Become a Hope-a-Holic - written by Callie Roos

Have we reverted to a jungle-life where only the fit will survive? Callie Roos covers the laws of survival.

Two colleagues and I went to the United States where we visited a number of thriving communities and businesses. There was one crucial question that we asked: Why is it that you guys are doing ok? Since our main objective was to identify and learn from the criteria that make individuals, businesses and communities successful, we only focused on those whom we perceived as winners.

The common Denominators

In all the places we visited, we found a common denominator inherent in every success story.
• Winners understand the power of vision. They know where they are going and they continuously reinforce that dream.
• They all have an outward focus. They don’t exist for themselves. They believe that they can make the world a better place and are willing to commit resources to make it happen.
• They believe in leadership at all levels, without being control freaks.
• The organisations we looked at were all value-driven. The most significant value in their culture was that of excellence. The leaders had raised their expectations to a level, which they believed denoted success. They believed that the standards they had set were within everyone’s reach. The norm in these organisations is that, if you don’t like the height of the bar – leave.

The Laws of Survival

In one of my seminars "Life beyond Hope" I teach what I call the "Laws of Survival". These are the fundamental laws that we need to survive and thrive as "Hope-A-Holics" in our personal, community and business lives.
• Excellence through Belief: Is just one of these laws - the law that says believe that you are capable of being the best in everything you do.

I have learnt what constitutes success the hard way. For me, excellence is not something that one achieves simply by doing one of two things. It has to be a mindset that you follow, which shapes the way you perceive things. Past experience has taught me that beliefs are the most powerful force necessary for creating something good in life. When you believe that you are capable of achieving excellence, your belief becomes the driver that helps you get where you want to go. Positive beliefs not only help you to see what you want out of life, they also release the energy that you need to get there.
Whilst I was in the US, I thought about all the negative beliefs concerning the future of our own country, which hold so many South Africans captive. The bottom line is that in order to motivate others to help us initiate workable, positive change in South Africa, we need to begin replacing negative perceptions with positive beliefs.
The same holds true for transforming our businesses or personal life arenas. Therefore if we all focus on modeling excellence, we will inspire the people around us to do the same, and ultimately we’ll all become more successful as a result.

• Freedom to Choose: Essentially, your beliefs are a matter of freedom of choice. The second "Law of Survival" is centered on a principle, which implies that our life choices are rooted in our freedom to make those choices. As a result, we also have to be prepared to take responsibility for the outcome of those choices. Fortunately, it's never too late to change the way we think, and consequently each one of us has the power to change the way we live our lives.

Becoming a "Hope-A-Holic" begins with changing the way you think. Everything that man has created is capable of undergoing positive change. Model excellence and strive to be the best in everything you undertake, every day of your life. Do the best you can for more than thirty days, and then let me know what happens.

One of my daughter's and I undertook a six-hour hike through the Waterberg Mountains a few years ago. The temperature was forty degrees that day and the going was tough. When it looked as if my daughter was ready to throw in the towel, I sat her down for a few moments and convinced her that her level of fitness and stamina had made her the stronger climber. I told her that I was relying on her to help me over the worst hurdles. To be honest, halfway through our journey, I realised that the belief I had instilled in her was pretty close to the truth, (after all I am getting older!). By the time we reached the end, she had acquitted herself like a champion. She literally glowed with the sense of fulfillment that arises when you succeed in overcoming a great challenge. In the next few weeks she participated in a number of athletic events at school and I knew that she will outperform herself, simply because of what she gained from the experience of believing that she was capable of conquering mountains.