“Questions direct our energy, attention and focus.”
As children we constantly asked questions which led us to learn about our world and ourselves. Over time, many adults fall out of the habit and stop asking questions.
Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why do giraffes have such long necks? Our questions are only limited by our imagination.
Fortunately, that habit of asking questions can be strengthened. The more often you ask questions, the stronger the habit becomes. By challenging yourself to look at a problem from multiple dimensions, questions provide an excellent why to focus and reconnect your attention to any problem.
Questions have been the cornerstone of education, science and invention since the beginning of time. The greatest inventors and scientists, like Edison and Einstein where famous for the questions they would pose. And, of course, questions have tremendous value to everyday life. In this episode, Martin provides a few examples of how asking the right questions might just help you achieve your most important goals, more quickly (7:24).
A few quick tips on questions on how to improve your question-asking skills from this episode include:
By using questions to re-focus toward your meaninful goals, you will attain the concentration needed to add value in your life. Shaping questions around your specific goal will help you consciously rededicate yourself to your goals.
“A question well asked is half solved.”
“Nobody is born with grit and no one is born with discipline.” Tweet This
Grit is one of the greatest predictors of success and one of the defining virtues of successful people… yet, what is grit exactly and how can you develop it?
According to Angela Lee Duckworth’s TED talk, grit is a combination of persistence and a willingness to change and adapt to improve. It is actively choosing to pursue a goal, refusing to quit and being willing to accept failures— understanding that "success" is a processs.
“People with a grit mindset are committed to outcomes and are willing to disregard facts if and when necessary.” Tweet This
By persisting and keeping your eye on the prize, you can develop habits to guide you in achieving your goals. This week, Martin offers a few thought and behavior habits to transform your mindset and get help you get “gritty” (13:10):
The most important ingredient of this plan may be to continually repeat the process. Grit, in essence is the resolve to go through the process as many times as it takes to achieve your dreams.
In order to implement this strategy into your life, use this template, a worksheet, or the Habit Factor app and develop the determination required to accomplish your goals.
“It's important to regard failure as an event and not a person.” Tweet This
On your unique journey to a more balanced and successful life, failure is inevitable. One of the biggest obstacles to achieving your goals is separating your sense of self from any particular instance of failure (2:44). Rather than labeling yourself as a failure after a tough setback or challenge, shift your perspective and simply view the failure for what it was: an event.
“Failure is not the opposite of success; it's a prerequisite.” Tweet This
Research (or quickly Google ; ) the autobiography of any one of your favorite heroes and you will notice that each and every one has essentially failed their way toward success (5:02). Here are a few ways setbacks can be overcome more easily... (9:48):
While almost everyone tends to overestimate what they can accomplish in the short term, they grossly underestimate what they can achieve in the long-term. Of course "success" is the ultimate end-goal where patience becomes a critical ingredient and it's only via the power of habit that one can develop those essential mindsets required in order to spin failure to win!
“Genius is eternal patience” –Michelangelo Tweet This
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By: Nick Palkowski “Virtues must be a product of habit” Tweet This Everyone wants to be a success…. but how do you define success? Without a personalized target in mind, it’s tough to have a clear direction. “You can’t hit a target you can’t see.” ~Zig Ziglar used to say. That’s why defining your ideal [...]