Got Success Yet?

By H. Bernard Wechsler

I just finished reading a list of twenty good reasons – why intelligent people fail. How about the reasons why intelligent people succeed?

R. Sternberg, the author of - In Search of the Human Mind, 1994, published by Harcourt Brace, really deserves a round of applause. Not because he captures all the reasons why really bright students and adults can flop-and flounder, but because our mind instinctively seeks the opposite of his negative statements.

Whenever someone engages in overkill to convince us, he/she attacks our self- image, and we mentally argue the other side. The most successful ads are those that begin with an admission of failure or a lapse of judgment.

When someone admits to a shortcoming – their credibility soars, and we read or watch the rest of their commercial – on-their-side.

1. The Power of motivation: we human beans must have a personal reason, even a dumb one will do, to excite our will to exert an effort.
Watching a really awful, mindless TV movie for 120 minutes has to be justified. How about - it does not require concentration, so it relaxes me after a hard day

How about learning to speed read, or briefing five law cases, or critiquing an office report of 25 single-spaced pages?

No acceptable motivation – no work.

There are positive motivations – a higher grade, pass-the-exam, or win a promotion works. Negative motivations work even better.

That is exactly right; fear of failing the exam, losing that promotion to one of your peers, or being thought of as dumb-as-a-stone by your associates, really get your engine accelerating.

Before you start the project, take 30 seconds to write down a few reasons, positive and negative, to buckle down to succeed. We tested it, and it works.

2. Impulse Control: make it a rule to never go with your instantaneous answer. Intuition from your right brain is useful in creative thinking, but only after you get all eight-cylinders running. Get into the swing before you stop using your left-brain and its reasoning power.

Our research indicates that 81% of successful executives make it a point to not act emotionally, nor appear impulsive to others. 3. Persistence and Determination: perseverance is the winning trait of students who ace school, and executives who win the gold.

Anyone can start a project – learn to speed read, create a new advertising campaign, or start to write a book for fun or profit; only 20% will complete the assignment .

It is the old 80/20 rule, popularized by Vilfredo Pareto, the Italian Economist who taught at the University of Florence in 1886. His research concluded that 20% of the population controlled 80% of the wealth.

Distractions are our way of life; we start at 90 miles per hour, slow down to a crawl, and switch our efforts in midstream to something else.

Grit to succeed is everything in Mastering a subject. IQ is nice, but pig-headed determination to win-the-gold separates the winners from …

4. Fear of Failure: we all experience thoughts of rejections, making mistakes, and looking like a numbskull. The fear can drive us to quit before we fail, by never starting the project. It can also drive us to exercise our volition, free will of choice and decision-making to make it work.

Sounds corny – there is no failure – just experience and feedback. John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil told his troops – no great risks, no great rewards. In the 21st century – we say – Go-for-it.

5. Excessive dependency: 80% of CEOs of major companies pride themselves on their lack of computer-literacy. It is changing in 2006, but it proves their power by having a secretary or two to service their computer requirements.

Do you expect others to do the learning for you? Is the instructor responsible for your cognitive growth?

All intelligent people are Auto Didacts – self-taught. It is in your Websters.

You cannot control your environment, but 50% of the result is in your hands.

6. Limited Attention Span: there aint no such thing, except for those certified as incompetent.

You choose to focus your attention-span where your interests lead you. If you are bored to tears about politics or economics, and know all the players and statistics of your favorite team, it is a choice and personal decision, right?

7. Immediate or Delayed Gratification: again it is your choice based on your interests and desires. If we are studying for school or career, we need to objectify the benefits-to-us to continue striving, and not go shopping, golfing or watch a hot new DVD.

8. Distractibility and Lack of Concentration: The primary cause of procrastination is not dumbness nor laziness, but permitting distracting ideas to control our mind. We strongly suggest you do NOT have music in the background when working, and if the project is important, use earplugs.

We have tested wearing earplugs while studying in school or the office and 72% report they have made it their standard operating procedure.

9. Inability to Finish a Project: More students have been forced to dropout of school, and executives downsized to the unemployment line because they could start with a fury, but fade-out in the stretch.

What makes one student or executive reliable and worthy of the fast-track, while the majority fakes their way through their responsibilities, and gets nowhere?

We call it Grit, persistence and determination. Forget the name – exercise your will to persevere or enter the world of self-pity and the blame-game.

10. Too Little or Too Much Self-Confidence: Do you think 50% of your peers suffer too much or too little egotism?

Remember the 80/20 rule. Research indicates that self-esteem, a positive self-image is held by only 20%, while the rest talk a good fight but do not act to justify their self-confidence.

Keep a diary of your successes and your rejections. Benjamin Franklin called it Prudential Algebra, a list of Pros and Cons of decision-making. Use this resource to track your personal growth by listing what you consider your wins and loses.

Our graduates review it monthly to see changes in their level of self-confidence. Remember – whatever is tracked – improves - because you are aware of what is occurring in your career, not guessing.

Not creating a personal report of your experiences – is like playing basketball without a hoop – no feedback, no knowledge. Grab hold of your will, and you reinforce True Grit.


See ya,

copyright © 2006

H. Bernard Wechsler

www.speedlearning.org

hbw@speedlearning.org


Author of Speed Reading For Professionals, published by Barron's Education; business partner of Evelyn Wood, creator of Speed Reading, graduating 2 million, including the White House Staffs of four U.S. Presidents.

http://www.speedlearning.org hbw@speedlearning.org

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