Lets Talk Success

I have often pondered over the question of what exactly “success” is and how to be successful. To me, success is the ability to both pursue AND live a pre-defined goal or purpose. It also means knowing exactly where a person is going and having a clear goal or a vision in mind. In almost all cases, success does not come easy – one has to generally sacrifice a lot to achieve it. For example, if one wants to become a successful doctor, one has to undergo many years of training followed by years of learning on the job.

 

In my opinion, the below attributes can help lay the right foundation for success.

 

1.     Burning desire

2.     Belief in one’s capabilities

3.     No excuses

 

Burning desire

 

It is more than just a wish. This is something that should always be in one’s mind. One must always be craving for this 24/7.

 

Belief in oneself.

 

One must absolutely and fully believe that one will be successful. It should not matter what people say or if any negative thoughts come to one’s mind. One should pay zero attention to the naysayers and to negative thoughts.  

 

No Excuses 

 

There is always a good excuse for not working out. And, no excuse is good enough to not be working out. This is also true for life goals. Others cannot stop you – only you can do that to yourself by making excuses. If you only think about problems or challenges, that is all you will find. But, if you focus on solutions and find ways to overcome these challenges, you will find a way to go closer to your goal. Things have a way of working out for those that really want something. You will find whatever you are searching for.

 

Success is also about execution. The guiding principles for success are below.

 

1.     Hard work

2.     Honesty

3.     Skills

 

1.     Hard work

 

No matter who one is or where one starts, if one works hard, one will succeed. One should work on onesself and work more than what one gets paid for. Just by working hard, one can be among a select group of 10% of the people in the world that put in efforts. It is this 10% that is eligible for success.

 

2.     Honesty

 

Honesty is a package of four things: keeping promises, never lying, never compromising on principals, and admitting to mistakes and learning from them.

 

3.     Skills

 

Skills (and talent) contribute 20 % to anybody’s success, and skills come at the end. Even if one doesn't have skills, hard work and honesty will together make up 80% of the ingredients needed for success, and will allow one to be fairly successful.

 

 

Finally, one must make a list such as the one below to figure out how one will succeed. Without these qualities, one won’t be able to get the results one wants. Remember there are no shortcuts.  

 

1.     Positive attitude

2.     Caring

3.     Motivation

4.     Consistency

5.     Persistence

6.     Focus

7.     Owning the work

8.     Focus on self-improvement

9.     Risk-taking

 

There will be times when after trying everything, one may not be close to one’s goals. It is hard to believe, but quite often we are close to success and it is a matter of pushing a bit more. One must keep a positive attitude and keep working hard with faith and belief. Hard work never goes to waste - remember that.

 

In all this, one must not let go of any small or big opportunities to help people, especially those that can’t give you anything in return. Show caring for people that one works with, and those that work for one.

 

One must put in long hours, patiently and diligently working towards your goal. Any job one takes, one must do it as if one owns the business. One must also work to improve oneself as a person and acquire new knowledge and skills.

 

In all this, one will find people that are not easy to deal with –it is not one’s job to fix them. One’s sole task is to focus on one’s goals and not be distracted.

 

There is no reward without risk. Risk does not mean gambling in the stock market or in a casino. Risk is about making life decisions based on knowledge of your abilities, capabilities, the potential of what you can offer, and your determination levels. For example, if you have been working in a job for a while (and are fairly good at it) and now you want to work for yourself, you must do it without letting the fear of not succeeding slow you down. If you don’t do anything, you won’t achieve anything. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!

 

Some quotes that have personally inspired me are below.  

 

∙       Opportunity does not waste on lazy people. - Jim Rohn

∙       Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. - Jim Rohn

∙       Success is not something you pursue. Success attracts to the person you become. - Jim Rohn

∙       Leave everything and everyone better than you found them. - Jordan Harbringer

∙       Great mind has a purpose. Others have only wishes. - Washington Irving

∙       Recognize your limitations, estimate your capacities, and your success in life is assured. - Allama Iqbal

∙       We sow our thoughts, reap our actions. We sow our actions, reap our habits. We sow our habits, reap our character. We sow our Character, reap our destiny. -  Stephen R. Covey

∙       Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. - Calvin Coolidge

 

Conclusion

One has to start with a predefined goal or purpose. Then, one must have a burning desire, strong belief in oneself, and no reason for not working hard and living every moment of one’s life with honesty. Only then will skills help. If one follows this rule and wakes up every day with a positive attitude, one will succeed. So many people want to be successful to be happy. But the reality is that happiness is a success. If one is happy, one is successful. There is no limit to how high and how far one can go.  This world is full of skilled and talented people that did not succeed at anything. The world also has millionaires that were once homeless and made it through sheer hard work, tenacity, and smart working.

 

Below are a few links to book and motivational speeches I recommend for everyone to listen or read.

 

https://youtu.be/UygnXqoKrC4

https://youtu.be/_NRRRBxcq5Y

https://youtu.be/p13s38JW9ng

https://youtu.be/p13s38JW9ng