Saturday, March 21, 2015
10 STEPS TO ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN LIFE
1. Set Goals:
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That
depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t
much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you
go,” said the Cat. - dialogue between Alice and the Cheshire Cat in
Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
People
who know what they want and have set a course for achieving their goals
are generally happier than those that just let life happen to them.
This wisdom is not new. Earl Nightingale once said, “Don't wait for
something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future.” Ralph
Waldo Emerson encouraged goal setting by stating that, ‘Once you make a
decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
2. Don’t Fear Failure: “I failed my way to success.” - Thomas Edison
So
often we are taught in our lives that failing is a bad thing. Failure
is almost always placed at odds with success. Yet without failure few
would know the way to success. No one ever did it right all the time.
But most that have experienced some success have failed at some point.
3. Take Risks: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” - Helen Keller
Life
is more fun and exciting when we take risks. At the end of the day
there is truth to the statement, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” But
be calculated - risk should not be taken for risk’s sake. Opportunity
may knock, but it may not stand around very long. Be ready to go on an
adventure at the knock of a door. A successful life includes not having
regrets for not having taken enough risks.
4. Don’t Stop Learning: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi
The
more you know, the more you realize you do not know. Formal education
just scratches the surface and is a drop of our capacity to learn.
Knowledge, no matter how insignificant it may appear to be, gives us a
reason to get out of bed every morning. Make it a habit to learn
something new each day. Treat knowledge like a new friend. Life is so
much more satisfying when we make a new friend every day.
5. Do Not Settle: “If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs
Success
is a process – not an event. Some goals may happen overnight. Others
require more time, energy, and alignment of some planets. Do not get
discouraged. Keep plotting forward with your plan. Evaluate your
progress and make course corrections. Keep your goal top of mind and
keep your feet moving. Michael Jordan once said, “If you're trying to
achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had
them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall,
don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through
it, or work around it.”
6. Live a Balanced Life: “My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The pina and the colada.” – Ellen DeGeneres
In
life we are constantly be pulled in many different directions. Family,
work, school, faith, community, etc. It is impossible to give attention
to all things at once. There are not enough hours in a day to carve out
time for each demand. However, over the intermediate- and long-term, we
can achieve balance.
A balanced life should include doing a good
job at work. Earning an honest pay for an honest day’s work. Balance
means taking time to treat the body well and keeping it running properly
with good foods, exercise, and rest. Balance means being present for
the family. Few can give the family all the time it demands. But giving
it “quality time” will keep the family healthy and happy. Balance means
taking some time for oneself to recharge the batteries. Balance means
being of service to the community and giving back. Balance means feeding
the soul through religion and/or spirituality.
7. Seek a Mentor: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” - Benjamin Franklin
While
there are advantages to failing, failure for failure’s sake is of
limited use. Work towards success and deal with failure as a byproduct
of a well developed plan. The best way to achieve success and limit
failure is to work with someone that has already been down the same
road. There is plenty that can go wrong as we travel down the road
towards success. By eliminating the low hanging fruit on the tree of
failure we improve the odds of success and ensure that we experience
only the most worthy type of failure. And remember to thank your
earliest mentors, your parents, teachers, and others, who inspired you
to succeed and set you on your journey.
8. Shut Up and Listen: “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway
Too
often we spend our time doing all the talking and not doing any
listening. Even when we’re listening, we’re thinking about the next
thing we’re going to say. By truly listening we can fully understand
what we are being told and properly engage in the conversation. If we do
not listen we cannot provide what is needed. We cannot give the needed
advice, solution, or shoulder to cry on.
9. Network:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -
Maya Angelou
No one in this world achieved success on their own.
Success requires that you lean on someone for support. That’s where the
network comes in. True networking means being of service to those in the
network – and not expecting something in return. Then when needed, the
network will find a way to return the favor.
10. Carry a Notebook:
“Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short term memory only
retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper
you can lose an idea for ever.” – Will Self
Our lives are busy and
getting busier. Over the course of a day we’ll have ideas, solutions,
and epiphanies. If we do not have a way to capture them we risk losing
them forever. A notebook, whether hardcopy or electronic, helps us
record our thoughts, release the mental storage, and move on to the next
great idea or solution.
The art of getting what you want
Take
No Less than 100% Responsibility for Your Life
One
of the greatest myths that is pervasive in our culture today is that you are
entitled to a great life and that somehow, somewhere, someone is responsible
for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options,
nurturing family time and blissful personal relationships simply because we
exist. But the real truth is that there is only one person responsible for the
quality of the life you live. That person is you.
Everything
about you is a result of your doing or not doing. Income. Debt. Relationships.
Health. Fitness level. Attitudes and behaviors. That person who reflects back
at you in the mirror is the chief conductor in your life. Say hello!
I
think everyone knows this in their hearts, but the mind can play games,
tricking plenty of people into thinking external factors are the source of
failure, disappointment, and unhappiness. But the truth of the matter is that
external factors don't determine how you live. You are in complete control of
the quality of your life.
Successful
people take full responsibility for the thoughts they think, the images they
visualize, and the actions they take. They don't waste their time and energy
blaming and complaining. They evaluate their experiences and decide if they
need to change them or not. They face the uncomfortable and take risks in order
to create the life they want to live.
I
believe each of us is born with a life purpose. Identifying, acknowledging and
honoring this purpose is perhaps the most important action successful people
take. They take the time to understand what they're here to do, and then they
pursue that with passion and enthusiasm.
If
you don't know what you're supposed to be doing, then just tune in to the
signals around you. Looking toward others for help and guidance is helpful, but
don't forget to stay tuned in to yourself—your behavior, attitude, likes and
dislikes, and life experiences. Identify what's working and what isn't. If you
need to, write it all down. You might be surprised by what you discover.
Decide What You Want
It
sounds so simple, but here's the problem: I see plenty of people who are
overly-busy yet who feel unsatisfied and unfulfilled. They are physically
tired, spiritually drained, and far from where they'd like to be—as if they've
been running on a treadmill going nowhere fast. Why? Because they haven't
clearly mapped out what they want and then taken the steps to get there. Rather
than identifying specific goals, milestones, and dreams (and I'm talking BIG
dreams and goals here), they go through the motions day in and day out tackling
unimportant tasks. They end up...you guessed it...going in circles and wasting
lots of energy. In the meanwhile, they grow increasingly uninspired and out of
touch with their authentic selves. This, of course, sets anyone up to living a
life out of balance.
One
of the main reasons why most people don't get what they want is they haven't
decided what they want. They haven't defined their desires in clear and
compelling detail. What does success look like to you? Not everybody's definition
of success is the same, nor should it be.
Don't
let your inner devil's advocate (or that incessant but unimportant To Do list)
inhibit you from dreaming big. As soon as you commit to a big dream and really
go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to
make it happen. You'll start attracting the people, resources, and
opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams
not only inspire you, but they also compel others to want to play big, too.
Scientists
used to believe that humans responded to information flowing into the brain
from the outside world. But today, they're learning that instead we respond to
what the brain, based on previous experience, expects to happen next. In fact,
the mind is such a powerful instrument; it can deliver literally everything you
want. But you have to believe that what you want is possible.
As
you commit to believing in yourself, also make a commitment to toning down the
complaint department. Look at what you are complaining about. I'm fat. I'm
tired. I can't get out of debt. I won't ever get a better job. I can't stand
the relationship I have with my father. I'll never find a soulmate in life.
Really examine your complaints. More than likely you can do something about
them. They are not about other people, other things, or other events. They are
about YOU.
If
you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to
believe that you are capable of making it happen. Whether you call it
self-esteem, self-confidence or self-assurance, it is a deep-seated belief that
you have what it takes; the abilities, inner resources, talents and skills to
create your desired results.
Have
unwavering faith in yourself, for good and bad. Make the decision to believe
that you create all your experiences. You will experience successes thanks to
you, and you will experience pain, struggle, and strife thanks to you. Sounds a
little strange, but accepting this level of responsibility is uniquely
empowering. It means you can do, change, and be anything. Stumbling blocks
become just that—little hills to hop over.
Become an Inverse Paranoid
This
one is straightforward: Imagine how much easier it would be to succeed in life
if you were constantly expecting the world to support you and bring you
opportunity. Successful people do just that.
Unleash the Power of Goal Setting
Experts
on the science of success know the brain is a goal-seeking organism. Whatever
goal you give to your subconscious mind, it will work day and night to achieve.
To engage you subconscious mind, a goal has to be measurable. When there aren't
any criteria for measurement, it is simply something you want, a wish, a
preference, or a good idea.
Sometimes
we need to make just one initial goal to get started, and that's okay. At least
it comes with a few actions to achieve. A first step simply can be making an
immediate change in a single area in your life. Are you unhappy about something
that is happening right now? Make requests that will make it more desirable to
you, or take the steps to change it yourself. Making a change might be
uncomfortable and overwhelming for you. It might mean you have to put in more
time, money, and effort. It might mean that someone gets upset about it, or
makes you feel bad about your decision. It might be difficult to change or
leave a situation, but staying put is your choice so why continue to complain?
You can either do something about it or not. It is your choice and you have
responsibility for your choices.
Bear
in mind that you have to be willing to change your behavior if you want a
different outcome. You have to be willing to take the risks necessary to get
what you want. If you've already taken an initial step in the right direction,
now's the time to plan more steps to keep moving you forward faster.
Isn't
it a great relief to know that you can make your life what you want it to be?
Isn't it wonderful that your successes do not depend on someone else?
So
if you need just one thing to do different today than you did yesterday, make
it this: Commit to taking 100% responsibility for every aspect of your life.
Decide to make changes, one step at a time. Once you start the process you'll
discover it is much easier to get what you want by taking control of your
thoughts, your visualizations, and your actions!
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