Recently, my attention was caught by an image I saw on social media that said “10 things that require zero talent”. As simply as that. How cool would it be if each of us put this list into practice? We would be more successful in a short time, our relationship with ourselves and other people will improve and we will become coach for ourselves. Are you ready to give it a try? Here you go.

1. Being on time

According to some cultures, time is money. To be late to an event, a date, a meeting, is a lack of respect or regard for the other person. It also shows a lack of self-respect for yourself. It can happen to be late for an appointment. If this is the case, call or inform the other person. Misunderstandings often arise because of poor communication.

2. Work Ethic

Just like companies, also people have core values that guide them in their choices. It is important to know your core values because these will help you taking decisions in line with the person you truly are. What values are important to you?

3. Effort

Whenever we try something new, we deserve acceptance and admiration because it means we are making an effort to go the extra mile, going out of our comfort zone. The only way to avoid making mistakes is doing nothing. Mistakes are part of the learning process and show us what needs to be changed and improved. Celebrate yourself for every effort you make!

4. Body language

Our body can speak louder than words. We communicate also through our gestures, postures, movements, voice, and facial expressions. If a person is talking to you and you turn your head or you look around, what message do you think you are communicating? How would things change if you looked into her/eyes? Be aware of your body language and make sure it is saying the message you want to communicate: it will help you establishing deeper relationships.

5. Energy (Motivation)

There can be days in which our energy levels are low, we don’t feel motivated and we would prefer lying on the couch. The word motivation derives from Latin and is the emotion behind any kind of change and therefore plays a key role: it is the driving energy we need to get out of our comfort zone. Logic makes us think, but emotions make us take action. We change because we want to achieve certain things, we are inspired by our dreams, we allow ourselves to be driven by a vision, we begin to believe in it and to invest time and energy. If we don’t put enough energy, dreams cannot go far away. To keep your motivation high (for example, you know you need to take a specific action to reach an objective), ask yourself these four questions:
• What happens if you do it?
• What does not happen if you don’t do it?
• What happens if you don’t do it?
• What does not happen if you do it?

6. Attitude

Your attitude towards yourself, about life, about your job, about your relationships determine your energy level. How do you talk to yourself? What kind of words do you choose? Do they communicate kindness and support or critic and judgment? Words are very powerful tools: learning how to choose them carefully can make a big difference in our lives. Attitude refers also to our power of speaking, thinking, feeling and behaving. No one can make us feel sad or inferior if we don’t allow that person to do that. We cannot control what life will throw at us, but we always have the power to choose how to react to it.

7. Passion

Passion means love in action and refers to our ability to put love and energy in everything we do. Love is not just a romantic relationship, but it is an energy that we can apply to our work, to our cause, to ourselves. What makes your heart beating? Finding it out will give you access to an inexhaustible source of energy to be applied to your life. It means being able to be eternally in love. It also means discovering the key of self-motivation.

8. Being coachable

Being coachable means being open to change and to constructive feedback. This is the fastest way to achieve success. We evolve mainly through our relationship with other people, but often we close our mind and heart because of our fear of being judged and criticized. Put those fears aside and open yourself to new ideas and unlock your potential.

9. Doing extra

When you have the passion, the energy and the positive attitude about your work, doing extra will become natural because you will feel proud for what you are doing. How can you add value to your job? What can you do extra to make it more fun and rewarding?

10. Being prepared

Studying, going into details, developing our critical thinking: it is only when we invest time in being prepared that we become expert in something. Nowadays, the internet offers us lots of free resources; you can enroll to university courses online (so called MOOC) and you can watch inspirational videos (such as TED Talks) to learn from other people. There are no excuses!