The Six Attitudes of High Achievers

By: John R. Noe

1. High achievers make no small plans: Plan BIG

I agree with this attitude by John R Noe. In order to be successful in life, we need to show that we want success. We can do this by planning big, and taking those actions. An example of this can be if you are planning to go to college, you need to plan BIG since freshman year. Since freshman year, you need to have good grades and be involved in school. Also throughout these 4 years you should be looking into your major and which colleges you would like to study at. If you barely start planning your senior year, you will be making small plans & will be unprepared. Planning BIG to me is planning ahead of time so that your plans will be carried out smoothly. I will apply this new attitude by not limiting myself to having small plans. When I make plans for myself, I will make sure to always plan BIG so that my goals will be reached and so that I set high standards for myself. If I set these high standards and plans fro myself, then I will be a step closer to being a higher achiever. I chose this quote by Walt Disney because it tells us how any dream is possible to accomplish, no matter how big or small. We can achieve anything we desire if we put our minds to it.

 2. High Achievers do what they fear This attitude by John Noe is very moving and inspiring. What this attitude means to me is that you should do what others think you cannot do or are not capable of doing.  Too often we let fear paralyze us and make us completely still. We become stuck in this fear and we spend all of our time treading water.If you start to tread in one place for a long period of time, you will become tired and sink. This also applies to the real world because if you let fear control you then you will always be scared and will never accomplish you goals. High achievers do what they are scared of doing because they are braver than the fear that they have itself.

3.High Achievers are willing to prepare.This attitude by John Noe means that in order to reach your goals you need to prepare yourself. No high achiever could possibly be successful over night. Masters of anything in the world understand the need to prepare to get better. High achievers understand the need for an organizational plan to prepare each and every day to execute on their vision. High achievement is a process rather than an event. Every big event is a result of little events that were carefully planned along the way. Once you reach your highest goal, you can talk and  write about it, savor it as a memory. In the daily experience of preparation, you are a step closer to being a high achiever.Attaining high goals require that they be planned out ahead of time, so there wont be any surprises at the end. Its better to be prepared than unprepared because life takes unexpected turns. For example, if I am unsure if practice starts at 2:30 or 3:00, I would be there at 2:30 so I am giving myself the benefit of the doubt. And if I am early, then I have some free time before practice to prepare ahead.

4.High Achievers are willing to risk failure High achievers understand that with every risk comes a chance of failure. When failure happens, high achievers don’t quit. They get up and move on. If they dwell on the loss they took, they're will never be room for improvement. If you are not willing to take a risk for the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. A person who wishes success has to view failure as a healthy inevitable part of their journey. Failure is not the enemy of success. Everyone fails at least once in their lifetimes, and probably many more times. Just because you fail at something doesn't mean you lost forever. There will always be new opportunities waiting for you. When you fail at something, it prepares you to be even netter for next time.If you are going to be a high achiever you must learn to "fail" your way to high achievement. An example can be seen when I dropped the flag in color guard. I picked it up and kept trying until I finally got the difficult task.

5. High Achievers are TeachableHigh achievers are people who seek knowledge. They spend time reading, studying, and observing and listening to those around them. Being a teachable person means either you are being taught something, or you are teaching others. High achievers like to learn things raw, no shortcuts or anything of that sort. High achievers continuously pursue new knowledge anywhere and everywhere, as well as new insights. Having a teachable mindset requires 3 things-  reading, observing, and listening. It also demands  recognition that "the higher you go the more help you need." High-achievement goals can only be attained with the help and advice of others. They will take advantage of the many mentors along their path to guide them to success. I will apply this new way to my life by reading everyday, so that I can gain new knowledge.

6.High Achievers have heartThings that come from our hearts include goals, visions, and sensitivity to other people. Out of this emotional connection comes the opportunity to serve others at a higher level. Having heart when you are a high achiever is important because you need some emotion at some point in order to make righteous decisions. The best rewards in life come to those with a heart to persist and the courage to stay away from the pessimistic crowd. Some people are satisfied with "just getting by" or barely reaching a goal, but a determined heart is the heart of a champion. High achievers have a purpose, and have the heart to pursue it when everyone else quits. An example of a high achiever having heart can be seen with celebrity Rihanna. She is a high achiever and has worked very hard for her success, but she also has heart. She had heart enough to be grateful for all the wealth success has brought her and used some of it to donate to charities. I will apply this new attitude to my life by writing my goals in my journal, and not giving up until I accomplish them.