In our previous “5 Things You Need to Change to Become a High-Achieving Person” blog, we talked about how most of us have goals and aspirations to do big things in life but many of us also create ready-made excuses as to why we may fall short. The reason some people succeed where others struggle comes down to focus, dedication and determination.

When you undertake any meaningful task, especially major life initiatives, you have to be willing to discard practices that don’t serve you and acquire new practices that will keep you motivated and on track. We’ve already covered five unhelpful practices to discard, so today we look at five changes that you can employ today to help put you on a path to becoming a high-achieving person.

1. Listen to your feelings

At any given moment, our feelings may be anything but random. Many times, they are really more of a subconscious barometer letting us know whether or not we are currently on a proper course. When we are on our proper path, we feel good and things flow much easier. When we veer off the path, tasks seemingly become more difficult and we often feel like we are moving up a steep hill. You need to listen to your subconscious mind so you can hear what it’s telling you.

If you find yourself regularly feeling angry, anxious, fearful or apathetic, it’s a pretty clear sign that something is off. The intensification of these feelings can be an indicator of just how far off course you’ve veered. Burn out doesn’t come from too much work, it comes from a place of apathy. When you love what you do, you can do it all day. Listen to your emotions and be willing to change if they are telling you that you have diverted from your proper path.

2. Face your problems head-on

Nobody goes through life without encountering obstacles. Whether our obstacles present themselves in the form of financial, personal, emotional or physical issues, being able to address these issues head-on is paramount to solving them. Obstacles are like speed bumps and they have the same result – slowing down a person’s forward progress.

Problems and challenges exist whether or not you’re willing to accept them, it’s just a part of life. Problems carry their own weight. Picture holding a full glass of water. It doesn’t feel heavy right away, but hold that glass long enough, and the fatigue increases. The perceived weight of the glass after several minutes is much higher than when you first begin holding the glass. Having the fortitude to accept and face your challenges head-on in a timely manner will help you eliminate unneeded negative weight, freeing up space for the energy you need to accomplish your most important goals.

3. Delegate

Many successful people have to fight the urge to control everything. No one is capable of doing everything and certainly not at a high level. Focusing on the things that you are great at while delegating tasks in which you’re less skilled will free you up to be your best while also engaging those around you.

Asking for help and delegating to others is certainly no sign of weakness; it’s a sign of wisdom. Larry Bird was a fantastic NBA basketball player but when the opportunity to become a head coach presented itself, he had no experience and didn’t really know where to start. He surrounded himself with the finest assistant coaches, some of whom had been head coaches previously. He listened and he learned. He became so skilled that, not only did he win, he was eventually promoted to president of basketball operations. He accepted what he didn’t know and was willing to surround himself with talent so he could learn everything possible from his talented, hand-selected team.

4. Take care of yourself

We may have visions of achieving great things, but anything worth achieving takes energy. We can’t be our best if we don’t feel our best. Eliminating bad habits, or least practicing some form of moderation, can help us maintain our energy levels and help to regulate our moods.

It doesn’t mean you need to join a gym, practice yoga or give up your favorite cold beverage. It simply means that whatever unhealthy habits you may enjoy from time to time should be practiced occasionally, not as a regular way of life.

In her article that was the inspiration behind this blog, Brianna Wiest of Forbes shared valuable insight with her philosophy, “It’s not about achieving perfection, it’s just about facilitating your health so that you can get out of your own way.” Celebrate your victories but be able to answer the bell in the morning. Tomorrow is another day and it’s going to require your focus if you want to succeed.

5. Practice admiration, not jealousy

Whatever it is we aspire to in life, there’s someone we can identify as the ideal example of success. Baseball players may wish to pitch like Greg Maddux whereas vocalists may one day hope to sing like Steve Perry. Writers may strive to evoke the brilliance of Hemingway while artists may want to channel their inner Picasso. Whatever it is you’re interested in and whomever it is you look up to, the key is to view that person with respect and never with jealousy.

You don’t need to aspire to something on the world stage to put this practice to use. Maybe your aspirations are as simple as paying off your credit card debt or owning your home outright. They key is to create a plan that puts your goal in motion, not wasting time feeling envious toward your neighbor who owns their house outright and just bought a brand new sports car.

The key is to look at the other person’s accomplishments as inspiration for what you hope to accomplish. When you view someone else from an area of respect and admiration, you channel the positive energy and valuable life lessons needed to accomplish your goals. When you look with envy upon someone for what they have or what they accomplished, you equate their success with negativity. Doing so creates negativity in your own subconscious making it next to impossible to achieve your most important goals.

Conclusion

If we can envision accomplishing something, we likely have the ability to achieve it. It takes a focused, concerted effort to accomplish something big in our lives. We have to have a plan, the fortitude and the follow-through to see this important goal come to fruition. We have to be willing to make positive changes in our lives to eliminate some bad habits and replace those things with practices that energize us, keep us focused and continually remind us that we are on track. You can accomplish virtually anything you want to if you have a plan, a positive mindset and work daily to stay on track. Believing in yourself goes a long way too.