Are you silently wishing for a 10% increase in 2021?

Most people reading this article would probably scoff at the idea of getting any increase next year and their wish instead is merely for a reliable salary - any salary actually! This article intends to prove to you that YOU ARE WORTH A WHOLE LOT MORE! Scoff again - you knew that already! "But we need to be realistic, right?"

In this article, we will explore realism and your role in reality and we will do this in the context of having a wish for an increase.

So, let's say your dream for 2021 is indeed a 10% raise in salary. My question is what are you doing to achieve this dream? Are you taking control of your circumstances or merely waiting for somebody else to determine what happens in your life?

The sad part is that 99% of people are satisfied with resigning to outer circumstances and to other people determining their destiny. They accept that "2020 was a bad year", "the economy is suppressed", "sales are down" and "there's no money for increases - again".

I did my best

I am sure that you are one of the many people who can say that amidst all the uncertainties and challenges of 2020, you really did your best to save the company and prove to your manager that you are worth your weight in gold. You were creative, finding better ways to get things done effectively, even while working from home. After all, if the company failed, your entire livelihood would be directly impacted. So you did not mind working even longer hours than before - at least you did not have to commute to the office every day. You did not mind using your own resources to do work at no extra compensation - at least you had those resources and it gave you an edge over your peers to prove your commitment to the company.

I commend your attitude and I am sure the company appreciates your efforts! But... was it enough? So many companies had to restructure and lay off staff, and many more will break the news to their loyal staff soon that there won't be any increases at all.

Reality

"What to do?" You may say. "I'm so blessed to have a job!" "This is reality, and I have no choice but to sit tight and ride out the pandemic." "My family depends on my stable income. Even if I have to accept a salary cut, I will do whatever I need to keep my job."

You may think this reflects reality, but I want to assure you today that you have more control over your reality than you realise. Earl Nightingale once said that every kid leaving college believes they would be successful. I think you will agree that nobody with a college education would plan on becoming a failure, right? The thought is absolutely ludicrous, I know, but I just had to point that out... So he continued stating that at the age of 65, statistics suggested that only one of a hundred students that successfully completed their studies would become wealthy, 4 would become finanicially independent, 5 would still be working and 54 would be broke. The remainder wouldn't be working but they would be scraping by on a measely pension - hardly the retirement dream they've been working for their entire life. Nightingale said this a couple of decades ago, but I believe it remains relevent to within a few percentage points even today.

The point of this story is that the top 5% of this average group of people did not get there by chance - they got there with a plan. The lower 95% may have had a plan also, but the difference comes in the quality of the plan on the one hand, but I believe the execution of ANY plan rests more heavily on the other hand. The old adage comes to mind - "Failing to plan, is planning to fail."

Many will still look at the 5% and say they were only lucky! My message to you today is that you have greater natural ability to create your own "luck" than you know. It is about AWARENESS. Think about this: if you are aware of how to generate $1,000,000 a year, would you be content living on $40,000 or $50,000 or even $200,000 a year? I assure you, you would not. Life is about growth and expansion and anything that is not growing is dying. For most people life is nothing more than a slow death, as so eloquently stated many centuries ago - "My people perish for a lack of knowledge..."

It only takes the awareness that something is possible to motivate a person to take appropriate action to achieve what they believe to be attainable.

Creative Power - Thoughts Become Things

Look around you. Most of what you see and use everyday was first conceptualized in somebody's mind and then created for the benefit of the masses. This is especially true in our modern world and our urban lifestyle. Even natural products are being brought to you so that you no longer have to do the hunting and gathering yourself. Creation of something new does not happen by chance. Even a chance discovery dies down if it has no application. No, every human creation starts with discontent - being disatisfied with what we have. This is the basis for growth and expansion.

This rock is too heavy to move, I will sit on a log. The log is not comfortable, I will cover it with leaves and plants to soften the seat. Wait, if I tied a few logs together in a certain way I can make a CHAIR with suport for my back. Hang on dear, there is not enough space for both of us, let me make a SOFA!

You get the idea...

The 5% that I referred to before had a plan and they worked their plan. That is the only differentiator. They had a vision and they persisted until they attained their vision. It is never too late to decide to make a change in your life, but then you need to plan for that change and work the plan!

Getting your raise

If you still want to get your raise, I suggest you take very definite action to achieve the raise. However, I want to go even further. Once you start thinking about why you want your raise, you will probably start dreaming about what you are going to do with the raise that will go beyond mere survival. I want to encourage you to think even bigger. Why settle for a 10% raise if the effort you need to put in could bring you maybe 15% or 20% raise? With targeted effort you could do even bigger things and you will be motiviated to achieve them.

However, we find that many people use this difficult pandemic time to reconsider their lives and their priorities. Many people are forced to make a big change and decide that it is time to start their own business. Using the principles discussed earlier, I can almost guaranty you that you can make a success of doing what you really love. If you have a passion for something, thousands if not millions others will share the passion and will be willing to pay you for it. Is it not time to do what you really love and live the life of your dreams? Why settle for 15% or 20% if you can write your own ticket for 200% or 2000% increase?

I want to urge you to dream BIG. I want to urge you to step out and take action. I want you to do it NOW!

What will you achieve in 2021?

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Francois Nel is the co-founder of Paradigm Life Consultants operating as Paradigm Life Coaching and can be reached at www.paradigmlifecoaching.net. Paradigm Life Coaching empowers people to take control of their thinking and ultimately their own reality, and is presently rolling out an exciting new campaign called Mission: I'mPo$$ible. It will help you become a better you! Visit the link and register for a FREE, secretive and action-packed webinar!