Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. It is the progress towards what we want that makes us feel better about ourselves. Success is not reaching a destination because sometimes we never reach where we want to go. We also can overcome failures better if we view success as a journey. Here are 8 things I have learned that can help us on our success journey.
Never Give up — No matter what happens in life never give in. Life is not a sprint it is a marathon. If we want enduring success we cannot be impatient. Rome was not built in a day, we can’t lose weight in a week, and we can’t become world-class in a year. As researchers have confirmed for anyone to attain mastery in their chosen craft it requires 10000 hours or roughly 10 years of deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is not easy, it involves sacrifices a key word to remember when considering the long haul. You must keep practicing a skill for several years before you get public acclaim. Tony Robbins says people get praised in public for what they practice for years in private. We should remember the Nike Slogan “Just Do It” and get on with our lives. Life doesn’t stop and as Napoleon Hill famously quoted “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit.” You can use setbacks as a spring board to further your aspirations and life is indeed what we make of it. Long term thinking and an exciting bold vision masks short term failure keeping you motivated for a larger cause. Keep the mental picture of your final victory in your mind as you go through the trials and tribulations of day to day life. As the opera singer Beverly Sills observed “There is no shortcut to any place worth going” so remember it is going to take time for success to show up but it will be worth the wait. Clarity precedes mastery. Be clear on what you want out of life. Write down exactly what you want to be known as at the end of your life and then work towards it.
Be Optimistic — It is very easy to fall into the negative trap but be positive. Obviously, everyone of us will fall into the negative trap from time to time but immediately be aware of your negative state of mind and replace a negative thought with a positive one. I have written in detail about it in The Optimist’s Manifesto. The Optimist’s Manifesto
Be courageous — Courage is not the absence of fear but it is the triumph over it. So, develop the courage to dream big dreams. It doesn’t matter if you achieve everything you dream but that fact that you have BIG dreams will trigger an upward spiral and ensure you live your days with passion. The courage to be ourselves in a world that wants us to be someone else is the key.
Be resilient — There will be setbacks in life and this is a fact. What separates the ultra-successful from the ordinary is the ability to comeback from defeat unscathed and to learn from mistakes and failures. As Napoleon Hill said, “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit.” One of the keys to resilience is to have a personal mission statement which you are sold out to. It is also good to be able to confide in a good friend when things go awry. Here are 10 Keys to Resilience. 10 Keys to Resilience
Like yourself — This is one of the most important steps mentioned in all the books I have read which is to be the best and achieve your maximum potential you must develop elevated levels of self-esteem. No matter what happens to you be positive, resilient and more importantly never lose yourself in the process. Self-esteem can be enhanced by developing a high appreciation of life, understanding your strengths, accepting yourself unconditionally and never putting yourself down. Here is my article on 8 Keys to develop self-esteem. 8 Keys to Enhance Self-Esteem
Create a positive environment — Surround yourself with positive people and people who uplift you. Avoid negative people at all costs. You can also ensure your input is positive most of the time.
Be inspired — Take every day as if it were a gift and enjoy life to the maximum. There are many avenues to being inspired. You can engage in a hobby you like, you can read a book that you like, you can listen to an inspirational speaker and finally you can appreciate your life for what it is.
I want to finish with a quote from Emerson “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Thanks for reading this post. The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.