Find a quiet place where you can reflect. Think back on your school years or career. Make a list of all of your achievements (or as many as you remember), big and small. These could be academic, work, or life related.
Example:
Beat out 500 people for a job
Got a 3.8 GPA while working in college
Climbed two mountains in one day
Next to each accomplishment, write down your skills, qualities, or efforts that contributed to your success.
Example:
Beat out 500 people for a job: tenacious, prepared for interview, practiced speaking, really wanted the job (Tenacious)
Got a 3.8 GPA while working in college: studied, practiced good time management, prioritized, consistently worked hard, didn’t give up (Disciplined)
Climbed two mountains in one day: didn’t give up, kept telling myself I could keep going just a little longer (Overcomer)
Look carefully at what you’ve written down and reflect on all of the things you accomplished. What did you do to achieve those victories? How did you feel when you reached those accomplishments? Do you see patterns or recurring strengths that have played a role in multiple achievements?
Example:
I took the time to prepare
I didn't give up
I was consistent
I was so proud of myself in all those moments because I really earned my place there. I worked hard, didn’t give up, was consistent with my quality of work, and was always prepared. As long as I continue doing those things, I can do anything!
Before you execute the action items to reach each of your level 1 goals, read through your achievement list. This will help remind you why you will succeed in what you are setting out to do.
Now you just have to start! Sometimes it’s a little hard to start, but once you get going, it’s so much easier.
As you begin completing your level 1 goals, you will gain confidence in yourself with each one. Remember that building confidence takes time, so be patient with yourself. Start a journal and begin writing down how you’re feeling as you conquer your goals in small steps.
Once you’ve achieved your easy, low-hanging fruit goals, step up to the next level of goals and repeat the process.
Share your success with that circle of yours who will be thrilled for you and proud of you. We need to hear positive affirmations all the time, no matter how great we are. Rewarding and celebrating will accelerate the Rinse and Repeat cycle!!!
Do you ever look back at an object or picture from your childhood and find it brings you right back there? You can remember everything—the smell, the feel, and the way it looked. Our brains are really good at taking us back in time when we come in contact with memorable items. So, use this to your advantage. When you accomplish something big, buy yourself a piece of jewelry, or something to put on your desk that you see all of the time. Think about your journey as you put that bracelet on or place the paperweight on your desk. It’s a symbol of everything you did and how good it made you feel. The next time you are feeling like you can’t do something. Look at your symbolism object and remember what you did. If you can do that, you can do this! You’ll notice that I use a lotus symbol for this section, I did that because that’s my power symbol. As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, the lotus bracelet my friend gave me was everything I needed to remind me what I had inside of me all along.