You will have to create the tools you are introduced to here yourself. Many of these tools are inner attitudes that you choose to operate from and live by. From this moment on, you will have to create them through the way you speak and act. You have created every undesirable situation you currently find yourself in by speaking, taking action, and failing to take action. You can therefore also resolve the situation by speaking, taking action, and failing to take action.

A famous quote by the mathematician Archimedes goes: “Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the world.” Well, you have a place to stand, so here are the levers (tools) to move your own world and the worlds of others.

1. Commitment is the fundamental tool.
Commitment is demonstrated by doing whatever it takes to achieve a predetermined result. If you’re not sure what you committed to in the past, simply look at the results you did or did not produce.

Commitment is something you create for yourself. Without taking the initiative to commit, you have no chance of success. Commitment is saying “yes, I’ll do that” or “no, I won’t.” What you say yes and no to determines the quality of your life. Do more of what makes you stronger. Do less of what makes you weaker. Make sure that most of your choices are growth choices rather than comfort choices.

2. Integrity is one of the most important factors in enhancing personal and professional performance and achieving results.
Integrity means keeping your word. You say you’re going to do something, and you do it. Regardless of circumstances, reasons, or excuses. Demonstrating a high level of integrity significantly increases your strength and effectiveness. People who struggle to produce sufficient results would often do well to strengthen their integrity. People with little integrity are not “bad” people. You simply cannot count on them to keep their word.

3. To create powerful momentum in life, your desired state of affairs must be considered far more important than your current state of affairs.
For example: your business currently generates 100 new clients per month. If you want to add 200 more per month, you must view the desired state of affairs as a necessity. If you’re reasonably satisfied with the current volume, you’ll see those two hundred clients merely as something that “should” happen. People act on things that “must” happen. A “should” is often ignored. Think of people who say, “I really should exercise more.” How often do they actually do that?

4. Refuse to cast yourself as a victim, no matter what is done to you or said about you.
Of course, it is possible for someone to become a victim of others or of circumstances. However, declaring yourself a victim is entirely your choice. The position of victim is entirely self-created, and from this position, it is impossible to accomplish anything worthwhile.

5. Listen attentively and carefully.
The first question someone asks you is almost never the real question they have in mind. There’s usually a second question lurking behind it. Mastering language skills is an essential part of living an effective life. Only by mastering listening skills can you truly master a language.

6. Speak powerfully.
The quality of the language used is a decisive factor in most relationships. Don’t take giving your word lightly, and mean what you say. Recognize the impact—or lack thereof—that your words have on others, and adjust them as needed. People benefit most when you speak concisely and directly rather than in a roundabout and cautious manner. Say what will make a difference. You are the product of your speech.

7. Look at things from multiple perspectives.
Make a conscious effort to focus on what you’re not seeing right now. Help others do the same. Stop telling yourself that you can’t achieve your goals. Train yourself to ignore the voice in your head when it’s being irrational.

8. Create some distance between yourself and the disempowering thoughts you’re experiencing.
There is a very simple tool to do this. Say: “Right now, I have the thought that __.” This will help you distinguish between the ‘being’ of a disempowering thought and the ‘having’ of a disempowering thought. An example: “Right now, I have the thought that this is going to be difficult.” Or: “Right now, I have the thought that I’m in trouble.” If you do this daily, you’ll start operating from a more conscious position, rather than being driven by the content of your thoughts.

9. Notice when you’re getting caught up in your own thoughts and stop doing it.
Make agreements with yourself about what you will and won’t do. Promise yourself that you’ll stick to these agreements—you don’t need anyone else to hold you accountable. You’re the only one who can do this. Refuse to obey the self-imposed rules about what you can and can’t do. You get more of what you tolerate, so don’t tolerate nonsense from others—and certainly not from yourself.

10. Stop talking about your potential.
Look at your life in quantitative terms. Face up to where you are now and set concrete goals. What gets measured generally gets done. Don’t hide behind vague expectations, and above all, don’t hope for a miracle. Thinking and feeling are internal processes; you have to take external action to get results. You must take the necessary steps to achieve the desired outcome. Set deadlines for the things that matter to you. Make “specific date and time” your mantra.

11. Don’t confuse activity with taking meaningful action.
“Fear makes people do strange things. This includes trying to divert attention away from poor performance or lack of results by engaging in comfortable and superficial activities. These activities provide little to no value. Always focus on core actions: actions that are actually necessary to achieve your goal. Of course, you should always focus on the result itself. Always avoid taking actions—no matter how busy you are with them—if they don’t lead to results.”

12. Be able to explain what your product or service does in a single sentence.
Also be able to explain in no more than six sentences why a client is better off with your product or service.

13. The physical world is the very best way to get feedback.
All you have to do is observe the impact you have—or don’t have—on your relationships, your business, and yourself. This can be a sobering experience. Some will like what they see, others won’t. If you’re not satisfied and have the courage to admit this to yourself, know that you have a choice. You can be who you need to be, to do what’s necessary, to live life on your own terms.

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