Brian Tracy! Goals!

Chapter 18: Always Flexible

When I see a result that is really worth the effort,

I jump right in and try everything

until it happens. — Thomas Edison

In life, we may find that some people are more successful

and happier than others.

Some people earn more money,

live better lives,

feel more fulfilled,

have happier relationships,

and contribute more to the community.

Meanwhile, others are not.

What is the main reason for this?

The Menninger Institute,

Kansas City (USA) conducted a recent study

to identify the most important qualities to success

and happiness in the 21st century.

After extensive research,

they have concluded that the only,

most distinctive quality you can develop

for yourself in this day and age is flexibility.

Thereby, they also identified another factor that hinders

and has the opposite meaning to flexibility,

which is rigidity.

It is an unwillingness

to change in the face of new circumstances and situations.

The quality of flexibility thus

becomes an essential quality if you want to be,

do or have more of what you already have.

Money use for making something happen as you want. — Aysa Angel

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SPEED OF CHANGE

Earn with your mind, not your time. — Naval Ravikant

Today, perhaps the most important factor affecting your life is the speed of change.

We live in an age where change is happening at a faster rate

than ever before in human history.

Today’s change is not only faster,

but it is also not seamless, not moving in a straight line,

but starting, stopping,

and moving in unpredictable directions.

Change is coming to us from all sides and in many different ways,

so it’s often impossible

to predict what might happen next.

This unpredictability forces us

to throw away even the most perfect plans

and ideas overnight

when new conditions and circumstances arise.

It is essential that we have flexibility in thinking

and in possible activities.

The way you give your name to others is a measure

of how much you like and respect yourself. — Brian Tracy

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KEY CAUSES OF STRESS

“Success is not the result of making money;

earning money is the result of success 

and success is in direct proportion to our service.” —Earl Nightingale

Change puts a lot of stress on people who are rigid

or inflexible right from the way they think about how things are going.

They like what they are doing,

with current methods and processes,

and are unwilling to change,

even knowing this.

You shouldn’t put yourself in such a situation.

The only question you should be asking about what you’re doing is:

Does this approach work?

Does it help to achieve the desired end results?

Given the current situation, is that the best course of action?

The only measure of the correctness

or failure of a decision/course of action is its effectiveness

against the goal you have set.

Life is for service. ― Fred Rogers

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THREE MOTIVATIONS FOR CHANGE

Look for the good in every person and every situation.

You’ll almost always find it. — Brian Tracy

There are 3 driving forces for change in the current period,

each of which is multiplied by the interaction of each other,

increasing the rate of change.

The first is the explosion of information

and knowledge in all aspects of life around us.

Every new initiative

or new piece of information in today’s competitive marketplace can change the dynamics

of your business overnight.

A significant event,

such as the 9/11 terrorist events in the United States,

a market shock,

such as the shock after the Wall Street stock market investigations,

a scandal within a political party

or an economic sector can change the thinking,

action,

commercial ability

and situation of an entire organization

or industry overnight.

For example, in 1989 when the Soviet Union disintegrated,

the Iron Wall was pulled down, and the Cold War ended,

the defense industry across the Americas was severely shaken.

Hundreds of thousands of skilled and skilled people were laid off.

The industries were closed,

the economy of some regions fell into a serious recession.

The effects of change are overwhelming and inevitable.

Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying. ― Roy T. Bennett 

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NEW WAVE OF TECHNOLOGY

Buy when everyone else is selling

and hold until everyone else is buying.

That’s not just a catchy slogan.

It’s the very essence of successful investing. — Paul Getty

The second factor driving change is the rapid growth

and development of new technology.

Any new scientific

and technical knowledge can lead

to advancement in technology,

towards the goal of helping people do things faster,

better, cheaper and easier.

And the speed of technology change is increasing rapidly.

This leads to the inevitable:

Anything that works will quickly become obsolete.

If you are constantly looking for ways

to replace your product or service with better ones,

you may end up being pushed out of your niche.

Opportunity lies in the place where the complaints are. ― Jack Ma

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COMPETE

Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive. ― Matt Cameron 

The third factor driving change

and requiring greater flexibility is competition.

Your competitors locally,

nationally

and internationally are more dynamic

and innovative today than in the past.

They are constantly looking for ways to attract customers,

gain market share, compete on scale and finance,

if given the opportunity they are ready to push you out of the game.

They implement business promotion,

you by using every advantage of information

and technology they can develop to erode your position in the market.

Today, there are more companies, products,

services, and salespeople than customers.

The competition is becoming more and more difficult and intense.

If you want to survive and thrive in the market,

you have to be more focused and determined.

Above all, you must be flexible.

Previously, I hired an advertising agency

and paid them $10,000 to develop ads for me.

It was published in a national newspaper,

it was quite a subtle advertisement

and attracted a large number of viewers.

But our joy only lasted until the following week,

when a competitor copied the ad to entice customers to their side.

Our customer base dropped by 50% and continues to decline.

In this situation there is hardly much we can do.

The lesson is that you must continually develop backup plans

for every area of ​​your work,

knowing for sure that whatever you do will quickly lose effectiveness

and will have to be replaced by something else more effective.

People who look for shortcuts are blind to the real opportunities.― Grant Cardone

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WARNING WITH FRIENDLY REGIONS

Always find opportunities to make someone smile,

and to offer random acts of kindness in everyday life. ― Roy T. Bennett

In the previous section,

I discussed the “familiar domain” which individuals

and organizations often fall into the same old things over and over again,

regardless of whether they still work or not.

Sometimes, the biggest threat to your long-term success

is your short-term success.

Success in any field can quickly breed complacency

and reluctance to adapt to new realities in the marketplace.

Don’t let yourself get into this situation.

Look for the good in every person and every situation.

You’ll almost always find it. — Brian Tracy

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ZERO MOLD THINKING REGULARLY

Your ability to communicate is an important tool in your pursuit of your goals,

whether it is with your family,

your co-workers or your clients

and customers. ― Les Brown

In previous sections,

I discussed the importance of zero-point thinking in examining all aspects

of your daily life and activities.

Zero-point thinking is also an essential tool for staying agile.

Ask frequently:

What am I doing that if I had to start over from the beginning,

I wouldn’t have to do it again?

Review every aspect of your life and work.

Every time you experience stress, reluctance,

or lack of success, ask the zero point thinking question.

And if there’s something that you feel is no longer working,

make a plan to stop doing it immediately to shift your resources

and mind into areas where you can get better results.

Don’t let your ego cloud your judgment or common sense.

Be more concerned with what is right than who is right.

You must be willing to accept that

any decision you make may be wrong.

Be prepared to be flexible to new information,

technology or competition.

“If you just communicate, you can get by.

But if you communicate skillfully,

you can work miracles.” – Jim Rohn

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THREE MAGIC SAYS

“Choose to deliver amazing service to your customers.

You’ll stand out because they don’t get it anywhere else.” – Kevin Stirtz

There are three sentences that you need to learn to say over and over,

in order to stay flexible in this tumultuous life.

The first sentence is: “I was wrong”.

Most people prefer to avoid, brag,

and deny responsibility rather than admitting mistakes.

This denial is made even worse

when everyone around you knows about your mistakes.

You are the only one who is trying to fool everyone,

in which the first person is you.

When you realize that you have made a mistake,

the smartest thing you can do is admit your mistake right away,

so that you can find a solution to solve the problem,

and continue on the path to achieving your goal.

or a given outcome.

It is estimated that about 80% of the time

and effort of people in key positions in large companies

or organizations is used to cover up the fact that

they make mistakes and don’t want to admit mistakes.

Many companies, both large and small,

have come to the brink of bankruptcy simply

by refusing or not admitting their mistakes.

“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable.

If you want more luck,

take more chances,

be more active,

show up more often.”— Brian Tracy

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ACCEPT THAT YOU’RE NOT PERFECT

Money grows on the tree of persistence. — Japanese proverb

The second sentence that you must learn

to say in order to remain flexible is:

“I made a mistake.”

It’s a waste of time, effort, and money

when people refuse to admit they’ve made mistakes,

even when they’re obvious.

Once you say, “I was wrong”

or “I made a mistake” the problem is almost over.

From that moment on,

people can get back to solving problems

and working towards achieving goals.

But once the key player is not willing to admit that

he has chosen the wrong direction, everything is over.

We have seen this again

and again on the political scene of many countries

when the leading figures do not dare to admit their mistakes,

leading to the waste of time and effort of many people

and affecting the whole world.

Life becomes easier and more beautiful

when we can see the good in other people. ― Roy T. Bennett

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QUICK APPLY TO NEW CONDITIONS

The more you learn, the more you earn. — Warren Buffett

The third sentence you should learn to say is “I changed my mind”.

If you have new information that contradicts the information on

which you made your previous decisions,

openly admit that you will change your mind.

A man who is a master of patience is a master of everything else. ― George Savile

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FULL

Never give up.

Today is hard,

tomorrow will be worse,

but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. ― Jack Ma

Making mistakes, making wrong decisions

or changing decisions is not a weakness, a defect in your qualities.

Indeed, in an age of rapid change in the fields of knowledge,

technology and competition,

daring to change is a sign of courage, individuality

and flexibility when ready.

Be willing to admit mistakes to reduce risk quickly

and apply “principles of practice” in everything you do.

Be prepared to deal with reality as it is in the present moment,

instead of wanting reality to be the same as it was in the past.

Let’s face reality, whatever it is.

Be honest with yourself and with everyone around you.

Live life to the fullest,

and focus on the positive. ― Matt Cameron 

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BE FLEXIBLE IN RELATIONSHIP

“People will forget what you said.

They will forget what you did.

But they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

It is equally important to be flexible with the important people

in your life, family, friends,

colleagues,

and even customers.

Be open to different perspectives and ideas.

Be willing to admit mistakes if it’s true.

One of the characteristics of a good leader is the ability to listen.

They have the ability to ask a lot of questions

and take in all the information they can before deciding on something

or coming to a certain conclusion.

They also admit defeat and “cut losses” quickly

when they make mistakes,

so they can move on to better and bigger things.

“Unless you love everybody,

you can’t sell anybody.” – Dicky Fox

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THEORY OF CHANGING AXIS ROTATION

Spend your money on the things money can buy.

Spend your time on the things money can’t buy. — Haruki Murakami

There is another aspect of flexibility

that you should keep in mind throughout your life and work.

Buckminster Fuller, a scientist and philosopher,

called it “Theory of Spindle Redirection,”

words that are not found in any dictionary or encyclopedia.

Dr. Robert Ronstadt of Babson College calls

this concept the “Corridor Principle”.

Napoleon Hill addresses this discovery of the most successful people

in America by saying:

“In every setback or setback there is always

the seed of an opportunity or an even greater equal benefit.”

The implication of this theory is that

when you set a new goal for yourself,

you get a general idea of ​​the action steps.

But almost inevitably,

you will run into unexpected obstacles.

However, miracles can happen,

as when you’re cornered,

another door of opportunity opens along the corridor to success.

When you are flexible,

you will quickly take advantage of new opportunities,

and start moving in that direction,

developing new products or services,

increasing sales into new market segments or buyers.

But as you move along the new “corridor,”

you will continue to encounter another difficulty

or obstacle that could block your progress.

However, when you hit this new obstacle,

another opportunity opens up for you

and sets you on a new path towards your goal.

This can happen a few times during false starts.

In most cases,

you will achieve your greatest success in an area

that is vastly different from the one you originally planned.

The key is to stay flexible in all circumstances.

If you invest nothing,

the reward is worth little. ― Richelle E. Goodrich

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CLEAR AND FLEXIBLE

99% of all problems can be solved by money 

and for the other 1% there’s alcohol. — Quentin R. Bufogle

This is the most important rule:

“See your goal clearly,

but be flexible with the process of reaching it”.

Stay open to the impact of your superconscious mind.

Be sensitive to the possibility of a chance or accidental event.

Be open to ideas, inspiration,

and information from others.

Jesus said,

“You must become like a child if you want to go to Heaven”.

One interpretation of these words is that you must remain open-minded,

flexible, calm, confident

and curious if you want to be able to recognize new opportunities

and possibilities as they open up around you on your path towards your goal.

We’re never in lack of money.

We lack people with dreams,

(people) who can die for those dreams. ― Jack Ma 

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ALWAYS FLEXIBLE

Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours. ―Les Brown

1. Frequently ask yourself:

What do I really want to do with my life?

And then make sure your current goals

and activities are compatible with this answer.

2. Be absolutely honest and realistic about your life and goals.

Resolve to view time in its present reality,

not in the way you wish or in its past performance.

What changes will this entail?

3. Always be ready to admit stresses,

mistakes or failures in each area of ​​your life.

Make up your mind today to “cut your loss” in any situation possible.

4. If the situation changes, or you have new information,

be ready to change your mind based on the facts that exist today.

Do not insist on a course of action that has no real meaning.