When I was a kid, we never heard the term “fake news.” We just assumed the media was giving us the facts. It never entered our minds that they would slant the “facts” to advance their own political agenda.
As a kid, however, I did hear about treasure maps to lost mines and humongous stashes of gold. They were constantly being advertised in comic books and on the backs of our cereal boxes. And I was naïve enough to believe those maps were real. So, I sent off my dollar to a place that promised to send me a treasure map in return.
What I got was a map that told me I could dig a hole to China where I would find all the riches of the Orient. So I dug hole in our backyard about eight feet long and four feet deep until my father put an end to it.
Later, in high school and college, I became interested in another kind of treasure. Personal and professional achievement. I wondered how some people who had so little going for them accomplished so much … while others who had so much going for them accomplished so little. I wanted to find the truth.
It took me years of research to find the answer to that question. I believe I have found the truth or the 12 Keys to Extraordinary Success in life, at work, and at home. And I will be giving you those 12 keys in a new video series I’m about to launch. It’s a real treasure map.
But I want to give you a heads-up overview of those keys. The first six keys relate to what I call the 3P Cluster – Personal Peak Performance. I’ve discovered that the real champions in life have mastered and use these six keys all the time.
1. Self-Esteem
Developing an unshakable sense of self-confidence is the cornerstone for all your other endeavors.
The reason is simple – You perform exactly as you see yourself. If you doubt yourself and your potential, that’s how you behave and you get nothing but mediocre results. But when you believe in yourself and your dreams, you release an incredible power that brings you amazing results in every part of your life.
Carl Jordan is a Fleet Analyst at the Wagner Equipment Company. After Carl attended my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, he wrote,
“I followed your esteem-building steps and now I have the confidence and security that I have desired for so many years. The most rewarding days of my life have all come after taking your Journey. Thank you very much for opening my eyes to what I can do when I believe in myself. I now look forward to every day’s challenges with anticipation rather than dread.”
2. Purpose
People who live extraordinary lives do so because they have a clear and meaningful purpose for their lives.
You see … deep inside you, there’s a burning desire to do something great. If you know your purpose, that’s great. You can use your purpose to turbocharge your ability to achieve amazing results in every part of your life.
If you’re not sure of your purpose, no problem. There is a way to discover your purpose and apply it to your life and your work.
That’s what Denine Cappuccio, a Project Manager for Merck & Company, learned at my Journey program. She says, “The Journey gave me … and will give anyone … all the tools that are needed to build a way of life filled with meaning and purpose, happiness and achievement.”
3. Goals and Success Affirmations
In my search for a real treasure map to success, I discovered that every champion is a goal setter and affirmation user. In other words, they know exactly what they want to achieve and they know how to program their mind to achieve their goals.
Eileen Zierman, a Supervisor at Fairview Hospital, says, “I used to be scared to death when someone mentioned goals. I ran the other direction. After the Journey, the fear is gone. I now have goals, and I’m achieving them, using the 10-minute-per-day affirmation technique you taught. What a blessing from God!”
4. Positive Attitude
It’s the fuel behind almost every successful endeavor.
The trouble is most people have no idea how to get and keep a positive attitude. I discovered ten techniques that turned that all around for me and for others.
One of those techniques came from the Bible (of all places). It’s what I call the action technique and comes from a verse that says, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Most people miss the point. They think IF things work out the way they want, THEN they’ll be glad.
But that’s not what the sentence says. It says you must FIRST “rejoice” and THEN you’ll be “glad.” First comes action and then comes feeling.
If you wait for your life to improve, if you wait for your feelings to change, if you wait for a more positive attitude to come along, you might wait forever. But if you act positively, you will soon feel positive.
After MaryAnn Sims-Cockshoot, an Analyst for the U.S. Army, applied this technique, she wrote,
“Even though I have been a ‘procrastinator extraordinaire’ for most of the 57 years of my life, I’m not anymore – ever since I attended the Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience. I feel more energized, enthusiastic, and happier every day. I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. It has been a long time since I felt this good. I believe it has even helped me golf better – giving me more confidence. These may not sound like very big changes, but for me they are HUGE.”
5. Risk-Taking
In my hunt for the real treasure map, I learned that taking risks is central to everything worthwhile in life. Without taking risks, you can’t make real gains, develop power, earn respect, or experience success. There’s simply no way you can grow without taking chances.
Unfortunately, 85% of people are risk avoiders. In fact you may be one of them. But let me remind you that everything you want more of … a better relationship, a healthier body, a more promising career, or anything else … will be found outside your “comfort zone.” However, I can also assure you that you can get those things if you take the right risks in the right way.
That’s what Tammy Williams learned. She says, “As a result of the Journey, I have taken some major risks in the last few months. I quit my job as a Sales Engineer for a construction company, got myself back into school, and accepted a position with a church. Your class helped me look inside to see what is really important and how I wanted to live the second half of my life. You gave me the support and courage I needed to take all these risks. And as a result, this has become my best year ever!”
And the 6th key to Personal Peak Performance is…
6. Work-Life Balance
The first five keys will turbocharge your success in unbelievable ways. But it doesn’t make sense to be an amazing achiever if your life is a mess. So I soon learned that the real champions also have a great deal of work-life balance.
It’s a matter of paying attention to and being effective in ALL eight dimensions of life — Physical, Recreational, Financial, Occupational, Mental, Social, Emotional, and Spiritual — not just two or three of them.
Iain Clark, the Head of Services for Aegon-Scotland, struggled with work-life balance for years until he learned the system I teach. Iain writes: “I’m starting to win the battle of being focused only on work … to the detriment of everything else in my life. I’m getting some much needed work-life balance.”
As I discovered in my research for the truth … for the keys to amazing success on and off the job … there are 12 irrefutable keys. You’ve just gotten six of them. Space doesn’t allow me to go over the other six keys to Positive Productive Relationships. But please join me in my new complimentary video course that will give you an overview of all 12 Keys to Extraordinary Success.
And may this year be the best year of life so far … with every year thereafter better than the previous one.
Dr. Zimmerman’s Tuesday Tip, Issue 868 – Fake News, Treasure Maps, and Success