Let's make this idea even better. What if this took place over several years; with millions of most success people.

Then take all that information and study it. Something valuable would exist in that type of knowledge.

"O.K - O.K." What's deal with this story?

Well, above happened to me. It started with a job I liked. (I should've pursued love over like.) -anyway. Then, there was nasty job. This forced me to think fast.

I spend hours in thinking about my future course. The first plan didn't work out as planned I went off to school thinking I made a wise career move. It turned out otherwise.

Then there came second soul searching experience. This one I mentioned in above story. I meet some younger people who materially made me look poor. I wasn't bothered by their prosperity. I just wanted to know how they got that prosperity.

Mentally they were doing something special. I wanted to find out. I found a book that helped me discover more on this topic. It helped me tremendously.

The book resulted from millions of interviews with successful people. It truly took many years to create.

Why, you may ask, I'm I so motivated to tell you about this? (Heck, I've even created a website to make you aware of this book.) Mainly I want to share what helped me. This book directed me to focus mentally on what's important to gain material prosperity and peace of mind.

My second motivation is to develop a relationship with you. I believe you'll want to keep in contact with me. Why is that?

Because when you expose yourself to my suggestions you'll want to hear from me again. You'll no doubt develop curiosity over my future suggestions.

I'll unravel more about this process as you simply follow along.

P.S. I don't make a red cent off of telling you about this book. As a result, I'm not biased in telling you about this.

2. Divide and conquer. Henry Ford said: “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” Elite athletes, for example, routinely set both long-term and short-term goals, but sports psychologists have discovered that repeatedly focusing on long-term goals can be counter-productive. Instead, focusing on short-term goals, and small changes needed to achieve them, leads to more motivation, greater confidence, enhanced performance, and more happiness, both for athletes and non-athletes alike.

Basketball coach Larry Brown, who is currently leading Detroit Pistons against Los Angeles Lakers in NBA finals, typically starts each game by encouraging his team to “win first three minutes.” He uses same technique throughout game, focusing his team on near-term goals and small changes needed for victory. Football coaches often use a similar tactic, encouraging players to mentally consider 16-game season as being comprised of four 4-game mini-seasons.

3. Schedule a time for small changes. Often we don’t simply don’t make time for small changes that can make big impacts. We may (wrongly) consider them to be inconsequential, or shy away from them because they remind us of how far we are from our more ambitious goals. Try scheduling a time for these modest behaviors, and sticking to it.

This technique is similar to “activity scheduling” – a tactic commonly used as one element of treating depression. Depressed people are often reluctant to engage in activities, such as going to a movie, even though they believe these activities will make them feel better. Committing themselves in advance to engaging in these activities can significantly boost their activity levels and their mood, helping to ensure they make small changes that have big impacts.

REFERENCES

The findings and recommendations in this article are based on scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. For complete references, see Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil by Stephen Kraus, Ph.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

© 2004 Stephen Kraus