7 Qualities of Uber-Productive People

They work hard, and they work smart. But highly productive people also tend to think about their work differently from everyone else.



Some people get more done than others--a lot more.

Sure, they work hard. And they work smart. But they possess other qualities that make a major impact on their performance.

They do the work in spite of disapproval or ridicule.

Work too hard, strive too hard, appear to be too ambitious, try to stand out from the crowd. It's a lot easier and much more comfortable to reel it in to ensure you fit in.

Pleasing the 

(average- performing) crowd is something remarkably productive people don't worry about. (They may think about it, but then they keep pushing on.)

They hear the criticism, they take the potshots, they endure the laughter or derision or even hostility--and they keep on measuring themselves and their efforts by their own standards.

And, in the process, they achieve what they want to achieve.

They see fear the same way other people view lunch.

One of my clients is an outstanding--and outstandingly successful--comic. Audiences love him. He's crazy good.

Yet he still has panic attacks before he walks onstage. He knows he'll melt down, sweat through his shirt, feel sick to his stomach, and all the rest. It's just the way he is.

So, just before he goes onstage, he takes a quick shower, puts on fresh clothes, drinks a bottle of water, jumps up and down and does a little shadowboxing, and out he goes.

He's still scared. He knows he'll always be scared. He accepts it as part of the process. Pre-show fear is like lunch: It's going to happen.

Anyone hoping to achieve great things gets nervous. Anyone trying to achieve great things gets scared.

Productive people aren't braver than others; they just find the strength to keep moving forward. They realize fear is paralyzing while action creates confidence and self-assurance.

They can still do their best on their worst day.

Norman Mailer said, "Being a real writer means being able to do the work on a bad day."

Remarkably successful people don't make excuses. They forge ahead, because they know establishing great habits takes considerable time and effort. They know how easy it is to instantly create a bad habit by giving in--even just this one time.

They see creativity as the result of effort, not inspiration.

Most people wait for an idea. Most people think creativity happens. They expect a divine muse will someday show them a new way, a new approach, a new concept.

And they wait and wait and wait.

Occasionally, great ideas do just come to people. Mostly, though, creativity is the result of effort: toiling, striving, refining, testing, experimenting... The work itself results in inspiration.

Remarkably productive people don't wait for ideas. They don't wait for inspiration. They know that big ideas most often come from people who do, not people who dream.

They see help as essential, not weakness.

Pretend you travel to an unfamiliar country, you know only a few words of the language, and you're lost and a little scared.

Would you ask for help? Of course. No one knows everything. No one is great at everything.

Productive people soldier on and hope effort will overcome a lack of knowledge or skill. And it does, but only to a point.

Remarkably productive people also ask for help. They know asking for help is a sign of strength--and the key to achieving more.

They start...

At times, you will lack motivation and self-discipline. At times, you'll be easily distracted. At times, you'll fear failure or success.

Procrastination is a part of what makes people human; it's not possible to completely overcome any of those shortcomings.

Wanting to put off a difficult task is normal. Avoiding a challenge is normal.

But think about a time you put off a task, finally got started, and then, once into it, thought, "I don't know why I kept putting this off--it's going really well. And it didn't turn out to be nearly as hard as I imagined."

It never is.

Highly productive people try not to think about the pain they'll feel in the beginning; they focus on how good they will feel once they're engaged and involved.

And they get started. And then they don't stop.

...And they finish.

Unless there's a really, really good reason not to finish--which, of course, there almost never is.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/7-qualities-of-uber-productive-people.html

12 Things Truly Confident People Do Differently

Confidence takes many forms, from the arrogance of Floyd Mayweather to the quiet self-assurance of Jane Goodall. True confidence—as opposed to the false confidence people project to mask their insecurities—has a look all its own.

When it comes to confidence, one thing is certain: truly confident people always have the upper hand over the doubtful and the skittish because they inspire others and they make things happen.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right." 

--Henry Ford

Ford’s notion that your mentality has a powerful effect on your ability to succeed is manifest in the results of a recent study at the University of Melbourne that showed that confident people went on to earn higher wages and get promoted more quickly than anyone else.

Learning to be confident is clearly important, but what is it that truly confident people do that sets them apart from everyone else?

I did some digging to uncover the 12 cardinal habits of truly confident people so that you can incorporate these behaviors into your repertoire.

1. They Get Their Happiness from Within

Happiness is a critical element of confidence, because in order to be confident in what you do, you have to be happy with who you are.

People who brim with confidence derive their sense of pleasure and satisfaction from their own accomplishments, as opposed to what other people think of their accomplishments. They know that no matter what anyone says, you’re never as good or as bad as people say you are.

2. They Don’t Pass Judgment

Confident people don’t pass judgment on others because they know that everyone has something to offer, and they don’t need to take other people down a notch in order to feel good about themselves. Comparing yourself to other people is limiting. Confident people don’t waste time sizing people up and worrying about whether or not they measure up to everyone they meet.

3. They Don’t Say Yes Unless They Really Want To

Research conducted at the University of California in San Francisco shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Confident people know that saying no is healthy, and they have the self-esteem to make their nos clear. When it’s time to say no, confident people avoid phrases such as “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain.” They say no with confidence because they know that saying no to a new commitment honors their existing commitments and gives them the opportunity to successfully fulfill them.

4. They Listen More than They Speak

People with confidence listen more than they speak because they don’t feel as though they have anything to prove. Confident people know that by actively listening and paying attention to others, they are much more likely to learn and grow. Instead of seeing interactions as opportunities to prove themselves to others, they focus on the interaction itself, because they know that this is a far more enjoyable and productive approach to people.

5. They Speak with Certainty

It’s rare to hear the truly confident utter phrases such as “Um,” “I’m not sure,” and “I think.” Confident people speak assertively because they know that it’s difficult to get people to listen to you if you can’t deliver your ideas with conviction.

6. They Seek Out Small Victories

Confident people like to challenge themselves and compete, even when their efforts yield small victories. Small victories build new androgen receptors in the areas of the brain responsible for reward and motivation. The increase in androgen receptors increases the influence of testosterone, which further increases their confidence and eagerness to tackle future challenges. When you have a series of small victories, the boost in your confidence can last for months.

7. They Exercise

A study conducted at the Eastern Ontario Research Institute found that people who exercised twice a week for 10 weeks felt more competent socially, academically, and athletically. They also rated their body image and self-esteem higher. Best of all, rather than the physical changes in their bodies being responsible for the uptick in confidence, it was the immediate, endorphin-fueled positivity from exercise that made all the difference.

8. They Don’t Seek Attention

People are turned off by those who are desperate for attention. Confident people know that being yourself is much more effective than trying to prove that you’re important. People catch on to your attitude quickly and are more attracted to the right attitude than what, or how many, people you know. Confident people always seem to bring the right attitude.

Confident people are masters of attention diffusion. When they’re receiving attention for an accomplishment, they quickly shift the focus to all the people who worked hard to help get them there. They don’t crave approval or praise because they draw their self-worth from within.

9. They Aren’t Afraid to Be Wrong

Confident people aren’t afraid to be proven wrong. They like putting their opinions out there to see if they hold up because they learn a lot from the times they are wrong and other people learn from them when they’re right. Self-assured people know what they are capable of and don’t treat being wrong as a personal slight.

10. They Stick Their Necks Out

When confident people see an opportunity, they take it. Instead of worrying about what could go wrong, they ask themselves, “What’s stopping me? Why can’t I do that?” and they go for it. Fear doesn’t hold them back because they know that if they never try, they will never succeed.

11. They Celebrate Other People

Insecure people constantly doubt their relevance, and because of this, they try to steal the spotlight and criticize others in order to prove their worth. Confident people, on the other hand, aren’t worried about their relevance because they draw their self-worth from within. Instead of insecurely focusing inward, confident people focus outward, which allows them to see all the wonderful things that other people bring to the table. Praising people for their contributions is a natural result of this.

12. They Aren’t Afraid to Ask for Help

Confident people know that asking other people for help won’t make them seem weak or unintelligent. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they look to others to fill the gaps. They also know that learning from someone with more expertise is a great way to improve.

Bringing It All Together

Building confidence is a journey, not a destination.

A version of this article first appeared on TalentSmart.com.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246024

These 8 Phrases Kill Your Credibility. So Why Are You Still Using Them?

You want to appear powerful and confident. So why use language that makes you seem small?

You want to project confidence, competence, professionalism, and self-assurance. Not only because it’s how you want people to think of you, but also because your business success depends on it. Yet, chances are, the way you use words is undercutting that professional, confident image. And you aren’t even aware of it.

That’s a shame, according to best-selling author and executive coach Wendy Capland. Would-be leaders and entrepreneurs undermine themselves with what she refers to as minimizing language–words and phrases that imply uncertainty and self-effacement even when they’re trying to give the opposite impression. And while women may be especially prone to harming their images with minimizing language, men can do it too. It’s a good habit for everyone to get out of.

Here’s Capland’s list of words and phrases that can weaken your message and dull your impact. Next time you make a pitch, write an email, give a presentation, or have an important phone conversation, see how many of these all-too-common things you catch yourself saying. Once you’re aware of them, it’s a lot easier to cut down on them, or even cut them out altogether:

1. I just want …

“I’d just like to follow up …” “I just want to mention …” “I just want to tell you …”

Can you see how use of the word just dilutes the impact of each of these statements? Compare “I just want to mention that I have the right experience for this job” with “I want you to know I have the right experience for the job.” Which sounds more powerful to you? To whom would you give the job?

“It’s a qualifier,” Capland says. “It highlights to the person that whatever comment follows the word is smaller or not important.”

2. A little bit

This is another qualifier that may have even more of a minimizing effect than just does. “I’m a little bit concerned that we won’t make our projections this quarter.” Nonsense--if you were only a little concerned you’d have kept your mouth shut. You’re probably scared as hell, and the words you use should make that clear.

3. I feel …

First of all, feel is too often used incorrectly to indicate a thought or a matter of judgment rather than a feeling. But even worse than that is the subtle message it contains that you are an emotional creature subject to moods. Try using “I think” or “I believe” when you’re speaking about an opinion you’ve reached or a judgment you’ve made.

Or, if you really are expressing a feeling, try a form of the more direct and powerful “I am” instead. “I’m excited about this project” comes across stronger than “I feel excited about this project." And “I feel confident we’ll make our projections” indicates a lot less certainty than “I’m confident we'll make our projections.” 

4. I’m sorry

This does not mean you should never apologize, Capland says. It’s perfectly appropriate to apologize when you’ve actually made a mistake or miscalculation, acted thoughtlessly, or caused unhappiness or harm. If that’s the case, then apologizing is one of the most powerful things you can do.

The problem is that too many of us apologize almost reflexively, any time anything unpleasant happens, even if it was in no way our fault. One female executive I know has a particularly bad case of the “I’m sorries" and has apologized to me for everything from a bad snowstorm to the fact that I called the wrong number. It always makes me think of a dog with its tail between its legs, displaying submissiveness in the hope that you won’t be mean. Not the image you want to project.

5. I don’t know

The point is not to pretend you know the answer when you don’t, Capland explains. If you don’t know something, it’s wise to say so--but don’t stop there. You’ll appear not very powerful unless you follow “I don’t know” with whatever should happen next--for example, “I’m going to do some research and get back to you.” Be specific about when that will happen. If you’re mentoring someone, you might follow your “I don’t know” with a suggestion as to how he or she might find an answer.

The point is that “I don’t know” should never be the end of your statement. “If you leave it there and you’re done, it doesn’t make you look good,” Capland says.

6. I’ll try

Yoda said it best: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

“When people say they’ll try, it’s not a commitment,” Capland says. “You can’t actually know what that means. It’s minimizing your power.” If you’re not sure you can do something, then be as specific as you can about what you will or won’t do. Not “I’ll try to get to your party,” but “I want to go to your party but my parents are in town that weekend, so it will depend on what they would like to do.”

7. Turning everything into a question

Don’t phrase everything as a question, and don’t make your statements sound like questions, with a rising inflection at the end, or you risk annoying everyone around you. Worse, this super-minimizing phrasing makes you appear extremely weak. It sounds like you’re asking permission for everything you have to say. You don’t need permission. Go ahead and say it.

8. Do you think I’m ready?

When offered a promotion, plum assignment, or big project, this should never, ever be your response. Of course you’re ready to take on this new challenge, and everything you do and say should reflect your knowledge of that readiness.

If the new project requires specific skills that you lack--say, fluent Spanish when you’ve just had a year or two in high school--then address that issue. Say that you need a refresher course, or perhaps an interpreter. But don’t ask your bosses or customers whether they think you’re ready–or they may start thinking that 

http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/these-8-phrases-kill-your-credibility-so-why-are-you-still-using-them.html