What Super Heroes Teach Us About Personl Growth

I have always enjoyed super heroes. Spiderman, Batman, The X-Men, and many others. My favorite of all time would have to be Superman though. Superman always amazed me because he is one of the few super heroes who has to put on a costume to be normal. He also has the ability to have anything he wants, including complete rule over the earth if he so chose, but instead decided to use his powers to help people. There is one major flaw in almost every single super hero though. That one flaw is complete selflessness. Let me explain.

In our society we believe that anyone who is selfish at all is a bad person. For some reason we have picked up the idea that anytime someone does something selfish that they are commiting a sin. Now I am not saying that people should be selfish all the time and never give, however, there needs to be a balance. We should give of ourselves in any way we can to help others live better lives. However, if we don't first take care of ourselves, and if we always have others in mind with every thought, word, and deed, we will never get what we need to live a happy fulfilling life. If you only have ten dollars left until next Friday, it would be silly to give half or all of it to someone else who needs it.

It is not a bad thing to be selfish as long as that selfish is not effecting other people in a negative way emotionally, menatlly, or physically. Each and every one of us has to take care of ourselves as no one else will do so. If you give away your last meal, you will starve to death. If you are always focused on making others happy, you will never express yourself in a way that makes you happy. If you are always doing for others, when will you have the time to do for you. You need to take time to make sure you are providing for yourself on a mental, emotional, and physical level. It is the only way you will ever get closer to your goals and dreams, and hopefully you are providing for others by getting closer to your goals and dreams.

No one does anything for nothing. There is no such thing as a completely altruistic act. The return may be smaller than what is given, but nothing is done for nothing. When you donate money to a non-profit organization you don't do it completely void of emotion. You do it because it makes you feel good for one reason or another. When you stay over time at your job when you don't have to you don't do it so others can benefit. You do it because you feel a sense of duty, or you like to move forward, or for a million other reasons. Nothing we ever do is without some form of self serving reason. We tithe at church because we believe it is the right thing to do and we want to support our ministry. So be willing to be a little more selfish. Superman saved thousands of lives, but at the end of the day he had little left for himself. Often times he pushed his own happiness away so he could help other people. None of us are super heroes, but we can accomplish super hero deeds, as long as we remember to take time for ourselves.

How's Your Passion These Days?

If there is a fire in your gut there are bound to be a few sparked flying out of your mouth. Passion is different than enthusiasm. Passion is the fuel that drives you toward the finish line. It is the reason why you do anything. Without passion you are destined to a life of being 'average'. To a life of mediocrity.

Passion is one of life's critical behaviors if you want to achieve sustained success in any career especially sales.

Who do you know that is on fire with passion? Are you? Have you had it in the past but are losing it due to some external circumstances? Do you feel in welling up inside you or do you feeling it slowly slipping away?

Many people can be heard saying that their sales career just doesn't seem to have the same spark that it did in the past. That selling is becoming - same stuff different day - or it is just too demanding or difficult to maintain consistent high sales volume. Passion is not in a career, job or life, it is in people or it isn't.

Passion can make up for a lack of education, skill, opportunity and it can help you overcome adversity, failure and problems with ease. Yes ease, because your attitude is - I can handle it, so bring on the challenges, problems and adversity. I will overcome. I will surmount. I will find a way around, under or over it. I will not be defeated. I will not be deterred. I will never quit, never no matter what is going on around me. I have drawn a line in the sand and have made the decision to overcome, no matter what.

Here are a few words to consider when you think about how passionate you are.

Expectations


Disappointment


Struggle


Pain


Problems


Resolve


Outcomes


Enthusiasm


Adversity


Risk


Winning


Overcoming


Self- belief


Self-confidence


Self-assured

Why not rate yourself on the above words to see where you may need to re-discover or re-kindle your passion or why it has left you or is leaving.

Passion is your key to success. It assures that no matter what you know or don't know, do or don't do, believe or don't believe, feel or don't feel doesn't matter. With passion you will do "whatever it takes, learn whatever you need to learn and use what you have to the fullest. Passion gives no excuses. Passion is not what you have only when things are going well, It is a part of your cellular makeup. If you haven't got it, get it. If you have it, never let it go. If you have lost it, get it back.

Turn Ideas Into Action

Does your brain bounce with ideas? So many ideas in fact, you feel overwhelmed?

Maybe you have a unique idea for a book. Maybe you have lots of ideas stirring for a new marketing campaign. Or, maybe you have a fun idea for a family vacation.

There's a good reason why you have all of these great ideas—you're smart, creative, and talented!

So why haven't you acted on these ideas yet? Do you struggle with deciding which ideas to tackle first? Do you wonder how you'll ever find the time to see the idea through?

Whether they're for your professional life or for your personal life, don't let these ideas sit and collect dust. Rather, turn them into action!

Tips for turning your ideas into action:

1. Make a list. If you don't already have one, create a "master list of ideas." Create a separate list for work and personal life. Every time a new idea piques your interest, add it to the list.


2. Identify obstacles. Take a close look at your list and identify what has kept you from implementing the ideas. Is it lack of time, lack of resources, lack of confidence, etc.? Figure out how to break the obstacles.


3. Determine impact. From your master list, determine which idea could have an immediate positive impact on your job or your personal life. Work on this idea first.


4. Set a goal. Take the idea that you identified in #3 and set a specific goal. For example, maybe you want to implement a new training program by the end of the quarter.


5. Create a plan. Now that you have a goal in place, create a plan to achieve it. Break the plan into small, manageable tasks. The more tasks you can break it into, the quicker you can complete them. Seeing this progress will motivate you to keep plugging away!


6. Give effort. The more effort you contribute to your idea, the faster you'll accomplish it. If you contribute little effort, you'll see little accomplishment and your idea will remain just another idea.


7. Hold yourself accountable. Accountability will help you reach your goal. For example, in the "implement a new training program" example, you could share your plan with your boss. When he asks questions such as "How is the planning coming along?" or "When will the training take place?" you may get annoyed, but he'll encourage you to keep working at it. After all, you don't want to let your boss down!


8. Stay motivated. It's not unusual to feel like you're burning out when working on a goal. If this happens, focus on the reason you thought of the idea and keep the end result in mind.


9. Take a bow! Once you've finished your goal, celebrate! What once was merely an idea is now a reality. Congratulations!


10. Start on your next idea. Your momentum is high now, so after a well-deserved break, start on your next idea!

Repeat these ten steps for each idea and they'll all become actions! So, what are you waiting for? Get started!