The 8 Keys to Successful Living

In my life I’ve learnt a few very important lessons. Those lessons I found to be applicable to everything I do in life. The first of these is ATTITUDE, this is the determining factor when it comes to success.

The difference between the world’s best athletic times is mere fractions of a second, that is not ability but attitude that made the difference! “Attitude determines altitude” is a phrase that we hear all too often but don’t realise how profound it is in changing our lives.

John C Maxwell tells the story of 2 major league baseball players and the differences between them: The one get just 10% more hits and homeruns more than the other but earns 10 times more! Why? Simply because he has an attitude of winning.

The next key is BELIEFS. “What you believe you will achieve” is a constant in the Bible but also true in life. When I was a car guard sleeping in the veld I realised one thing: I’m more than this! I believed that I can and should do better. I believed that I can get a job and 3 days later I got one: I started delivering biltong for a distributer. Three months after that I got a job as a site manager at a construction company and 2 years after that I started my own business. You have to believe to achieve!

The third key is CHANGE a constant companion. Whether you like it or not change will be part of your life for the rest of your life from the day you’re born, embrace it and growing will be easier, kick against it and growing will never come easy. You see the intolerance of today creates the future, whatever you’re gatvol of, sick and tired of, hate the most of your life is precisely the motivation behind changing your life!

If we learn to embrace change it will be easier to embrace the future. We need to think differently about our circumstances. When we struggle we tend to feel sorry for ourselves, ag shame man! When we go to the gym we feel pumped up and ready to experience the pain to get that extra kilo off or gain those six pack abs, yet in life when we take strain to grow we complain? How on earth do you expect to grow as a person without any effort?

DETERMINATION or perseverance is our fourth key. How determined are you to get what you want in life? If Edison gave up after try number 111 we would still be using candles, but he didn’t, he continued on for 889 times more! What’s your excuse for giving up so quickly?

Now this will sound weird but constant self EDUCATION is the fifth key. How much effort do you put into learning new things? To get the most out of life we need to put in a bit of more effort in getting better educated in our field of work, a bit more guts and tears to get to the top. We tend to settle for mediocre; we tend to think that others should accept it because we made an effort.

How about getting a suitable car, getting suitable food at a restaurant or a suitable girlfriend or boyfriend? Is that good enough? We expect better yet we rarely give our best! Just a bit more education will take you from ordinary to extraordinary.

Having FORTITUDE or FAITH is key six and what a key! Fortitude means that you can withstand criticism and attacks while on your journey to success. Your faith in what you’re doing and who you are will determine your ultimate success. It’s the difference between success and failure, having a goal that no-one sees but yourself, keeping on keeping on until you get there. Hebrews 11: 1 “Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen”. You need to have faith so that you can achieve.

The seventh key is GOALS. How would you expect to get anywhere in life without them? You decide daily you need to get to work and when starting your car that address is your goal for the first hour or two! Then some people has the next goal as teatime, winners has the next goal of getting more done in an hour than others do. In the evening your goal is getting home and again that address becomes your focus. Yet you don’t want to set goals at work or at home or for anything else in life? What’s wrong with you?

The eighth key is HELP. Yes you read right, HELP. “When you see a turtle on a fence post you know it had help ” – John C Maxwell. I’m that turtle! You see I realised through a lot of hard knocks that I cannot achieve my best without some much needed help. I’m not that well educated, not that fast and not that gifted, I need help and therefore I chose the very best to speak into my life, the best to guide me and help me achieve my goals.

You see you need to be willing to learn from others and your mistakes, you need to believe that you can, you need to have faith that your goal is achievable; you need to accept and ask for help and then your attitude determination and will bring about change that will make all the difference in life.

So? Are you willing to LEVEL UP in life? Join me and a few others on a ‘Get a Life in 40 days’ through seven strategic questions seminar. Only 2 hours per week for 7 weeks @ R2980 all in per delegate. You will never be the same again!

Call 0835709102 or e-mail: coach@jacquesbooysen.co.za