Reflection

Chapter 7

The Power of the Success Story

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." —
Winston S. Churchill. Chapter 7, titled "The Power of the Success Story," discusses how
individualized examples and experiences have a greater influence on us than general principles.
This chapter asserts that there are no shortcuts in life. Success is not as simple as we believe.
You cannot win an award with a single snap or by simply waking up every morning. It can only
be obtained through hard work, perseverance, and effort. This chapter, on the other hand, makes
us realize that, whether you have a good or bad career, we should not waste our time looking for
someone’s failures and errors. We should not ignore their strengths and weaknesses and come up
with new ways to encourage them. This paper summarizes our thoughts on the various rules for
setting a good example and succeeding in life.

To begin, use models to encourage success. Leadership entails responsibilities.

Successful people use realistic examples to demonstrate to the listener that another person has
made the decision that he or she is being urged to make. A good leader does not tell their
employees what they should and should not do. Instead, they show the employees how to do
things by leading the way. To achieve our goals, we should take on different responsibilities and
work hard alongside others. Second, most successful people appear to thrive best when they have
a strong figure who embodies certain principles and can filter those principles down. Third,
success doesn’t always define how your profession leads you to the top. Sometimes, the reason
you succeeded is because of contemporary heroes, just like our fathers and mothers. They
explain his bad decisions in life so that we can make better ones. Fourth, if they can do it, so can
we. When we are exposed to successful people, we are not only instilled with certain values, but
we are also convinced that if they can achieve, so can we. Seeing someone else succeed inspires
us to succeed.
 Overall, if you find yourself stuck in your goal, you may need to be honest with yourself
about why. After you've reached an agreement, try to devise a strategy to propel yourself
forward. Experiment with stepping outside of your comfort zone. The key to developing a
positive mindset is to believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. It is critical to replace any
negative thoughts with positive ones in order to motivate yourself to keep trying no matter what
obstacles arise. You will most likely learn new things and think differently as you progress
toward success. Your objectives will not be met overnight. They will require practice and
discipline to achieve, so it is critical to think about them. They will require practice and
discipline to achieve, so it is critical to remain optimistic about the process.

Chapter 8

The Secret of Parlaying Small Successes into Larger Gains

“Success is a series of small victories”. The most successful people, as per Chapter 8,
"The Secret of Parlaying Small Successes into Larger Gains," are often like someone who leads a
rather ordinary life until suddenly some small success occurs. Then, unlike the average person,
they leverage that minor accomplishment into larger gains. They have what one management
consultant refers to as a "repeater tendency," which means that once they achieve success, they
seek to replicate it in larger settings. This chapter teaches us that it is critical to recognize our
small victories or success for what they are. Use them to learn how to improve your life and
work toward your larger goals, and observe how you can transform your life without changing
anything at all. Motivation experts encourage this snowball of success. They study their people,
looking for the strengths that others have overlooked, and then, when small successes appear in
the person's work, they know how to turn them into larger successes.

First and foremost, acknowledge and applaud accomplishment. This portrays "the art of
praise"—what is now known as "positive reinforcement" in psychological jargon—as a
necessary skill for an executive or a teacher to master. We discussed the importance of expecting
the best from people in Chapter 2, but this rule is quite different. In the previous section, we
emphasized the importance of having a positive attitude about one's own abilities. We advocating
here for reinforcing specific behaviors. What we're discussing here is a very basic courtesy that
should be observed in all human interactions, taking the time to thank those who assist us.
Almost all of us yearn to be acknowledged, and when someone does, we will follow them a long
way. Second, beyond stick and carrot. This means that more and more leaders are realizing that
they cannot rely solely on reward and punishment to motivate top performance and must turn to
other psychological tools. In fact, many studies show that the carrot has very limited
effectiveness, and that too much reward weakens motivation. Third, shaping to build success, of
course, it is possible to overdo praise to the point where it becomes meaningless. This is the
equivalent of giving too many criticisms and reprimands. Assume you're teaching a horse to
kneel on one knee. Initially, you feed the animal whenever any part of the routine is completed
correctly during the training process. However, once the habit is established, the reward should
be intermittent. Parents and executives must remember the shaping principle. It is harmful to
praise someone every time once good habits have been established. Fourth, focusing on success,
the most effective motivators understand that one reason for recognizing achievement is to help
people focus on images of themselves succeeding, and that such mental exercises have an
undeniable effect on performance.

Generally speaking, commitment can provide motivation to pursue success. Make a list
of your goals, your level of commitment to the goals, and what you are willing to do to achieve
those goals. It is critical to stay focused on your plan. Setting aside at least 15 minutes per day to
think about and work on your plan is beneficial. This will keep your goal in mind and allow you
to stay focused on it. However, when determining your commitment to your goal, make sure you
have realistic expectations of yourself and the outcome. If your commitment does not pay off
after a certain period of time, you should revise your goal and any necessary steps. It may be
beneficial to ask a friend or family member for assistance in sticking to your commitments at
times. Having someone to hold you accountable for your shortcomings and to congratulate you
on your accomplishments can help you stay focused on your goal.