8 Useful self-help Ideas from ‘Goals’ by Brian Tracy

I was suggested to read a self-help book and write about 5 things I learned and how I can apply them to my life. I chose the book “Goals” by Brian Tracy. All those who are interested in self-improvement should read books by Brian Tracy.

This book is full of wonderful ideas and straightforward messages to start on the path of personal growth. I have chosen only 8 of them which I want to apply to my life.

1.) Think like a winner

When you want to move to the next level, first you must build that feeling within yourself. You have to imagine and yourself as a winner first, only then it will become a reality.

Our imagination takes us to the next level. I must imagine myself performing at the most excellent levels. I must become a winner first in my mind!

More importantly, I need to to it everyday. I occasionally imagine myself as a winner that I desire to be. But it is not enough. I need to obsess about it and live that self-image every night before I sleep.

2.) Analyze your values by tight measures

“The average person thinks in terms of monthly and annual salary. This is hard to analyze and increase. Conversely, the high performer thinks in terms of hourly rate, which is amenable to improvements on a minute-to-minute basis.”

Brian Tracy

For successful people, each minute is an opportunity to create more value. Doing this enables you to make maximum returns for the time and energy you invest. When every minute counts, you become very aware about how you are using it!

Think about :

• How much value can you create per hour?
• How can you increase that value?
• How can you spend ’15 minutes’ in the most productive way?

Start paying attention to these smaller details by tightening the measures of your time and values.

3.) Reality principle

“If you want to be the best you can be, and to achieve what is truly possible for you, you must be brutally honest with yourself and your point of departure. You must sit down and analyze yourself in detail to decide exactly where you are today in each area.”

Brian Tracy

We must learn to be objective about our current situation. Our goals may be high, but in order to reach them we must start from where we are now.

If you want to go to point B, you must first locate point A. Without it, you will not be able to figure out even the step 1 of the journey.

4.) Zero based thinking

In zero based thinking, you ask this question, “Knowing what I now
know, is there anything that I am doing today that I wouldn’t start up again today, if I had to do it over, knowing what I now know?”

Brian Tracy

There are always things in our lives, which if we had to start over, we wouldn’t do. Some relationships, activities or start-ups which if we had to go back in past and start over, we wouldn’t have done because they didn’t turn out so well.

It was important to do it once to know how would they turn out. But now “knowing what you know now” analyze them and try to get out of them as soon as possible.

It is a hard step to recognize our mistakes. We usually tend to keep doing what we are doing. Zero based thinking helps us to evaluate our actions and eliminate those actions which are not necessary anymore. It is really important to get out of the wrong decisions you made in the past.

5.) Become a growth stock

“see yourself as a company with a stock that trades on the market. Is your stock the kind of stock that people could invest in, confident that it will continue to grow in value and profitability in the months and years ahead? Are you a “growth stock” or has your value leveled off in the marketplace?”

Brian Tracy

Continuous learning and growth is the most important quality of high achievers. They are like “growth stocks” who are always increasing in value. You have to become a person who will give increasing returns to your customers consistently.

A stock’s real value is not its current price, but its growth potential. Similarly, your true wealth is not what you have. It is your ability to grow and earn. The higher your growth rate, the faster you will create what you want.

6.) Commitment, completion and closure

“There are three keys to peak performance in achieving your goals. They are commitment, completion and closure.”

Brian Tracy

Commitment is very simple act and yet very powerful. Just writing down “I will….” gives a boost of direction and energy to mind.

I have realized that I often commit and start some work but I lose that energy gradually and do not take it towards completion. But completion is very important.

“There is an enormous difference between doing 95% of a task and doing 100% of a task.

Every time you complete a task of any kind, your brain releases a small quantity of endorphins. This natural morphine gives you a sense of well being and elation. It makes you feel happy and peaceful. It stimulates your creativity and improves your personality. It is nature’s “wonder drug.””

Brian Tracy

So now I understand the importance of completion and I do my best to finish what I start!

7.) Just do it!

The primary difference between high achievers and low achievers is “action-orientation.” Men and women who accomplish tremendous things in life are intensely action oriented. They are moving all the time. They are always busy. If they have an idea, they take action on it immediately.

Brian Tracy

Taking quick and decisive actions is where most of us fall short. When you have taken a decision, start with the action immediately. Just do it. You will be surprised at the confident feeling you get after you have taken immediate action on your decisions!

It is more often that actions bring more knowledge and insights. Taking step-1 reveals step-2 automatically.

8.) 1000% formula

“If you become 0.1 percent more productive each day, five days per week, at the end of a week you will be 0.5 percent more productive. At the end of four weeks, you will be 2 percent more productive (4 × 0.5 = 2). At the end of fifty-two weeks, you will be 26 percent more productive than you were at the beginning of the year (13 × 2 = 26).”

Brian Tracy

I will end with a very practical advice. This formula works on the law of incremental improvement. It says that “by the yard it’s hard, but inch by inch, anything’s a cinch.”

“Is it possible for you to increase your overall productivity, performance, knowledge and output by 0.1% in the next 24 hours?” Of course it is!

This method works with patience and consistency. It is a slow process but it can be very effective over the years!

Conclusion

These were only 8 of many wonderful self-help ideas presented in that book. If you found these useful, do check out the book. I hope this post added value to your life. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What is my self-image right now and how is it blocking you from achieving what you want? How can I change this self-image?
• How can I measure my progress and values in the tightest possible units?
• What is my current situation and what is the distance between where am I and where I want to reach? How do I bridge this gap?
• Is there any activity or relationship in my life that I should give up? Try the zero based thinking to figure it out.
• How can I become a ‘growth stock’ in my field of work where I consistently add more and more value to my customers?
• What steps do I take to become more action oriented?
• Do I leave my tasks incomplete? If so, how do I develop a habit of completing my work 100% ?