SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change. If there's a single lesson that life teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so.

Are you wondering why some businessmen generate insane profits, while others scrape by on their bare existence? Well, Charles Darwin may have a good answer to that! Just like how species strive for subsistence, business and brands are in tight competition for survival.

Why the word “fittest”? Why not “survival of the smartest”, “survival of the toughest” or “survival of the sharpest”. Well, there might actually be a great reason!

If you want to be part of the 5% club—that small percentage of people who actually create change and success in their lives—you must be determined to not only examine what is and what isn’t working in your life, but also correct it.

The reason most people miss the mark is very simple: Change is hard. Before you reap the rewards, you have to crawl through a slew of challenging obstacles and emotions. I won’t sugar-coat this for you; I want you to be prepared.

Prepare to face uncertainty and stare down your biggest fears.

Prepare to do your best work without guaranteed results or fanfare. Prepare to face negativity, frustration, and criticism.

Prepare to confuse and baf?e; most people will have given up while you continue to persist.

Lately, I have been fascinated by what makes some people persist despite the odds. Because I get it; the struggle is real. I wanted to change my career path, and I plugged away at my business for over four years wondering what I was doing wrong.

To truly make it happen this year, you must be willing to embark on the journey that everyone else makes excuses to avoid. You will experience negative feelings along the way. They’re quite natural. They are part of the process; trust that they will get easier to endure.

Short-changing your own personal best is the biggest risk you can take. If there’s a thing you can’t not build, a talent you must express, or a better life you know you were meant to live, I believe it is your duty to pursue it with everything you have.

The brain is also a miraculous super computer between your ears. When used creatively, we’re not sure how to access its full potential! Nobody’s even ?gured that out yet; we just hope someone will show the rest of us how to use a little more of its imaginative powers.

Though you have unlimited access to new ideas and opportunities, your brain’s default response to change is to ?ee from discomfort and run to safety. At its very core, the brain loves a comfort zone like no other, and almost everything you do to create positive change involves some risk and discomfort.

In Your Best Year 2018, you’ll come to understand how YOU are standing in the way of achieving your wildest dreams. You will realize that you probably make more decisions out of fear than you do out of desire.

You will notice how you often stop yourself before you even begin. You’ll identify where you’ve been trying to reach extraordinary goals with very ordinary actions, hence your results remain very ordinary

What percentage of shared responsibility do you have in making a relationship work?

100/0. You have to be willing to give 100 percent with zero expectation of receiving anything in return. Only when you’re willing to take 100 percent responsibility for making the relationship work will it work. Otherwise, a relationship left to chance will always be vulnerable to disaster.

Make the Decision Anytime you face change or diversity, the brain (that super computer organ with two-million year-old instincts) kicks on its warning system. It presses the panic button and releases a dose of cortisol—a stress hormone.

The brain’s autoresponder reaction magni?es the danger of the risk so you will crawl back into your comfort zone, safe and sound. As a result, you pump the brakes on your goals. Time and time again, something ruf?es your feathers, and you doubt your abilities.

You second guess your direction. You reduce your goals. I don’t say this just in case, it’s a given. Fear will creep in on you, and in response, you’ll slow your barrel roll to a stop and question everything. This is why improved decision-making contributes to overall mental toughness.

You have to stop him-hawing on trivial decisions (Should I buy that book?

How often should I work out?

Should I get a gym membership?

Should I upgrade my mattress?

Do I really need a Amazon membership?), and make the easy choices required of you, right now.

Do you want your brain pumping cortisol over a $10 book?

Of course not! Don’t waste precious energy on insigni?cant risks. It will signi?cantly reduce your chance of achievement. In order to have a breakthrough year, you will need to take giant leaps toward progress. It will require brutal courage and savage intention. When it comes time to do the things that truly challenge you, you can’t hope you’ll hit your target as you incessantly pump the brakes. Instead, bounce on the devil and put the pedal to the ?oor. You have to smash through that goal.

Decisions will be your rescue or your doom based on whether you make them out of fear or desire. Avoiding them (especially the ones involving life-enhancing improvements) typically compounds the problem leading to even more dif?cult choices. Moreover, indecisive people become a victim of circumstance. It is the opposite of taking 100% responsibility for your success.

I avoid indecisiveness like it is the plague. I give my full attention to the decisions at hand, so I can put them to rest as quickly as possible. If I ?nd myself procrastinating on an issue or it requires more research to draw a conclusion, I assign a deadline (e.g., Friday at noon) for when it must be decided.

Because of this approach, I never complain about my situation. I plow through decisions to crush my goals.

Just imagine—is there even a limit to what you could create if you took full responsibility for your outcome, gave your absolute best for even thirty days in a row, and acted as though it were impossible to fail?

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.

Thank you … Do you know how rare that is—that someone gives their best for thirty days straight? Let’s be honest, most people don’t give thirty best days a year! Do you realize how easy it would be to stand out in the crowd with that kind of work ethic? It might not be possible to give 100% day in and day out.

Want to add word or two?

What would happen if, this year, you took all the emotion, stress, and fervour that high achievers have in common out of the equation?

What if instead you follow this techniques, repeat simply daily disciplines toward the goals that matter every day, no matter what?

Your comment ….?

I do four speci?c things to bring my vision of success to life every year.

 I make …

 ? my goals resolute,

? my strategies speci?c,

? my system ef?cient, and

? my action plan productive.

EVEN AFTER ALL THIS TIME, THE SUN NEVER SAYS TO THE EARTH, ‘YOU OWE ME.’ LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WITH A LOVE LIKE THAT. IT LIGHTS THE WHOLE SKY