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Self-starters are purpose-driven, intrinsically motivated, action-oriented, and demand to get things done.

By Dan J. Harkey

Summary

The journey of a self-starter is not just a destination; it’s a profound transformation, an attitude that reshapes our approach to work and life.

It’s a proactive journey marked by repeated achievements, such as mastering a new skill, completing a challenging project, taking calculated risks, accepting some setbacks, and overcoming personal obstacles. These achievements bring a profound sense of empowerment, a powerful fuel that comes with taking control of our destiny.

It’s about self-motivation, learning competencies, skill sets, and action habits, accepting some stagnation and setbacks, and achieving incremental successes. This journey is not about inherited abilities, but rather achievements resulting from hard work, such as consistently working extra hours to master a skill set or taking on challenging projects to push our limits.

Our successes do not occur along a corresponding linear upward trajectory, but rather from an oscillating up-and-down pattern. This means that there will be times of rapid progress and times of stagnation or setbacks. Understanding and accepting this pattern is not a sign of weakness, but a crucial part of the self-starter journey. It prepares us for the challenges ahead and fosters resilience and determination.

The 80/20 rule applies: With tenacity, 80% of our accomplishments will occur in the last 20% of the time, because we refused to give up.

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Article:

When we arrive at the status of a true self-starter, we will recognize it as part of our overt conscientiousness. We are comfortable being ever-present and pushing the limits.

The process involves developing action habits, attitude, motivation, enthusiasm, self-confidence, talent, tenacity, and flexibility through repeated and often redundant processes. Our successes usually stem from activities we are willing to do, but others will not because they are too tedious.

In a society that values hard work, risk, and the development of self-starters, it also expects individuals to appreciate abundance. What I mean is to achieve a better lifestyle for myself and my family. This hard-charging attitude, combined with the accumulation of experiences and successes, sets the self-starter apart, earning distinction in the top 10% of our field.

Self-starters are fearless in their uniqueness, boldly rejecting the path of easy and passive mediocracy. By rejecting mediocrity, we can foster a culture of empowerment and inspire others to do the same.

Too many individuals choose a path of least resistance and mediocrity, many engaging in the “great resignation,” “great reshuffle,” “quiet quitting,””mentally checked out,” and even finding fake or superficial work activity. They are willing to live within the confines of government-provided goods and services (free handouts defined as entitlements), occupation, mediocracy, entertainment, accepting indoctrination, submission, conformity, and mass procrastination. If others elect to sit in “quiet desperation,” offer to assist them, but do not allow them to affect your hard-charged attitude.

They may find comfort in the “group mentality” or “groupthink,” a phenomenon where individuals often conform to a group’s decisions or beliefs without critically evaluating them. This characteristic can lead to a lack of independent thinking and decision-making, hindering personal and professional growth. By breaking free from groupthink, we can cultivate a culture of excellence and individuality, inspiring others to do the same.

Conformity to the will of others often suppresses actions, leading to the forfeiture of one’s unique identity. Breaking free from this is crucial for personal and professional growth, as it fosters independent thinking and decision-making. By stressing the dangers of groupthink and the importance of independent thinking, I encourage my readers to question and reevaluate their beliefs, leading to growth and empowerment.

Anatomy of Self-starters:

Maintaining a positive attitude is a characteristic and a vital foundation of a self-starter’s journey. It sets the tone for their actions and decisions, guiding them towards their goals.

• Self-assured
• Highly energized
• Prefers action to conversation
• Thrives in fast-paced environments
• Comfortable in non-conformity
• Focusing on the present with a daily and long-term action plan and habits is crucial for the success of a self-starter
• Willingness to take risks
• Practices a great deal of tenacity (stick-to-itiveness)
• Understands that the success journey of ups and downs is unlimited
• Extraverted and gregarious (in a few cases, self-starters are neither extraverted nor gregarious)
• Self-starters strive to learn from all sources–articles, research, and experience. This commitment to continuous learning is critical and the key to their success, as it keeps them informed, adaptable, and innovative. It’s a reminder that learning is not a one-time event but a lifelong journey that fuels personal and professional growth.
• Thinks rationally and intuitively
• Possesses a tactical, action-oriented mindset with the natural ability to adapt, think logically, and pivot when necessary, about facing setbacks, rejections, and criticisms with remarkable resilience. This resilience, a critical trait that allows us to keep moving forward, undeterred by obstacles, is not a gift but a skill anyone can cultivate. It inspires others to persevere in the face of adversity and fosters a sense of determination and persistence.
• A self-starter is also ‘Sensitive’ to others, showing dignity and respect to all and understanding the importance of empathy and respect in personal and professional relationships.

Self-starters are rare, constituting only 10% of the productive population. As workers and producers comprise less than half of the population (163 million), self-starters are relatively rare, possibly numbering fewer than 3-5%. In other words, 95-97% of the population lack the will to develop motivation and capability, or to learn success techniques and become highly productive.

Becoming a Self-starter involves taking on many risks through repetitive actions, attitudes, habits, experiences, rejection, and failures, while focusing on sharpening skills until one has attained the coveted master’s level designation. The designation and reputation as a self-starter are valuable assets.

People are not born into the Self-starter club, unlike those from educated, wealthy families, well-connected, or the Mensa club. Becoming a Self-starter requires a decision and enlightenment to go forward in that direction as a lifestyle. Almost anyone with critical thinking capability can become a Self-starter in any field. Willingly adopting successful habits, such as time management, continuous learning, and resilience, is a good start. Practicing these established principles can help develop focused habits. For instance, effective time management involves setting clear goals, prioritizing tasks, and avoiding procrastination. Continuous learning can be achieved through reading, attending workshops, or seeking mentorship. Resilience is built by facing challenges head-on and learning from failures. Searching out new methods and changing and accepting new paradigms is necessary.

The Self-starter does not boast about or focus on his successes but on future visions. They thrive in the moment and the tomorrow. Those around the Self-starter may find the attitude infectious and want to join, developing a lasting friendship. Self-starting attitudes are a magnet for attracting new relationships and friendships.

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The mantra of the Self-starter:

• I will maintain a positive attitude
• I will strive for individual accountability and self-sufficiency
• I will remain ever-present in the physical world around me
• I will dwell in a world of action and performance habits
• I am an optimist
• I am a risk-taker
• I am a visionary
• I do not need to subscribe to the group’s norms
• I am a non-conformist
• I will execute my plan with determination

Tools used by the Self-starter:

• Effective time utilization
• Leveraging results through others and technology
• Recognizing that success is asymmetrical
• Seeking out mentorships

Focus on the most essential elements at any given time that yield the most outstanding results every minute of every day. Self-starters understand that 20% of our activities generate 80% of their intended results. Self-starters also understand that 20% of their customer base is responsible for 80% of their sales and, therefore, their income.

Leverage time through delegation

Certain activities maximize their value, while others are important but should be delegated to support staff or third-party independent vendors. Delegated job responsibilities are integral to overall success, but can be handled by knowledgeable and well-trained others. The Self-starter knows that each hour of delegated activities could double, triple, or quadruple their productivity and time value.

Technology

The self-starter recognizes that unlimited opportunities exist to utilize software packages to manage data, market, network, and process their jobs and daily activities.

Self-starters know that technology provides leveraging devices that enhance their effectiveness and multiply their results many times.

Symmetrical vs. asymmetrical growth

Personal and business growth is not accomplished on a constant upward trajectory. We do not automatically get improved results by X amount per minute, hour, month, or year. Variables that affect results change constantly. For example, the real estate loan salesperson may need to catch up around holidays, whereas the retail stores do their best during the same time. Socioeconomic or political upheavals may cause business results to drop dramatically, while positive news about the economy’s performance may accelerate new business activity. Attitudes and actions may modify results.

Balance of symmetrical growth requires constant modification of activities, action habits, and growth patterns. A person’s activities differ during high-production months compared to low-production months. A Self-starter recognizes that marketing strategies such as mass email or text marketing and a high volume of inbound calls may be followed by stagnant periods. During this, outbound solicitations are necessary to bridge the gap.

Exponential growth

Growth or success will increase in quantity over time at an accelerating rate. If the plan is executed efficiently, success will double or triple. Eighty percent of the results are completed in the last 20 percent of the allocated time. Focus, execution, constantly readjusting the plan, and tenacity are the keys to success.

Momentum is accomplished by sticking to a plan and modifying it when necessary. The opposite of exponential growth is exponential decay, where success shrinks with time if the plan is not executed. Loyalties, referrals, momentum, and results quickly cease when the person stops executing their plan. Catching infectious diseases, often referred to as “bad attitude,” “bad habits,” or “procrastination,” can easily cause a downward trajectory in success.

All plans and their execution must be constantly evaluated and modified. Stagnation and failure to modify action habits will cause a downward trajectory.

Organizational bureaucracy:

A bureaucracy is a work organization that refers to a body of personnel executing the organization’s directives. The term bureaucracy means “rule by desks.” As staff members multiply, inefficiencies diminish intended results. Each staff member’s agenda may differ from the organization’s intentions. The more each staff member deviates, the more inefficiency sets in. Inefficiencies drag on goals and profits. Even a tiny organization can have a drag on efficiency when most or all the decisions must be filtered through one party.

If a job is directed to particular staff members due in two weeks, misuse of time, procrastination, spending time on trivial matters, and delegating to subordinate support staff may be counterproductive and a drag on profits. Many staff only care about going through the motions and getting paid. This is an example of a process-driven approach rather than a results-driven one.

Many companies tolerate inefficiencies and hire more staff, which in turn drags down production and, consequently, bottom-line profits.

Governments actively encourage the multiplication of personnel, no matter how inefficient they become. Multiplying personnel and consuming public tax receipts become the primary goals rather than getting results. Entrenched bureaucracies can become cancer.

“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

C. Northcote Parkinson, Parkinson’s Law, 1942

Time away from the pressures of work:

The Self-starter has learned to escape from business pressures and outside influences, which create 80% of life’s stress. Stresses include internal strife, external influences, family pressures, mainstream media, and the constant barrage of advertising.

Escape into a getaway zone, leaving all these pressures behind. Turn off your phone and TV, and refrain from reading the newspaper. Turn on the music, walk, or hang out in the man cave (or woman cave).

“If you do not read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you read the newspaper, you are ill-informed.”

Mark Twain was an American humorist, journalist, lecturer, and novelist.

Discover a unique mental hobby shop, a connection of places and activities that allow one to escape. Plan for this valuable time in your schedule.

Only some people desire to become self-starters because it requires much effort. If someone can make a living and chart their course through life, there is nothing wrong with being average or living in a world of mediocrity. There is comfort, security, and a lack of stress in a world of mediocracy. Additionally, in a few cases, self-starters are motivated by deep-seated insecurity and a fear of failure, and compensate by becoming the opposite.

We choose a direction, recognizing that there are many others. We will make our own decisions–Rachet up your Self-starter motor. We will surround ourselves with kindred spirits.

Dan Harkey
Educator & Private Money Real Estate Lending Consultant
[email protected] 949 533 8315
www.danharkey.com