Six habits that will help you to ‘speak success’ fluently
Image courtesy of Carolyn Christine on Unsplash
I have always believed that success is a unique and distinctive language. I don’t mean a language in the sense of a few ‘happy-clappy’ phrases that you mutter optimistically to yourself and others during hard times. I am talking about a language that speaks to your very identity. One that reflects your mindset, your approach to problem-solving and the impact that you have on others.
The language of success communicates opportunity, ambition and aspiration. It looks beyond where you are and speaks to where you want to be. Every time you find the words to encourage, inspire and motivate yourself and others, you speak the language of success. Fluency in success comes when occurrences that are random and irregular, become the rhythm and routine of your life. The more fluent you are, the more empowered you will be. Set out below are the ten habits that will help you to ‘speak success’ fluently.
1. Wire your mind with values and wire your values with words
Being told to ‘speaking positively’ and demonstrate a ‘can-do attitude’ is important and can definitely help to transform your situation. Unfortunately, that is only half the story. Randomly spouting ‘power words’ is utterly meaningless unless those words are wired to a mind that is mapped to values that anchor the very things that you are talking about. In simple terms, there is not point saying that you can solve a problem, if you do not fundamentally believe the problem can be solved. Simply saying something that does not really reflect your values, is a bit like speaking words from a language that you don’t really understand.
2. Defy conventional logic
What is conventional logic? Well, it is nothing more than what the majority of people think and believe. Conventional logic does not make right; it just establishes the norm. However, the beauty of success is that it does not always inhabit the spaces given over to conventional thinking and reasoning. By contrast and by its very nature, to be fluent in the ‘language of success’ you have to be willing to defy ‘logic’. To do so, you must refuse to be the rule and choose to be the exception. Success is not always to be defined by conventional reasoning, but rather by uncommon wisdom.
3. Practice the power of pause
A pause is no more than a delay. However, in the context of your ability to be ‘fluent in the language of success’, even a momentary pause may be enough to enable you to re-appraise a situation, re-evaluate your options and re-direct your effort. The practice and power of pause, should not be confused with slowness (or silence, which is also addressed in this blog). When deployed effectively, pause can be an extremely effective strategic tool, not just buying you time, but also ensuring that you remain in control of your decision-making space. By contrast, slowness is often characterised by indecision or risk aversion.
4. Practice the science and art of strategic silence
Sometimes when you are speaking the language of success, your most powerful voice is the voice of silence. Simple right? Well maybe not. Silence is often confused with indifference, consent and even stupidity. Therefore the practice of silence requires both self-confidence as well as self-control. Let’s be clear, the use of silence is not always appropriate. However, used strategically, tactfully and artfully; silence can convey calm assuredness and competence. To the extent that effective and impactful speech is reliant on good judgement and good judgement relies on informed reasoning (not the propensity to think and act impulsively) then silence demonstrates that you can often say everything when you choose to say nothing.
5. Learn to look and expect to find
There is a simple point to make here, which is that sometimes people do not enjoy or experience success, not because it is unachievable, but because they do not even know that it is within reach. The language of success is not just about what you say, but also what you see. Two people can see a glass of water filled exactly half-way and one will celebrate the fact that it is half full and the other will bemoan the fact that it is half-empty. Each of the above perceptions, will then affect how each individual weights the possibility of their success, how they communicate the possibility of success to others and how others see the possibility of success for themselves. In simple and unambiguous terms, if you are searching for success then you will find what you are looking for, but if you expect to find failure then you will find that too.
6. Straighten-up your posture, establish your position and adopt your stance
Speaking success is no more than organising your effort and that of others, around your individual or shared goals. If we speak success to failure we say: ‘what do we need to do to be successful next time’ and if we speak success to risk we say: ‘what do we need to do to avoid consequences’. There is no great science to this. Instead of saying ‘I can’t’, it is simply about saying ‘how can I’ or better still ‘I can’. Speaking success is about putting yourself in the success space and providing pathways to problem solving, rather than crowding out solutions.
7. Find others who speak your language
There are few things more inspiring than being amongst the ‘can-do’. Therefore, just like any other language, you will learn to speak success more fluently when you associate with other fluent speakers. The point about who we associate with is critical because it is through the repetition of words and actions that we gain experience. Experience is crucial because it inspires confidence and confidence is crucial because it builds resilience.
If you want to fully maximise the potential of your personal economy, then organise your thoughts, set your goals and speak success.
