Power of Giving Attention to Yourself

Power of Giving Attention to Yourself

 Ramgopal Kashyap

Associate Professor, CSE Department

Are you busy looking for success everywhere except the one place you can truly find it? Does life seem like a futile chasing after the rainbow? One possible reason for this could be that you are not looking for success in the right place. It is not in the environment around us or the circumstances we face that we find success, but in ourselves. The simple fact is that if you are successful within, in your mind, you will be successful on the outside as well. It may seem too simple thing, but it is something we often forget when the pressures of life surround and overwhelm us. When it comes to making everyday choices it usually does not occur to us. Like I have said before, your mind is your greatest asset. Like any asset, it needs to be built up and improved continually. Abraham Lincoln said he didn’t “think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” He realised the basic truth that continuous improvement is necessary if one is to be truly successful. Knowledge is a powerful asset. It makes the difference between living in abundance and living in lack. The only difference between the managing director in a company and the maid in the same company is their knowledge. The MD knows something the maid doesn’t. That is why he earns a hundred times more than she does. It is what you know that will bring you success. It’s what you don’t know that will cause you to fail. Why then, do some get it so wrong? For example many people look for promotions without acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge they need to be promoted. Many business people are struggling because they just won’t take the time to learn about accounting, marketing and all that goes with doing business. That’s like trying to drive a car without first putting in the fuel. “Here is a rule that will guarantee your success and possibly make you rich: Invest 3 percent of your income back into yourself.” That’s great advice from Brian Tracy. Investing in yourself can double or triple your income. It will work for you whether you are employed or in business. James Attucher of the Financial Times agrees with this advice when he says “The only real way I know to triple your money is to invest in yourself.” He goes on to say that you should invest in your own ideas and your own business. But apart from that you should also invest in your mind. There are many ways to invest in you. One way is to make it a habit to buy books regularly. Not just any books, of-course, but books that will challenge you and from which you can learn something. Biographies of other successful people, “how-to” books, self-improvement books and professional books such as accounting or public speaking books are examples.

Investing your time and money in learning things such as goal-setting, how to manage your time, how to be more confident and less doubtful, how to be a better speaker, how to adjust your thinking, create new habits and squash bad ones, how to take care of your health, how to focus and so can greatly improve your results in life. These days’ books are not the only way to get knowledge, though. We have video, the internet, seminars and workshops on various subjects and even mentoring and coaching programmes. Even watching the right movies can sometimes teach you a thing or two. My favourite business programme, for example, is The Apprentice. It teaches a lot about entrepreneurship in an entertaining manner. Who would have thought that reality T.V could be so educational? The point is that you determine how and what you learn as well as how fast you learn. Self-education is important beyond the classroom. In the real world self-education matters a whole lot more than formal education. There are plenty of people with a formal education that are still struggling. A philosopher supported this in saying that “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” A formal education is good, but only as a foundation. The sad part is that many are stuck at the foundation level. They don’t realise that in order to complete the building they need to invest in some self-education.

Therefore, do not be like them, who were referred to by James Allen as being “anxious to improve their own lives, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound.” Dreamers realise that there is no better way to improve your life than to improve your mind. The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. Knowledge, then, is a powerful asset, and one which you should always be seeking to improve and build upon in the pursuit of your dreams. The Proverbs declare that “through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

Conclusion

Become addicted to continuous improvement and increase in your knowledge consistently and constantly. With time, you will inevitably become the person that you desire to be. Then you will no longer have to chase after success. Success will follow you. Your mind will become magnetized to attract success.

You are all you can be. Go on and be it.