Goals - Success

Success – how do you measure it?

Success can be measured in many different ways, and how you define success is highly personal.

At EBS we have our own measurement; we believe that a successful individual is someone who:

• Continues to further develop themselves and those around them
• Appreciates what they have but, more importantly, who they are and the difference they can make.  
• Is truly happy with the result / outcome of the goal they have attained, no matter how small it is 
• Aims for excellence
• Remains grateful to the people who have helped them attain their success 
• Conquers their fears
• Doesn’t let any perceived limits get in their way  
• Shares their victories and talents with others 

 

Below is an extract from an article written by the Coaching Institute that explains not only how powerful the mind is, but also how successful individuals challenge themselves, others and, potentially, our society.

Our brain has a ‘thing’ called the Reticular Activation System (RAS for short).  

The RAS has one job – to hunt for what you want it to find. Ever bought a car, and then you see that exact same type of car everywhere? Hardly noticed them before you got interested. Now you’re interested, your RAS knows what it has to find for you. 

You express the interest, the RAS goes hunting for your interest. It can’t do anything else. And it can’t turn off.

1954: Bannister breaks four-minute mile (ABC Headlines). Roger Bannister, a 25-year-old British medical student, has become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.

His time was 3mins 59.4 seconds, achieved at the Iffley Road track in Oxford and watched by about 3,000 spectators.

For years, the 4-minute mile was considered not merely unreachable but, according to physiologists of the time, dangerous to the health of any athlete who attempted to reach it.

For Roger Bannister, it was vindication. When he crossed the finish line with a time of 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, he broke through a psychological barrier as well.

John Landy, considered one of the great milers of that era, never had gotten closer than within 1.5 seconds of the 4-minute barrier before. Within 46 days of Bannister's breakthrough, Landy surpassed the record with a 3:57.9 in Finland. 

Bannister and Landy raced later in the year in the "Mile of the Century" at Vancouver, a runoff to decide who the faster miler was. Bannister won in 3:58.8 to Landy's 3:59.6, the first time two men in one race had broken 4 minutes.

 

By the end of 1957, 16 runners had logged sub-4-minute miles.

You tell yourself ‘it’s hard to set goals’, and your RAS now knows its mission… go find examples of where goals are hard to achieve. Bingo, you get to say ‘See, I was right.’

Your RAS doesn’t care about your age, your race, your gender, your job, your income, the economy, your schedule, your anything. It just cares about what you want it to find, and then like a heat seeking missile, off it goes, working even when you’re not thinking about your race, age, religion or job.

This means, and boy was this a biggie for me, that the ONLY thing that is limiting our progress is ourselves.

 

How do you rate your success?

 

Measure your Goals - Success