Most
people want to be successful in life. If you think about it, those
that don't aren't the kind of people you want your kids hanging
around.
Successful
people don't live a random life although random events happen
every day to even the most successful people.
Successful
people live on purpose.
They
live with intention.
There
are goals set and then the persistence to reach those goals.
But
before we get cranking...
The
question is what is success?
Actually,
success, like "happiness," can mean different things
to different people.
For
example, a person that owns their own house cleaning service might
set their level of success at serving 3 customers per day... while
someone who loves music might consider success as cutting their
own CD.
Obviously,
success does not always have to involve money.
Success
could be getting a good grade in a difficult class or learning
how to bake the perfect chocolate cake.
Success
can be being a great husband or wife, being a great family, building
wealth...it can be all kinds of things...
Success
comes in all different shapes and sizes with one common denominator.
Success
is important and it takes work to reach.
Success
is woven into PURPOSE.
Regardless
of what your current definition of success is, there are always
ways to go beyond your goal(s).
This
series of articles will provide you with factors and actions that
will CAUSE you to better yourself as a person, and give you proven
methods you can apply to reach the pinnacle of success as you
want it to be!
Let's
get to it...
Realize
your Potential
KEYPOINT:
In order to succeed at anything, you need to see that you have
the potential to reach your goals.
For
example, if you want to be a recording artist but have no singing
ability, having success in this field is not likely.
I
love to play guitar as much as I like anything...(well OK, second
best). I put one of my McCartney DVD's in or an old Elvis concert....pull
out the electric guitar...turn the volume foolishly loud for 25
minutes and bang out 6 or 7 tunes to the dismay of the neighbors
who are wealthy enough to have good insulation and construction
to deflect most of the sound....
Fact
is...I'm not very good... I'm not good.... I'm probably not average....
I would guess I rate below average. I'd say D+ but it hurts too
bad so I'll say C-.
So
could I be a professional guitarist?
Sure.
With lots of lessons. Lots of training. Dozens of hours per week
of practice and I could be doing gigs with a pro band.
And
make the charts?
No.
In
the music business, that requires having made your name by age
25 in almost all cases. Exceptions are few and far between.
So,
I could make a couple hundred bucks a night....that's a pro...but
I'm not going to make The Tonight Show...as a guitarist...
I've
got to look at the context and realize that I should stick to
something where youth is not a requirement.
However,
if you love playing guitar more than anything...or say... working
on cars and have a real talent for fixing engines and transmissions,
and to you, success would mean working for NASCAR, you have potential
to learn and achieve that success.
My
general rule of thumb is that, if you don't get ridiculous, you
can accomplish most things at most stages of life. Most limitations
are mental and not physical.
Don’t
Look Back
Everyone
has failures or mistakes from the past. Everyone.
In
fact if people don't have a list of failures the chances that
they have any skill or talent at anything is remote. Lack of failure
really can only come from lack of attempts.
To
achieve success, you need to learn from your past and draw from
the value those difficult lessons but do not ever dwell on the
past. Simply move forward and make better, more educated decisions
from the lessons learned.
For
most people, the past is a great indicator of the future.
Don't
be one of those people.
Learn
from your mistakes. Realize that in most cases they don't mean
a darn thing in the scope of life..
Dare
to Dream
To
succeed, you need to have dreams and aspirations. Be honest with
yourself as to what you want out of life and what you want to
give of your life. Allow your mind to dream and think big.
But
STOP for a minute.
Don't
think so big that you can't wrap your life around what the daily
experience of your life will be like or you will NOT reach your
dream.
Dream
to earn $100,000 per year before you dream to earn $200,000 per
year. (Once you know how to earn 100K, 200K is not much of a stretch.
BUT be intelligent.)
Experience
and Familiarity are very important to achieving success.
The
Plan
Create
a Plan as your very first step if you are planning to build a
business. Whether you will be searching for investors or not,
this plan will be the blueprint to your success. The Business
Plan will consist of market trends, financial planning, competitive
analysis, exit strategies, marketing and promotional options,
everything about your goal. When going before an investor, you
will be required to have a Business Plan.
This
is by far the most important document of all. If your success
were something personal, you would not need to create a Business
Plan although a Project Plan would be a good option to allow you
to keep track of everything involving your goal.
If
your success plan involves relationships or attaining a relationship,
you REALLY need a plan.
No
plan = no high quality relationship.
And
a good plan has a Plan B and Plan C under it...
Don’t
Give Up
To
reach success, you have to persevere.
Thomas
Edison had to experience this. When he was creating the incandescent
light bulb, it took him and his workers thousands of attempts
to get it right. Keep striving especially when it becomes challenging.
In
my experience, the greatest rewards happened behind the door that
was hardest to break down. (Forget opening the dang thing...)
Have
an Unstoppable Attitude
You
need to build determination.
A
true analogy is that of the weight lifter. Determination takes
effort to build beyond having, "a little."
It
takes a lot of determination to succeed.
With
good intentions, there may be a close friend or family member
that feels it would be better if you focused your attention in
another direction.
Maintain
your unstoppable attitude, determined to succeed.
Be
in the presence of people who support you. Be around those who
want you to succeed.
Stop
the Complaining and Never Wimp Out
You're
broke? Don't take the welfare check.
You tired? Don't sleep.
You sick? Work twice as hard.
Got a day off coming? Use it to move closer to your dream.
You
might think there is no correlation between complaining and success
when in fact there is a connection.
When
you are spending time complaining about the obstacles you are
facing, you are wasting so much time being "negative"
that you are actually losing momentum to move forward. Instead
of thinking of challenges as problems, think of them as opportunities.
If
you can't pull that off, think of problems as TESTS.
ALWAYS
move forward.
Walk
into the fire.
It's
OK to hurt as long as you keep moving forward.
If
you do complain, complain WHILE you are moving forward.
Do
What You Love
To
increase your chance of succeeding, you want to concentrate your
efforts on what you have passion for.
When
you start out, make a list of everything you find interesting.
Then in a second column, write down the skills you have in relation
to each of those items. This will help you narrow choices down
based on interest and skill, which gets you started in the right
direction for success.
I
hate preparing for tax time every year. Makes my stomach turn
when I think about what I pay...BUT, I like (love) pretty much
everything else I do...
and
off course, I remember when I said...my "goal is to pay X
dollars in taxes every year."
Now
I do...
Change
your Circumstances
You
have a choice in life to accept your position or change it. If
you choose to plug along in life hoping that something will change
for the better, you will not get anywhere. I'm not going to go
into some big complex thing about probability and statistics...I'll
just say this:
If
you think something life-changing is going to happen to you that
is POSITIVE in your life because you WISH or HOPE for it...you
are dreaming the wrong kind of dream.
People
who walk through life without a plan are really thrown when crisis
hits and disaster strikes.
....and
I promise you that disasters come often enough to count on them
and PREPARE for them.
The
best way to get out from underneath the LAST disaster is to CHANGE
YOUR POSITION IN LIFE.
Always
remember that when it comes to changing your circumstances, you
can – you have that power. As an example, women who are in abusive
situations often feel controlled and powerless to get out of the
situation. They have the same choice of changing their circumstances
as you do. If your circumstances lower the chances of success,
you need to change them.
You
can't "hope things will get better."
They
won't.
You
can, however CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES and climb the highest mountains...
...no
kiddin'....
Accept
Responsibility
You
need to accept responsibility if you make a bad decision or fall
behind in your plan.
REPAIR...THEN
MOVE ON.
Let
us say that you have set some firm milestones that need to be
accomplished in order for you to move to the next step. However,
you got tired of working hard and took some time to play, which
is fine as long as it does not affect your goals. Now months have
passed and you are way behind schedule. This delay has closed
several doors of opportunities. Who is to blame?
You're
training yourself to not just fail which is part of success, but
to BE a FAILURE which is the ABSENCE OF RESPONSIBILITY.
Have
Courage
Depending
on what your specific chosen outcome(s) is, it will probably take
courage to arrive at your desired destination.
If
you have a dream of being a writer and to you, that is success,
but according to your long line of family members who have all
gone on to be doctors, the only success in their minds is if you
follow down the medical path. This means you will have to have
courage to stand up for what you believe and desire to do, even
if it means disappointing family.
Courage
is facing adversity at every level and not caving, especially
to other people's opinions!
Be
Excited to Learn
Referring
back to the analogy of Edison, when asked about his failures by
a young boy, Edison commented, “Young man, I didn’t fail 9,999
times, I discovered 9,999 ways not to invent the light bulb.”
As you work toward your specific success, always enjoy opportunities
to learn, even if it takes longer than you think it should.
Whatever
your "field", you want to be the best. You want to have
the greatest knowledge and the best mentor to push you there.
What
you put in your mind will pretty much determine your success level.
Junko
in Junko out.
Look
at the results as of today.
Now,
PUT KNOWLEDGE IN THAT MATTERS.
Share
your Success
Although
this may be more at the climactic waves of the process, it is
important. When you do reach your goals, use your experience to
teach, guide, and mentor others so that they too might succeed.
Giving itself is an empowering experience. To KNOW that you change
someone else's life is a gift to them...and to yourself.
Seek
Input
Whatever
your idea of success, conduct a “reality check” throughout the
process of reaching your goal. This should be done with someone
you trust and who is themselves successful. Ask them to provide
honest feedback about your success and as you move through different
milestones, bounce concerns or new ideas off them to help keep
you on the right track.
Inoculate
Yourself Against Toxic Friends and Family
No, I'm not talking about actual poison but toxic people that
can poison.
Unfortunately,
it would be great if close friends or co-workers could share in
your success but all too often, there will be someone who is either
dealing with the “green monster” of jealousy or has a case of
the “I knew that” syndrome.
If
you are serious about reaching your goal and being successful,
you will need to rid your life of these people or at least LIMIT
their impact in your life.
While
you may not be able to get them out of your life completely, you
should avoid them as best as possible. If this is a person you
see every day, keep your goals to yourself, and avoid that specific
subject.
Which
leads us to our next success secret...
Be
a Good Listener
To
succeed, you need to learn how to listen first. Pay attention
to other people who have enjoyed successes in their life, attend
seminars given by people that can motivate and encourage, or be
open to hearing that a particular idea is not a good one. Good
listening takes time to learn but in the end, it will be your
greatest tool.
Connect
With Winners
If
you have a goal of being a best-selling author, find friends and
mentors who either have achieved that same goal or are also pursuing
a successful writing career. It is important to surround yourself
with people that can associate with your goal and passion, people
who understand the burning desire to succeed and can encourage
when you meet with disappointments.
Become
involved in an Inner Circle. Meet the RIGHT kind of people at
places like Boot Camp. Make good things and good connections happen
in your life.
About
the Author:
Kevin Hogan is the author of Covert
Hypnosis, a guidebook that Dr. Joe Vitale (star of "The
Secret" movie) has said to be "the most powerful
stuff I've EVER seen for selling, persuading, and motivating."
Kevin
is the nation's leading body language expert. He is a dynamic,
well-known international motivational and inspirational keynote
speaker, consultant and corporate trainer.
He
has trained persuasion, sales and marketing skills to leaders
in the government of Poland, employees from Boeing, Microsoft,
Starbucks, Meespierson, Auntie Anne's, Cargill, Pillsbury, Carlson
Companies, Fortis, Great Clips, the State of Minnesota, 3M, The
United States Postal Service and numerous other Fortune 500 companies.
He recently spoke to The Inner Circle and at the Million Dollar
Roundtable (MDRT) convention.
