The Achievement Habit

Big dreams that never come true? Long list of things to do but you spent half the morning on Facebook? The Achievement Habit is all you need to clean your lives of the destructive habits and thoughts patterns that hold them back. With its down-to-earth revelations and simple instructions, it is easy to apply to the life you already have, and bound to get you closer to the life you want.

1. Close the gap between what you want and what you do

Anyone can become an achiever. But first, you have to learn how to just do things.

There’s a fundamental difference between trying and doing.

The point is, the only obstacle is you. Everything else is just an excuse or a mental limit. If you’re not happy with some aspect of your life, you can change it.

Because here’s the thing: life is basically an exercise in problem-solving – and that’s not a bad thing. Problems are opportunities to learn and move forward.

2. Stop assigning a fixed meaning to everything in your life

We assign meaning to everything. Whether we’re thinking about an incompetent boss or home ownership, we tend to forget the fact that our perception is subjective. Meaning isn’t fixed; it’s a matter of perspective.

And if you can get over the impulse to assign a fixed meaning to everything, you can start to channel failure more productively. Because failure is only a catastrophe if that’s what you call it. No one’s keeping a scorecard of your failures and successes – only you can give your life meaning. It’s an empowering truth: you have control over your own experience.

3. Reasons are just excuses to avoid making decisions and changing your behavior

We always seem to have reasons for everything. Imagine you held the door open for an old lady in the morning. Then later in the day, you win the lottery. You might tell yourself that you were rewarded for doing a good deed. But really, your behavior had nothing to do with it. The relationship between those two incidents is correlative, not causal.

You might understand that fact on a rational level. And yet, chances are, whenever you’re late to a meeting, you probably hunt for some external reason – like traffic on the interstate. But in reality, you knew there would be heavy traffic on your route. You’re late simply because you didn’t make the meeting a priority.

The problem is, blaming external factors prevents you from actively making decisions and changing your behavior.

4. The best way to solve a problem is by reframing it

We often think the road toward some desirable destination is blocked by lack of money, other people, or something else. But as we’ve suggested, the best way to overcome a perceived obstacle is by reframing our perspective on it.

Of course, for this to work, you have to be dealing with the actual problem and not something else. So, once you’ve determined the true nature of your problem, searching for a solution might seem like the natural next step. But before you do that, try reframing the problem.

For example, a friend of the author complained that he couldn’t sleep because his bed was broken. He tried solving the problem by fixing the bed one way after another, but each failed. That’s when he asked himself, “What do I actually want? To repair this bed or to have a good night’s sleep in any bed?” That’s when he realized that his problem had nothing to do with the old broken bed. Since he wanted to sleep well, he just went ahead and bought himself a new one.

Similarly, sometimes obstacles are just a matter of language. If you change the way you describe something, it might cease to be an obstacle.

5. Achievement is rarely solitary: Find ways to learn from others and share your own knowledge

Chances are you won’t be able to achieve anything on your own. You’ll need help, so seek out people whose accomplishments match your goals.

You don’t have to follow their path, but you can learn from them. And don’t just focus on the positive attributes: paying attention to negative qualities is also productive.

If you want to have a fulfilling life, seek out genuine human relationships instead of using others to climb the ladder. Get to know the people around you. Also, there’s no reason to fiercely guard your ideas and resources – share your knowledge with others!

6. If you want to achieve great things, start identifying as an achiever

What do you think of yourself? Are you an achiever? Well, you should start calling yourself one. Because ultimately, achievement is a matter of self-image. Meaning, if you start identifying as an achiever, chances are you’ll start achieving great things pronto.

As children, we construct our self-image based on what our parents and teachers tell us. But as adults, it’s important for us to truly own our self-image.

It’s also important to understand your intentions. What do you want to achieve? Ask yourself what you would do if you only had ten minutes, ten hours, and so on. That way, you’ll be clear on what you really want.

Identifying your life goals is trickier. Because although you need a general sense of what you want out of life, you shouldn’t be too rigid about your path.

It’s worth noting that you can always leave the path you’re currently traveling on if it stops making sense. To make sure you’re on the right track, just keep asking yourself, Who am I? and What do I really want?

There you have it! Now you’re ready to take control of your life and start achieving your goals.

By Bernard Roth