The great eight. Or what I learned from three years of self help books and tapes

 “A savory chef must first master his knife skills and understand the basics of sauces and soups, etc., before he/she may move on to become a great chef. It is no different for pastry chefs. If you do not have a strong foundation and are a master of the basics, then you will never be that strong - you will never be a master of the trade – period.”-Johnny Iuzzini
 

  The great myriad of books on self improvement and the habits of successful people tend to whittle down to eight very simple and powerful qualities which tend to be overlooked

  Be prepared. Plan ahead of the task of at hand and you will leave no room for errors. Do you have an interview tomorrow? Get prepared tonight! From the classroom to the boardroom, when we are prepared we can relax and thereby have more focus in crucial situations.

  Be on time. In a world of clocks, timing is everything. Be early to be on time, it suggests greater reliability and trustworthiness in the people we work with. Try starting your day thirty minutes earlier and leave home with much less anxiety and much more confidence.
 

 “Learning is the beginning of wealth...”-Jim Rohn

  Work smarter not harder. Take a little time to learn how to be better at what you do. Maybe you're in sales or hunting for a store front? Find out where customer hot spots are going to be. Google maps shows the average traffic of stores and areas of most places as well as other businesses nearby. Form relationships and network with other people in your field, share information that is mutually helpful.   

  Work a full day. Focus fully on each task you have and follow though until you've succeeded. Whatever your profession, don't punch in for eight hours and go zombie “I just stare at my desk but it looks like I'm working”-Peter Gibbons. Have commitment to yourself and those that depend on you. Again, it will engender greater dependability and trustworthiness from your collegues.   
 

 “Ground your attention on yourself. Be conscious at every moment of what you are thinking, sensing, feeling, desiring and doing.”-Alejandro Jodorowsky
 

 Understand your goals. Figure out what your purpose is and define the set of goals that you must hit to ultimately get where you want to be. As Zig Ziglar has said “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time”. It can't be stressed enough, write your goals down on paper and read them often. Some people like to put them on the bathroom mirror to be read daily. You will have more drive and will be better attuned to seize new opportunities that come into view.

  “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude”-Zig Ziglar
 

 Have and maintain a great attitude. Great attitudes are crucial and this goes for our feelings about others as well. Enthusiasm and excitement is attractive to the enthusiastic and exciting. Fear and negativity is unfortunately attractive as well, but in all the wrong ways. Take rejection in stride. Stay resilient in the face of adversity.    
 

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”-John F. Kennedy
 

 Have respect for your fellow humans. Focus not on what you can gain from others, but on what you can do to be constructive and helpful to people. When we add value to the quality of others lives, we in turn become more valuable. Speak positively and never criticize others, for we get a lot more with honey than with vinegar. Not only does this leave a better impression of ourselves on the people we interact with, it safeguards us from encroaching negativity. There is no such thing as harmless gossip, it often leaves ourselves and other people feeling drained after.   
 “live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip”-Will Rogers

  Take control. Life is full of many challenges and some factors are out of our control but fortunately somethings are. Focus on the things which you can directly influence and take action. As Jim Rohn has said “If you want things to change, you have to be willing to make changes”. When you take control of the opportunity, you take control of the outcome.    

   Again, these are simple principles which at first glance we may say to ourselves “yeah, buddy. I know that stuff already. That's basic stuff I teach my five year old”, but do we? Great athletes, artists, surgeons and so forth are surely aware of the importance of the basics. NBA point guard Stephen Curry, who some have called the greatest shooter in NBA history, has a dedicated twenty minute routine of basic dribbles and shots before every game. Accomplished actress Kim Cattrall has said “At the beginning of every role I take, I have to start from the basics and build it up. It's like a new construction”. Examine how these basic principles play out in your life, make adjustments and repeat. You are going to go far.