|
|
A few words about Success,
wisdom, courage and taking little risks
by Fred Schäfer |
|
The
word SUCCESS can mean different things
to different people. In my books, seminars and audio presentations there is a
lot of talk about stepping outside your boundaries of beliefs and perception.
You could also call it, stepping outside your comfort zone. It is all about
changing your thinking, your behaviour and your actions. But it always starts
with your thinking. This is what taking little risks and courage is all about. This is your basis for SUCCESS. If you read biographies and autobiographies of successful people,
almost without exception you will find that their success is the result of
four personal qualities: a) Successful people know what they want. b) They believe that they can achieve what they want. c) They are passionate about what they want. d) They know how to deal with obstacles and adversity. These four qualities can be taught, can be understood, can be
practised and can become a reality in most people’s lives. In my books,
keynote speeches, presentations and seminars to community groups and
business I have challenged thousands of people to develop a new focus in life
through personal change. Personal change means different things to different people. On this
page you find a few examples of what personal change can mean. Take a little risk and allow yourself to be challenged. Take a little risk and change reality
First
of all, let’s look at very negative people. If you are a person with a heart
full of frustration, anger and bitterness, if you are fighting the whole
world including yourself, stop that fight. “What a load of rubbish,” I can
hear you say. “Think about it,” I reply. Think about it long and hard. There
is probably only one solution that really works. Accept the world and
yourself as it is and then go about making it a better place. That’s the
solution. To accept the world as it is doesn’t mean to pretend that
everything is fine. To the contrary! It simply means don’t see the world’s
shortcomings and your own imperfections as something that someone else should
fix. This is not likely to happen. See it as an opportunity and a challenge
to do something about it yourself. See it as an opportunity to make a
difference and to help: others and yourself. The world is as it is whether
you accept it or not. You don’t give meaning to your life by whining,
complaining, criticizing and hating. You give meaning to your life by
understanding and making a positive difference. Take
a little risk and challenge the way you see things. Remember,
reality is not something absolute; reality is
always the way we see things. If we take
the little risk to see things
differently – by challenging our own thinking – we change reality. Take a
little risk with people
Now
let’s talk about so called difficult people. Don’t look too far. Look at your
own family environment, your loved ones, your social environment and your
work environment. If there are people who are difficult and get at your
nerves, remember these people have a reason for being exactly the way they
are; just as there is a reason for you being exactly the way you are. Take a little risk and
see something in people (and in yourself) that is often not obvious on the
surface. Here is the trick: don’t try to be right and don’t try to make
yourself understood. Try to understand others. Listen. But before you listen,
switch off your judgemental thinking. You can’t understand what another
person means if you keep looking at things from your own perspective. Try to
understand the other person’s perspective, values and beliefs. In return you
will find new ways of dealing with both these so called difficult people and
your emotions. Take a
little risk if things go wrong
And
if someone hurts you emotionally, take a little
risk and say it. “You hurt me.” Say
it and explain it calmly. Take a little risk by standing up for yourself. And if it doesn’t work
and if it backfires and makes things worse, take
another little risk and tell yourself:
“Next time I’ll do it again. Each time something goes wrong will make me
stronger.” Take a
little risk and double your income …
|
|
Look at it this way – you are
already engaged in the most risky business on earth: LIFE. You, we, will not
get out of it alive. So, what are we worried about? Let’s embrace this adventure
called life! Let’s make it a truly worthwhile and inspiring journey of
self-discovery, generosity and success. |