; but certainly, it in large part resulted from the abilities, knowledge, ideas, services, time, warnings, and help of others. They understood and implemented the Law of Attraction. And, they were humble enough (and wise enough) to surround themselves with people who were more brilliant, experienced, talented, and capable.


Your goals and dreams will only be attained when you realize that you determine your own potential, and that others must certainly contribute in order for your successes to be accomplished.

About the Author

Matt founded http://www.awakeyourpotential.com/ – a website focused on inspiring people to accomplish their dreams and learn the secrets for success in anything. Matt recently accomplished one of his dreams – to write a book! His book is entitled: “Great Games! 175 Games & Activities for Families, Groups, & Children.” To view the book and learn more, visit: http://www.greatgamesbook.com/

Enjoy and buy UNI5, Thank you! Support Bone Thugs N Harmony! You can purchase UNI5 here: amzn.to

Filed Under: Determination Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Determination to keep us in the race

March 14, 2011 By frfranki Leave a Comment

Article by nyangu simpungwe

One becomes great only if determined to do so, by saying I will and I must – and where there’s no way, either finds one or makes one. But not from without – If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.

A person of substance is always looking for ways to improve and never goes backwards. Determination is a force multiplier, don’t let go of your dreams. If you have determination and belief in your dreams, you will succeed in spite of your desire to let go. One of the greatest principles on success is persistence, if you persist long enough, you will win – within each of us is a hidden store of determination. Determination to keep us in the race when all seems lost – Never stop, One stops as soon as something is about to happen.

People stop because of uncertainty and disappointment – they are looking for smooth seas – Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. – People do not know the outcome to whatever it is they are doing, all they experience are temporal defeats that they eventually allow to submerge them. Had they stuck it out a little longer, they would have risen above temporal defeats. Do not quit, just take the next step in faith – Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. Once you take that step, be sure you keep your feet in the right place, then stand firm and repeat the steps.

When an individual is determined, that individual ensures motivation becomes a personal daily process. Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly. Andrew Carnegie said ‘People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.’ Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.

The failure to attain what we want does not create a new problem. It merely makes more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one – If we have the courage to pursue our dreams – all can come true, the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. Walk slowly if you may but never walk backwards – prepare and some day your chance will come.

Master courage; courage is resistance to fear; Courage is mastery of fear – not absence of fear. The person who resists or attenuates fear is an individual who is thoroughly prepared in every activity that causes that fear in the first place. Go by, prepared and with courage, and fear will be contained – the only fear that will be available is the one to keep you in check, that what you are doing is of uttermost quality. Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good – Fear is not a difficulty, but an opportunity… as Norman Vincent Peale once said ‘The individual who know the score about life sees difficulties as opportunities.’

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed, and success comes from preparedness. If you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it. The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in the person’s determination – plan and execute as per Abraham Lincoln’s saying ‘Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.’ Be determined and when you are, you will endeavor to get prepared to overcome.

A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. We are often acting on perception instead of what is – Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.

Nyangu Simpungwe is a professional accountant, a fully qualified chartered certified accountant and holds a Masters Degree from The University of Glamorgan in Wales.

He is Author of a book “Try Easier…” Become The Best You Can Be

http://www.try-easier.com

About the Author

Nyangu Simpungwe is a professional accountant, a fully qualified chartered certified accountant and holds a Masters Degree from The University of Glamorgan in Wales.

Filed Under: Determination Tagged With: , ,