America's Success Coach

Tommy Newberry

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Clarity Makes the Difference

The clearer you are about what you intend to accomplish, the more likely you will observe the means of attaining it.

Likewise, the more tentative, ambiguous, and vague you are in defining what you are pursuing, the more prone you’ll be to waste time, mismanage resources, and become distracted.

By specifying your objectives, you heighten your awareness, minimize confusion, and eliminate hesitancy. Think about how this applies to the different areas of your life.

We all need fresh, compelling goals toward which to strive. And precisely worded goals tell our brains what to notice, what to pay attention to, and in what direction to move. In other words, our goals highlight our values. They provide focus and meaning to otherwise scattered thoughts and activities.

When we’re extremely clear about what we want, we have the power supply for our ambition. If we’re unclear about our destination, it’s as though we’re disconnected or unplugged from that power supply and the progress that it generates.

Though my years of coaching, I have concluded that virtually all underperformance can be traced back to confusion about an objective. Insufficient clarity about what is essential and relevant is a huge factor in most interpersonal conflicts as well.

To reach your full potential in the second half of 2017 and beyond, make sure you know what you want to accomplish and why it really matters. Then, you’ll be much more likely to make it a reality.

Are you as clear as you need to be about where you are heading and why?

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Becoming Unremarkable

Character is built through hardship and adversity, but strong character is absolutely not the inevitable result of these conditions.

Whether someone grows in character or self-destructs depends entirely on how he or she responds to those circumstances. Setbacks and struggles can shape us into something exceptional or something entirely unremarkable.

It is how we respond to the difficulty, what we learn from it, and what we do next that holds the possibility of a character upgrade, not the adversity itself. When tested with trauma and distress, some people become better; some become bitter.

From time to time, adversity abruptly and tragically comes out of nowhere. More often, adversity is the inevitable conclusion of a string of sloppy or unwise choices. In either scenario, how we respond will determine who we become as a result.

Our character is the essence of who we are. It’s the sum total of our thoughts and habits, our vices and virtues.

Yet character isn’t part of our DNA. Rather, it’s something that develops throughout our lives with every choice we make. Helen Keller said,

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambitions inspired and success achieved.”

We never quite know what we are made of until we are put through the fire. When you face difficulties, take a close look at how you respond.

And, opt for remarkable!