The Positive

Pack

There are many ways to live life. One approach is to focus on positivity, principles and peak performance.

People make choices every minute. They can choose to be positive or negative, to be creators or complainers, to take responsibility or avoid responsibility. Each choice does, of course, have consequences.

People who aim to do their best in life are often positive realists. They have a positive attitude to life but are also good at reading reality.

This pack provides many practical exercises that a person can use to follow this path in their own way. It focuses on the following themes.

Introduction

Peak Performance

They are often positive realists. They have a positive attitude to life but are also good at reading reality.

They choose to be positive and follow their principles. They then aim to become the best they can be and achieve peak performance. They focus on:

People Who Choose To Be Positive

Positivity Principles Peak Performance

Positivity

It explores how a person can choose to have a positive attitude and encourage other people.

Principles

It explores how a person can follow their chosen principles and pursue a sense of purpose.

Peak Performance

It explores how a person can build on their strengths, become the best they can be and achieve peak performance.

The following pages provide exercises on each of these themes. Take the best and use the ideas in your own way.

Positivity

“People can choose their attitude,” we are told. This sounds reasonable, but how can you translate this into action? Let’s start by looking at the bigger picture.

Children start with lots of creative energy. Retaining this spirit calls for them continuing to get encouragement. It also calls for them learning how to recover from setbacks.

People who have a positive attitude often have a history of being given encouragement. Looking back on their lives, they sometimes say some of the following things.

“My parents always encouraged me … One teacher helped me to believe in myself, even though I had difficulties because I was dyslexic … Being good at athletics gave me kudos, but it also taught me how to deal with disappointments.”

Introduction

A person can choose:

To Be Negative

To Be A Complainer

To Be Positive

To Be A Creator

To Take Responsibility

To Avoid Responsibility

Pluses

* _________

Minuses* _________

B

Pluses

* _________

Minuses* _________

A

Pluses

* _________

Minuses* _________

People make choices and each choice has consequences

C

People who stay positive do what they believe in. They may choose to do work that gives them positive energy, for example, rather than that which has the highest money or status.

They then build on their strengths and follow the daily disciplines required to achieve success. Such people often find something to serve that is greater than themselves.

The following pages provide exercises you can use to continue to be positive in your life and work.

Choosing To Be Positive

Looking back, can you think of a time when you chose to be positive rather than negative? You may have experienced a setback, a fear or an uncertainty.

What did you do to move forwards? How did you translate this decision into action? What happened as a result of taking this route? If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.

Describe a specific situation in the past when you chose to be positive rather than negative.

Describe the specific things you did then to choose to be positive and pursue your chosen route.

Describe the specific things that happened as a result of taking these steps.

Introduction

Choosing To Be Positive

The specific situation in the past when I chose to be positive rather than negative was:

* When I …

The specific things I did then to choose to be positive and follow my chosen route were:

*

*

*

The specific things that happened as a result of taking these steps were:

*

*

*

Positive Energy

Energy is life. This exercise invites you to list the things that give you positive energy in your personal and professional life.

These may include doing certain activities, being with certain people, following certain passions, doing certain professional projects or whatever.

The activities that give you positive energy can provide clues to your strengths. They can also help you to make decisions.

When in doubt, you can ask yourself: “Which option gives me the most positive energy?”

So try completing the following exercise.

Introduction

The things that give me positive energy in my personal life are:

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*

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Positive Energy Personally

The things that give me positive energy in my professional life are:

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Positive Energy Professionally

The specific things that I can do to do more of the things that give me positive energy are:

*

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Positive Energy In The Future

Developing A Sense Of Gratitude

Positive people often count their blessings rather than their burdens. Brother David Steindl-Rast has written:

“The root of joy is gratefulness. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful. Count your blessings and you will find them to be countless, even in the midst of adversity and tragic circumstances. What we really want is joy. We don’t want things.”

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.

Describe the specific things you are grateful for in your life.

Describe the specific things you can do to maintain a sense of gratitude.

Introduction

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The specific things that I am grateful for in my life are:

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The specific things that I can do to maintain a sense of gratitude are:

My Personal And Professional Assets

Many of us already have many inner resources and talents that make up our true wealth. This exercise invites you to: Describe your personal assets. For example, your health, family, friends, finances, attitude, ability to overcome adversity, personal drive and whatever.

Describe your professional assets.

For example, your past achievements, talents, creativity, network, satisfied customers, experience, knowledge and whatever.

Describe how you can make good use of your assets in your personal and professional life.

Introduction

The personal assets I have are:

*

*

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Personal Assets

The professional assets I have are:

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Professional Assets

The specific things I can do to make good use of my assets are:

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Making Good Use Of My Assets

Pot Fillers and Pot Drillers

There are many exercises for clarifying our levels of positivity, confidence and energy.

One of these is based on Virginia Satir's work with the Self Confidence Pot. A great family therapist, Virginia invited people to see their self confidence as a pot.

Sometimes they would have lots of confidence in the pot, other times they would have little. Sometimes this was related to whether they were surrounded by Pot Fillers or Pot Drillers.

Virginia introduced this idea in the 1950s. It was later used by many other people who talked about Energy Givers and Energy Drains. But it is worth revisiting her original work.

Introduction

Clarifying Your Level of Self Confidence Start by drawing an imaginary pot. Looking at the pot, draw a line that corresponds to how high your self confidence is today. If you have high confidence, you can draw it high up the pot. If your confidence is low, you can draw it at a lower point in the pot. The next step explores why it may be at this level.

 Clarifying Your Pot Fillers Write the names of your pot fillers. These are the people who give you encouragement and energy. You look forward to seeing these people and feel more alive after meeting them. Also describe the things you do to give yourself energy, such as listening to music, reading, gardening or whatever.

Draw a line showing how high your self confidence is at the moment. If you have high confidence, it will be high in the pot. If low confidence, then it will be lower.

The Self Confidence Pot

If you have lots of things that give you positive energy, your pot will be overflowing. You will then be more able to pass on encouragement to other people.

But there may be complications, which brings us to the next part of the exercise.

 Clarifying Your Pot Drillers

Write the names of the pot drillers. These are people who sap energy. They leave you feeling drained and discouraged. The more significant they are in the your life, the nearer they will be to the base.

It is also possible, of course, that you may do things that drill your own pot.

You may have both Pot Fillers and Pot Drillers.

The Self Confidence Pot

One key point is worth remembering. Whilst we may have people who discourage us, we may also allow them to have this effect.

If a person is being negative, for example, sometimes we may have the option of going out of the room, giving them a positive alternative or doing other things to stop their energy affecting us.

This is not always the case, but there are options we can apply for dealing with the negative energy.

Some people may be both pot fillers and pot drillers. They may have a pleasing–hurting pattern.

Sometimes they are positive then, without warning, they lash out. If this is this case, clarify the specific things these people do to encourage or drain you.

How can you maintain confidence and also encourage other people? Here are some suggestions to consider. 

Spend more time with people who give you energy Spend time with your encouragers and, if possible, work with colleagues you find stimulating. People often find that, as they get older, they spend more time with personal and professional soul mates. Encourage yourself. Do more of the things you love such as listening to music, visiting the theatre or whatever.  

Spend less time - or no time - with people who drain energy Radical changes are difficult to make overnight but, unless the holes are filled, encouragement will simply flow out of the bottom. You can do two things with the stoppers.

Clarifying how to raise self confidence

Stop seeing people who drain energy Why take such a drastic step? Energy is life. We need pure energy, rather than poisonous energy. Unless the holes are filled, encouragement will ebb away.  

Start making clear contracts with the people who both encourage and stop you

 Start by rewarding the positive. This means giving clear messages about the specific things you like the other person doing. Explain how you would like to build on these parts of the relationship.

Give the person positive alternatives to the possible negative behaviour by saying: “In the future, is it possible for you to …?” or “I would prefer it if you…”

Present suggestions to the other person, rather than label the person as bad.

It is unlikely that a negative person, for example, will respond immediately. Everybody needs time to lick their wounds. But it is important not to argue or blame game others.

What if the negative person refuses to respond? It will be time to make a decision. It is important to give to others, but not become a victim. There is no point in staying around to have your pot drilled by people who choose to be miserable or to be ‘observer critics’.

Be an encourager for other people Encourage your encouragers. This may lead to getting even more positive energy and continuing to build good relationships. Finally, when in doubt, can ask: “Does this activity give me energy?” If not, you can switch to spending time with the people – and on the activities – that provide stimulation. This may seem tough. But it is much tougher to stay with negative people.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.

Describe the specific things you can do to keep filling your Pot.

Describe the specific things you can do to deal with any drilling of your Pot.

Describe the specific things you can do to be a Pot Filler for other people.

*

*

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Pot Filling. The specific things I can do to maintain or improve the level of confidence in my pot are:

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*

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Pot Drilling. The specific things I can do to deal with any drilling of the level of confidence in my pot are:

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*

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Being A Pot Filler. The specific things I can do to be a Pot Filler for other people are:

Control

People like to feel in control. Feeling in control is a human need almost as much as for oxygen, food and water

People like to feel in control to at least 7/10. This doesn’t mean, for example, that they can predict everything that will happen in the future.

But they feel confident they can do their best in many situations. People who don’t feel in control may develop other symptoms, such as illness, depression or other difficulties.

People who are happy tend to recognise what they can and can’t control. They can control their attitude, professionalism and certain other things. They cannot control certain outside events or what other people think about them.

The following pages provide exercises on these themes.

Introduction

Feeling In Control

There are many exercises people can do to clarify the extent to which they feel in control. This exercise invites you to do two things.

Describe the extent to which you feel in control of your life and work. Do this on a scale 0 – 10.

This means that you feel in charge of your life and, for example, able to shape your future. Just go with your gut reaction and rate the extent to feel able to be in control.

Describe the specific things you can do to maintain or improve the rating.

Introduction

People like to feel in control.

On a scale 0-10, to what extent do you feel in control of shaping your future.

What are the specific things you can do to feel more in control?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Feeling In Control

*

*

*

The specific things I can do to improve the rating and take more control of shaping my future are:

Controlling The Controllables

People who are happy tend to be positive realists. Bearing in mind their long-term picture of success, they put their energies into focusing on what they can control.  They can control their attitude, professionalism and other things. They cannot control other people or certain outside events. They can, of course, try to influence these factors. This exercise invites you to:

Describe the specific things you can control in your life and work.

Describe the specific things you can’t control.

Describe the specific things you can do to build on what you can control and manage what you can’t.

Introduction

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Can Control

The specific things I can control in my life and work are:

*

*

*

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Can’t Control

The specific things I can’t control in my life and work are:

*

*

*

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Controlling The Controllables

The specific things I can do to build on what I can control and manage what I can’t are:

*

*

*

Principles

There are many ways to live life. One approach is to be true to yourself and the values you believe in. It is then to translate these into action.

Different people follow this path in different ways. A person may choose, for example:

To follow their inner compass.

To follow the core principles they believe in.

To serve something greater than themselves such as a spiritual faith, vocation or a sense of purpose.

The following pages provide exercises on these themes.

Introduction

Following Your Principles

There are many ways to be true to yourself. One approach is to clarify the core principles you want to follow.

These principles can become your centre. They can provide the inner compass that you can keep returning to in your daily life.

Starting from this centre, you can then express these principles in both personal and professional situations. You can ask:

“What are the principles I want to follow in my life? How can I express in these principles in different situations?

“How can I then return to my centre and refocus on what I believe in? How can I express these principles in the next personal or professional situation?”

Introduction

My Principles Are:***

The Personal Situation Is:

A Person Can Clarify Their Principles And Then Follow These In Personal And Professional Situations

The Professional Situation Is:

The Personal Situation Is:

The Professional Situation Is:

The ProfessionalSituation Is:

The Personal Situation Is:

A person who takes this approach is more likely to be centred. They keep returning to their inner compass. They then focus on how they can follow their chosen principles in the different situations they encounter in life.

This exercise invites you to do the following things.

Describe the principles that you want to follow in your life.

Describe the specific things you can do to follow these principles in personal situations.

Describe the specific things you can do to follow these principles in professional situations.

My Principles

The specific principles I want to follow in my life are:

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Personal Situations

The specific things I can do to follow these principles in personal situations are:

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Professional Situations

The specific things I can do to follow these principles in professional situations are:

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My Lifetime Picture of Success

My Life Goals

One approach to developing a sense of purpose is to clarify your lifetime picture of success. You can then aim to achieve these goals.

Everybody is different and everybody has different pictures of success. What is your picture? Looking back on your life when you are 80, what for you will mean you have had a successful life? This is a particularly challenging exercise, so only do it if you feel okay about it.

The exercise invites you to start from your destination and define your overall life goals. People often cover three themes when doing this exercise.

* Positive Relationships.

They focus on how they want to be remembered as a parent, partner, friend or whatever.

Introduction

* Positive Memories.

They focus on how they want to enjoy life, pursue experiences and have no regrets.

* Positive Contribution.

They focus on how they want to follow their vocation, do good work or make a positive contribution to the world.

You may prefer to clarify your life goals in another way. Whatever approach you take, however, clarifying these goals can act as a long-term compass.

You can return to these aims when making key decisions. You can ask yourself:

“Looking at the possible options, which route will help me to work towards achieving my picture of success?”

My Life Goals

1) I have

For example:

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*

Looking back in later years, I will feel my life has been successful if I have done the following things.

2) I have

For example:

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*

3) I have

For example:

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*

My Vocation

A person’s vocation is their calling. It is what they are here to do. Their vocation remains constant throughout their life. But they may express it through various vehicles on the way towards doing valuable work.

Finding one’s vocation can take years. But it is possible to make a start by looking back at the satisfying projects you have done in your life. Looking at each of these projects in turn, what made them satisfying? Can you see any patterns?

Sometimes there is a red thread that runs through these projects. This key theme could be, for example, activities such as:

Encouraging people … Creating beautiful environments … Making things work … Passing on knowledge … Helping people to become the best they can be … or another theme.

Introduction

Vehicles

Vocation

Valuable Work

You can focus on your:

The following exercise assumes you have already done some work on clarifying the themes that run through your most satisfying projects. It invites you to do the following things.

Describe what you believe may be your vocation. Also describe when you have expressed this theme in the past.

Describe the ways you can express this vocation through various vehicles in the future.

Describe the steps you can then take to do valuable work.

As mentioned earlier, getting the right wording can take years. But this exercise offers a starting point.

Looking at the themes that run through the satisfying projects I have done in my life, I believe my vocation may be:

 * To

The specific situations where I have expressed this theme - or similar themes - in the past have been:

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My Vocation

The specific things I can do to express this vocation through various vehicles in the future are:

 

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My Vehicles

The specific things I can therefore do to try to do valuable work are:

 

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Valuable Work

Peak Performance

There are many views on how to achieve peak performance. One approach is to focus on what you do best. It is to build on your strengths, do satisfying work and achieve your picture of success.

Another approach is to follow your passion and translate this into a clear purpose. It is then to be professional, perform superb work and achieve peak performance.

Another approach is to become the best you can be. John Wooden, the famous basketball coach, described this in the following way.

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

The following pages provide some exercises on these themes.

Introduction

The Strengths Approach

Imagine that you want to build on your strengths and do satisfying work. Anybody can do work they love, the art is getting somebody to pay you for doing it.

How to make this happen? One approach is to focus on the following themes.

Strengths

You can build on your strengths.

Sponsors

You can find sponsors - customers or employers - who will pay you for doing what you do best.

Success

You can do superb work and help these people to achieve success.

Introduction

You can build on your strengths, find sponsors who will pay you for doing what you do best and help those people to achieve success. You can focus on your:

Satisfying Work

Sponsors

Strengths

Success

The world of work has changed. There are no long-term jobs anymore, but there are lots of projects. During our lives we may follow the same themes in our work but move from project to project. It can therefore be useful to focus on the following steps.

Step One is to clarify your strengths. These are the deeply satisfying activities in which you deliver As rather than Bs or Cs.

Step Two is to clarify your potential sponsors. These are the people - the customers and employers - with whom you work best. It is also to clarify the challenges they face.

Step Three is to clarify how you can use your strengths to help those people to achieve success.

The next few pages provide questions you can use to explore these themes. The pack then provides exercises you can use to build on your strengths and help people to achieve success.

Strengths

What are the deeply satisfying activities in which you deliver As,rather than Bs or Cs? What are the activities that give you positive energy? When are you in your element - at ease and yet able to excel? When do you flow, focus, finish and then, as a by-product, get a sense of fulfilment?

When do see the destination quickly? When do you go ‘A, B … and then leap to … Z’? Where do you see patterns quickly? Where do you have good personal radar - you seem to know what will happen before it happens?

Where do you have the equivalent of a photographic memory? When do you score highly on drive, detail and delivery? Where do you have a track record of always doing the basics and then adding the brilliance?

What are the activities in which you have natural self-discipline? When do you make complicated things look simple? When do you enjoy the journey as much as reaching the goal? When do you reach the goal and then add that touch of class?

When are you good at dealing with crowdedness – many things happening at the same time? What are the activities in which you are calm and then do creative problem solving by focusing on clarity, creativity and concrete results?

What is your successful style of working? Looking back, what for you have been your most satisfying projects? What made these satisfying? Looking at these projects, can you see any patterns? How can you follow these principles - plus maybe add other skills - to do satisfying work in the future?

Sponsors

Who are the kinds of people - customers or employers - with whom you work best? What are the characteristics of these people? What are the reasons why you work well with them?

When have you worked well with these kinds of people in thepast? What did you do to help them to achieve success? Whatwere the specific things you actually delivered? What were the specific benefits of delivering these things to people?

What are the present and future challenges facing these kinds ofpeople? What may be happening in their world? Looking to the future, what do they want to achieve for themselves, their team or their organisation? What is their picture of success?

Success

How can you use your strengths to help these people to tackle their challenges? What are the specific things you can actually deliver to help them to achieve their picture of success? What will be the benefits - to all the various stakeholders - of delivering these things to people?

How can you reach these people in a way that fits your values system? How can you sit alongside them, clarify what they want to achieve and share ideas? How can you, if appropriate, make clear contracts about the specific things you can deliver to help them to achieve success?

How can you perform superb work? How can you proactively keeppeople informed about your progress towards achieving the goals? How can you do everything possible to help them to achieve their picture of success?

Strengths

The following pages invite you to clarify your strengths

My Strengths

Introduction

This exercise invites you to describe your strengths. It invites you to do the following things.

Describe the deeply satisfying activities in which you deliver As.

These may be particular kinds of projects, tasks or other activities. Try to be as specific as possible and give concrete examples.

Describe the activities in which you deliver Bs and Cs.

The B activities are probably those that you can do reasonably well.They are not your As, however, or maybe they were once but now youget bored doing them.

The C activities are those in which you have little aptitude or desire tolearn.

As. The deeply satisfying activities, projects or other tasks in which I deliver – or have the potential to deliver - As are:

1)

For example:

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*

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My A Strengths

2)

For example:

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3)

For example:

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Bs. The activities in which I deliver Bs are:

1)

For example:

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2)

For example:

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My Bs

Cs. The activities in which I deliver Cs are:

1)

For example:

*

2)

For example:

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My Cs

Sponsors

The following pages invite you to clarify your potential sponsors

So far you have clarified your strengths. It can then be useful to clarify your potential sponsors. This following pages invite you to do the following things.

To clarify your perfect customers - these are the kinds of customer or employers with whom you work best.

To clarify the challenges these people face and the goals they want to achieve.

To clarify how you can use your strengths to help these people to achieve success.

Here are the exercises on these themes.

Introduction

My Perfect Customers

The specific kinds of customers with whom I work best are:

1)

The specific characteristics of these people are:

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*

*

2)

The specific characteristics of these people are:

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*

3)

The specific characteristics of these people are:

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The specific challenges these potential customers face - and the specific goals they want achieve - are:

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The specific things I can do to use my strengths to help these people to achieve success are:

Success

The following pages invite you to clarify how you can help your sponsors to achieve success

People buy success, rather than the theory of success. So it is vital to deliver the goods.

Imagine that you have managed to get a piece of work with a sponsor. It will then be important:

To make clear contracts with the sponsor about the specific results to deliver - the agreed picture of success.

To do superb work, deliver some quick successes and proactively keep the sponsor informed about your progress towards achieving the picture of such success.

To encourage yourself on the journey, find solutions to challenges and do what is required to achieve the agreed picture of success.

Here is an exercise that invites you to focus on these themes.

Introduction

Delivering Success

The specific things I can do to make clear contracts with the sponsor about the results to be delivered - the picture of success - are:

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*

*

The specific things I can do to perform superb work, get quick successes and proactively keep the sponsor informed about progress towards achieving the picture of success are:

*

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*

The specific things I can do to encourage myself on the journey, find solutions to challenges and do

what is required to achieve the picture of success are:

*

*

*

Creating Success Stories

Imagine that you have done work with a customer. Sometimes it can be useful to record what people did to deliver success. This also helps to establish credibility.

Different people use different frameworks for sharing success stories. This one invites people to start by choosing a title for the story. They can then bring it to life by writing a compelling story, using video or employing other media.

The format invites people to describe the specific situation, strategies and successes. It also asks them to summarise the learning.

You can, if you wish, adapt this approach in your own way to describe the specific results that you have helped to deliver.

Introduction

The title of the success story is:

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The Success Story

 The specific situation we faced - including the specific challenges - was:

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The Situation

The Strategies

 The strategies we followed to tackle the challenge and achieve the picture of success were:

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The Successes

 The specific results that were delivered were:

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 So here is a summary of the specific things we did and the things we learned:

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This to include: a) The strategies that worked and how these could be followed more in the future; b) The things we could do better next time and how; c) The other things of interest.

The Summary

The Peak Performance

Approach

There are many ways to do fine work. Some people say: “Follow your passion.”

Other people say: “This is a good starting point, but there is much more involved.”

Peak Performers often start by following their passion and translating this into a clear purpose. They do professional work, find solutions to problems and achieve peak performance.

Some people stop there. Others want to pass on their knowledge and perhaps enjoy a sense of peace.

This section explores how you can follow this path in your own way.

Introduction

The Peak Performer’s Path

Passion

Purpose

Professionalism

Problem Solving

Peak Performance

Passing On Knowledge

Peace

Can you think of a time when you have followed some of these steps?

You may have been pursuing an interest, playing a sport, working for a cause, teaching a seminar, leading a project or whatever. You may have been working alone or with a team.

What did you do then to follow some of these steps? What happened as a result?

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.

Describe a specific time when you follow some aspects of the peak performer's path.

Describe the specific things you did to follow some of these steps in your own way.

The Peak Performer’s Path In The Past

The specific time in the past when I followed some aspects of the peak performer’s path was:

*

The specific things I did to follow some of these steps in my own way were:

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*

*

Imagine that you may want to follow some of these steps in the future. Let’s explore how to make this happen.

Passion

Great workers pursue a passion in which they have the ability to achieve peak performance.

They may feel passionately about encouraging people, designing gardens, playing a musical instrument, finding a medical cure, fighting for justice, caring for animals or whatever.

Such people spend a lot of time exploring a particular theme, however, before settling on pursuing a specific activity.

“How can you choose such an activity?” somebody may ask. There are several things worth bearing in mind.

Positive Energy

Choose an activity that gives you positive energy, even when you think about it.

Peak Performance

Choose an activity where you have the potential to deliver peak performance. Choose one that you find fascinating, have a feeling for and in which you have a track record of finishing.

Purpose

Great workers translate their passion into a clear purpose. They may aim to write an article, climb a mountain, finish a marathon, teach an inspiring course, lead a team to success, build a certain kind of culture of whatever.

People like to have a sense of purpose. They love to work towards achieving a compelling goal. This can provide meaning and structure to their days.

Imagine that you want to follow one of your passions and translate this into a clear purpose. You may want to express this purpose by working to achieve a specific goal.

You may want to write an article, teach a seminar, create a website for people with a particular illness or do some other project. What will be the benefits of achieving this purpose - both for you and for other people?

Bearing in mind the work involved, how would you rate your motivation to pursue the project? Rate this on a scale 0 – 10. Make sure the rating is at least 8+/10. Will achieving this goal give you a sense of peace?

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.

Describe one of your passions that you want to translate into a clear purpose.

Describe the specific goal you would like to achieve that will be an expression of this purpose. Describe the specific things that will be happening that will show you have achieved the goal.

Describe the specific benefits of achieving the goal – both for you and other people.

Purpose

The specific passion I want to translate into a clear purpose is:

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The specific goal I want to achieve that will be an expression of this purpose is that I want to:

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The specific things that will be happening that will show I have achieved this goal will be:

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The specific benefits of achieving this goal - both for myself and for other people - will be:

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Professionalism

Great workers are super professional. Imagine you have set a specific goal. What are the three key strategies you can follow to give yourself the greatest chance of success?

How can you build on your strengths and manage the consequences of any weaknesses? How can you follow your successful style of working? How can you get the right people around you who will complement your strengths?

How can you maintain good habits? How can you keep doing the right things in the right way every day? How can you make sure you are still on the road to achieving your picture of success?

How can you keep focusing on the things that are in the green, amber and red zones? How can you manage these things and stay ahead of the game?

Problem Solving

Great workers find solutions to challenges. How can you anticipate and prevent potential difficulties? How can you manage these difficulties if they do happen?

You will have your way of staying calm and finding solutions to difficulties. One approach is to use the 3C model. It is to focus on clarity, creativity and concrete results. They ask some of the following questions.

What is the challenge I want to tackle? What are the real results I want to achieve? What is the picture of success?

What are the possible options for going forwards? What are the pluses and minuses of each option?

Which route do I want to follow? How can I translate this into a clear action plan and achieve the picture of success?

You can stay calm and keep focusing on:

Creative Problem Solving

Clarity

CreativityConcrete Results

ClarityChallenges. The specific challenge I want to tackle is: ‘How to …?’Clarity. The real results I want to achieve are:Controllables. The things I can control in the situation are:

CreativityChoices. The possible options for achieving the results are:Consequences. The pluses and minuses of each option are:Creative Solutions. The other possible creative solutions are:

Concrete ResultsConclusions. The route I want to follow is:Contracts. The contracts I need to make to achieve the results are:Concrete Results. The specific action plan for achieving the results is:

Peak Performance

Great workers deliver the goods. How can you do whatever is necessary to reach the goals? How can you always do the basics and then add the brilliance?

How can you encourage yourself on the journey? How can you manage your energy properly? How can you build in time to rest, reflect and refocus?

How can you keep improving? How can you keep focusing on: a) The specific things you are doing well and how you can do more of these; b) The specific things you can do better and how?

How can you be a good finisher? How can you flow, focus and finish? How can you add that touch of class? How can you achieve peak performance?

Passing On Knowledge

Great workers sometimes want to go beyond doing fine work. They want to share what they have learned with other people. How can you do this in your own way? It can be useful to start by focusing on the What, Why, Who, How and When.

The What

What is the knowledge you want to pass on? You may have learned lessons from gardening, counselling, building houses, managing crises, leading teams or solving particular problems or whatever.

The Why

Why would you like to pass on this knowledge? What would be the benefits for people? What are the practical tools they could take away and use in their daily lives and work? How could these things help them to succeed?

The Who

Who would you like to reach with the knowledge? Would they be young people, those with learning difficulties, budding entrepreneurs, athletes, leaders, scientists, social entrepreneurs, therapists or other people?

The How

How would you like to share your knowledge? You may prefer to act as a mentor, coach or trusted advisor. Alternatively, you may prefer to run seminars, write articles, create websites, make television programmes or whatever.

The When

When do you want to share the ideas with people? What would be your preferred setting? Would you like to run a seminar, produce a blog, run a coaching session or whatever?

Peace

Great workers love to do their best. This can lead to them enjoying a sense of peace.

Looking back on your life, when have you had this feeling? You may have enjoyed it after playing a sport, completing a project, encouraging people during the day or whatever.

What did you do right to give your best? How can you follow those principles – plus maybe add other skills – to enjoy a sense of peace in the future?

Great workers rest for a while. Reflecting in what they have learned, they also do things that give them positive energy. This can lead to them embarking on the next stimulating project.

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.

Describe a specific time in the future when you may want to follow aspects of the peak performer's path.

Describe the specific things you may want to do to follow aspects of the path.

Describe the specific benefits of doing these things – both for yourself and for other people.

The Peak Performer’s Path In The Future

The specific time in the future when I may want to follow aspects of the peak performer’s path may be:

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The specific things I can do to follow some of these steps in my own way are:

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The specific benefits of doing these things - both for myself and other people - could be:

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There are many ways to live life. One approach is to focus on being positive, following your principles and doing your best to achieve peak performance.

There are, of course, many dimensions to the themes that have been described in this pack. You can discover more about the background and practical tools on the following website.

http://www.thepositiveencourager.global/

There is lots of material on the website. If you want to explore a particular theme further, it may therefore be best to contact me directly. You can reach me at the following address.

mike@thepositiveencourager.global

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