Sustainable Success

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Sustainable success

To be successful you must be able to sustain your efforts over decades.

Anything that is truly valuable takes decades to achieve.

• If you want to build a successful business, it will take years, not months.
• If you want to build a championship performance, it will take years of sustained effort.
• If you want successful relationships, you want them to last for years, not months.

To be successful you must "play the game" for years. So therefore, you must work in ways that are sustainable.

In this respect there are two ways that people fail.

1. Some people don't work hard enough. The consequences of laziness are obvious.
2. Other people work too hard, for too long. The consequences of working too hard, are not obvious. But they are very real. The consequences are mental and physical overwhelm and the eventual collapse of mind and body.

In order to be sustainable, your efforts must fall within the middle ground between the two extremes. This means working hard, with sufficient rest and recuperation.

Working too hard

Do you know anyone who pushes themselves too hard?

They work until they collapse. They fall ill, then they slowly recover. The moment they feel recovered, they immediately go back to overworking again.

The formula for disaster is: Work, work, work, work, work, work, collapse.

If you are in this cycle you must do the following three things:

1. Recognise the futility of the cycle.
2. Commit yourself to change.
3. Replace the cycle with the success formula, of a sustainable working practice.

Sustainable Working

Sustainable working means you work hard; then you rest and recuperate; then you return tomorrow and work hard again; then you must STOP working and go home and rest.

The formula for success is: Work, rest, work, rest, work, rest.

Balance work and rest

Remember that you are a limited resource facing an unlimited demand. If you work too hard for too long, you will exhaust your limited reserves of mental and physical energy and you will experience a meltdown.

Therefore, you need to respect the laws of your nature and work in ways that will allow you to keep winning for decades to come.

Moderate the intensity, duration and frequency of your work effort.

Balance work and rest.

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Further Reading in Personal Effectiveness

• How to Respond to a Negative Situation
  Many people do not respond well to negative feedback, feeling that it is personal criticism. Sometimes feedback may turn to conflict, which in turn can lead to anger and upset. Take a look at our guide as to how to handle these negative situations.
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• Habit Pattern v Thought Process
  We all develop habits. Habits tend to eliminate the need for conscious thought. Which is fine, if all our habits were GOOD habits, but unfortunately they are not all good.
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• How to make the most of your journey to work
  Commuting to work can be tedious and mind-numbingly boring. So, we have put together some suggestions on how you can make the most of your down time stuck in traffic, or waiting for the train. Use your down time to improve yourself.
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• How Can I Make People Like Me?
  Everyone wants to be liked by others. Being honest and trustworthy, is a good start. Here are ten tips to remember if you want to be liked and admired by others. Try one today, you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
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• How to Stop Worrying
  Many people spend too much valuable time, fretting and worrying over things which have happened; or might happen. Fretting and worrying doesn't change anything other than your emotional state.
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