Access To Assess Yourself!

Every successful person in this world didn’t get to where he or she is today on the first try. Success means different things to people. Nevertheless, there is one universal goal in achieving success – to accomplish the aims you’ve set for yourself.

Achieving those goals won’t happen by doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. According to Albert Einstein, that’s a symptom for insanity! So what should you do instead?

Here’s a suggestion: Assess yourself.

Only you truly know the reach of your own potential, so only you know how far you should push yourself.

You’ll also have the opportunity to figure out which methods suit you best, and what exactly it is you want to improve on.

1. The imaginary barriers

If you aren’t where you should be or want to be, think about what’s “blocking” you from getting there. Then think again. Are you really stuck in that position, or is it all in your mind?

An ant comes across a rock. The ant is not blocked from its path. It can walk around the rock, or climb over it.

That is to say, there are always solutions to solve whatever dilemmas you might have. There’s always ways to improve.

Usain Bolt is the current world record holder for the 100m sprint. But that’s not it for him – he still has to push himself to keep or improve his time.

Other runners such as fellow Jamaican representative Yohan Blake are also trying to upheave the extremely high benchmark set by Bolt.

Whatever it is you’re doing, try doing it even better. The bar is yours to define, set and raise.

2. List down your role models

Role models are people (real or fictional) you look up to. Positive role models inspire you to make constructive changes or improvements to your life. They set the standards of which you should aspire to reach, and it’s from them that you gain knowledge.

Remember that you will always be your own person. But if there is someone who inspires you, by all means, take heed of lessons that you can learn from them.

An example: I admire J.K. Rowling, for her endless and unparalleled creativity, her vivid writing, and her perseverance in getting her multiply-rejected, now-beloved manuscript about a boy wizard (Harry Potter, anyone?) published.

Whilst I wouldn’t want to copy Rowling’s work, there are lots of things I’d like to take from her writing, especially the way she creates compelling stories and characters so real they seem to morph right in front of you from the page.

Do you have a role model? Do you think you’re emulating them in the right way?

3. Discover your learning style

If you’re looking for improvement but can’t seem to get anywhere, it’s not because you can’t; it might be that you aren’t learning the “right” way.

There are several ways of learning. You might like to learn by reading and writing, which is what you might have been taught.

However, you could also draw pictures or mindmaps, associate what you’ve learnt with sounds, songs or other audio cues, or physically carry out the act instead of watching from the sidelines.

It’s all about what you prefer. If you don’t know what your preferred learning style is, try a few out and see what suits you best!