There are many people who have been told by others that they don't have the ability to achieve their goals. These supposedly well-meaning individuals have even gone so far as to suggest “save yourself the time and effort you are putting into working towards your goals and turn your attention to something more ‘realistic’." This scenario is very common. In fact, it has happened not only to people you may know personally but to many international known successful people such as Beyoncé, Jenifer Lopez, Taylor Swift and the award winning British girl-band Little Mix who have taken a long and hard look at the negative influences they had to overcome to become the popular success they are today.
The question is: What made them not give in to negativity and keep going? Are there some common characteristics these successful people share? Is there an inner power they rely on? And what can we take from their stories to help each of us achieve our own goals?
There are many barriers the road to self-fulfillment. One of them is criticism from other people aimed specifically at us. The other major detractor is the criticism we aim towards ourselves. When the members of the British girl-band Little Mix joined forces on the 2011 X-Factor, bandmates Leigh-Anne, Perrie, Jesy, and Jade were told by the production that "girl-bands don't do well." Each one of them got compared to the other members of the band which affected their confidence individually and as a group.
They had a vision in their minds that their previous professional management did not see eye to eye with. They were presented with their previous management approach as if it were their only option. "In the beginning, we were so scared of pissing anyone off and damaging our career, so we did what we were told. We didn't even realize we had a choice. It was pitched as not having one, so you sign what you are told to and you go along with it. As the years went on, we started to realize we didn't like that," Little Mix Star Jade Thirlwall recalled.
Their struggle with the earlier management restrictions imposed on them is courageously described in the lyrics for their 3rd single, "Not a Pop Song," on their 6th album "Confetti." In order to follow any dream, “Be a puppet on a string works for you, but that isn't me."
Our inner beliefs and the beliefs and actions of the people surrounding us affect the way we think and act. Our beliefs can be our biggest strength as well as our biggest obstacle. For Little Mix, they were both. On the one hand, the group hold many beneficial beliefs – they have faith in themselves, their abilities, their skills, their partnership and friendship and their inner values. In addition, they are proud that they keep striving to get better through hard work. Those beliefs and attitudes provide them with passion, motivation and personal empowerment.
“"We knew the way to get through it was to do it together. I think that’s the main reason we’re still around now, not letting anyone else get in our heads or separate us or create a rivalry. Which is what the media over the years have constantly tried to do, but we never gave into it.” Little Mix Star Jade Thirlwall admitted.
They keep working hard to pursue their vision, make their passions into reality and fulfill their creativity. They keep setting up goals and dreaming big. They do not let their fears stop them. They set up new projects and are not afraid to say out loud what they wish to achieve no matter how incredibly difficult it sounds. They get a lot of criticism, but they don’t let it stand in the way of achieving their goals and dreams.
Little Mix Star Jade Thirlwall touched on the challenges the group faces during their award acceptance speech for the Global Awards 2018: “As a girl band, and as women, we do face a lot of scrutiny all the time, whether it’s for the way we look, how much thigh we get out, how we dance, what we sing about. And we just want to say that, although one day we hope that does stop, right now we’re really not arsed what people think.”
Little Mix members had to cope with scrutiny and criticism long before the band was established. "So many people in my hometown said that I couldn’t do it, didn’t believe in me, said I wasn’t good enough, and I never ever listened," recalls Little Mix Star Leigh-Anne while having tears in her eyes.
On the other hand, the same as everyone else, they face limiting beliefs. One of those limiting beliefs involves their feeling regarding thier external appearance, each of them felt and sometimes still feel insecure about her appearance and, social media plays a role in it. "A couple of years ago, I would have said we were all quite insecure and felt like we hated certain things about our faces and our body and now we have just learnt to accept them and genuinely things I hated, I now love." Said Little Mix star Jesy Nelson.
Once you recognize your limiting beliefs and become aware of them, you can take action and make a change. You will have the option to choose a different path one that will benefit you. For Little Mix the change was in their mindset, they came to learn to accept themselves and see the beauty of their uniqueness. "Everyone has their own insecurities, but we want to teach our fans that being yourself is enough you should embrace your insecurities, that what makes us different and unique." concluded Little Mix star Perrie Edwards.
4 Tip Successful People Do:
They Set Goals – In order to make your dream happen, you need to better understand what you want and have a strong connection and desire to make it happen. Once you set up goals and create ways to achieve them – you know what to aim for. Therefore, you have a much better chance to make it happen.
They Have Strong Self Discipline- Successful people have discipline; they don't tell themselves excuses. Instead they take action and work hard to be better and fulfill their goals.
They Remain Positive- Life can be unpredictable and not everything will work according to your plan. That is why it is so important to keep a positive mindset. Always keep your strengths and your goals in mind and do not lose faith.
They Do Not Give in to Their Fears- Successful people don't let their fears stop them from following their passions and achieving their goals.
References:
GRE Psychology By Kaplan 2016