What is The Secret to Success
Are you lucky or do you believe you have to work very hard and to be a success and maybe “lady luck” will still work against you?
Impossible to succeed.
Is success impossible? Because you are:
Too old?
Too poor?
Have too little education?
Too little time?
Too many kids?
Too little capital?
Do you want success?
I would like to ask you a personal question: would you like to be successful?
No.
If your answer is “No!”, then please stop reading now.
Yes.
If your answer is “Yes!” and you want to know how-please read a little more.
How to Succeed
There are hundreds of books and courses which explain the secrets of success. I will give you some of them free here. Of course, the “how” is different for every single person and depends on your current circumstances and what you mean when you say “success.” Let’s have a look.
Real Success
Examples of success might be to:
Write an email if you have no arms.
Describe a colour to a blind person.
Make £10,000 or $12,000 per month
Make an extra £400 per month.
Buy a new car every year.
Buy a car for the first time, (any car.)
Go on at least 3 holidays a year.
Buy a 5 bedroomed house with swimming pool for cash.
Bring up 2 sets of twins.
Get a degree at University.
Learn to read and write.
Solve a quadratic equation.
Get your kids to wash their hands.
etc. etc. etc.
The Meaning of Success
This is different for everyone since we all have different dreams and goals in life, from tying your own shoelaces to building a multi-million-pound business. What does it mean to you?
Exercise
It is a very useful exercise to write a short list of what you want to succeed in. Try it now. A very good way is to save it in a text document and then review it monthly. See if the goals change.
Goals
What you have just done is put into words what your goals are, and that is wonderful. Congratulations. Seriously, you have just achieved an important success. (Not done it yet? Go on, give it a go. It is free and you might surprise yourself.)
Why You Are Special
Very few people know what they really want. Try asking people that question; “What do you really want in your life?” Ask friends and family. About 95% do not know. They will tell you what they do NOT want.
What People Tell You?
They will tell you what they definitely do not want and will explain how success, for them, is impossible. They will say they are unsuitable or incapable of business. Perhaps they do not have enough time. I know because I have asked people. People come with all kinds of reasons why NOT to do something about success. They will give you all kinds of reasons why they cannot explain what they do want.
Did You Do It?
If you have now written down 3 things you want to succeed in, things that mean “success” to you, you are now in an elite 5 % of society. You are in a rare group of people who know what they want and can put it into words.
People who want failure, but…
There are people who want to do as little as possible, make no decisions and have no goals or intentions. A remarkable fact is that these people often live to a ripe old age. They have never marries, never had children, never travelled anywhere exciting. They often leave no legacy and have never got really passionate or upset about anything. That is OK. For them, I mean.
Risks
If you want to succeed, you will need to do something that appears to be difficult, to take some risks and do things which challenge you and can be difficult, at first. To succeed, you will have to keep doing these things until they become familiar and comfortable and easy. Then find the next challenge.
Most people find that as soon as something is a little uncomfortable or difficult, they revert back to what they know, what is easy.
Life is Full of Risks
Yes – from boiling a kettle to crossing the road to eating a burger, it is all dangerous and risky. I do not need to explain more. The risks, however, are small. That is the thing we can all do. Take small risks and pretend there is no risk. Facing big risks and doing risky things is not natural and needs a change in attitude to do it.
Attitude
Success is about attitude. Imagine Muhammad Ali saying, “I Can’t do that.” Instead, he repeated “I am the greatest.” He said it so many times that he believed it, he knew it was true. Because he knew it, everyone else knew it as well.
If you look at the legacy that Tony Robbins leaves us – it is summed up in one word.
He Tells Us to Say “Yes!”
And Virgin’s originator Richard Branson said: “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you‘re not sure you can do it, say “yes” – then learn how to do it later.”
It is magic how we can do things impossible, if we decide they ARE possible.
Magic?
The magic of Branson, Ali and Robbins is that they are not particularly clever or special or different to you or me. Well, maybe they are in one respect: Their attitude of belief. The magic is that if you believe you can do something, everyone else believes it too. If you fail, they will believe it was just a blip and that no-one is perfect.
Did you know that 2 of those 3 are dyslexic? Guess which ones?
The Big Question
The question is how you get to be confident with a confident “yes” attitude. Do you have to experience success first? Or, does the confidence come first?
The magic is in the answer: It goes together. Reading books and going to seminars and Psychotherapists will only make a difference if you are willing to accept that there is a possibility you can have that confidence. The magic is that it costs nothing and can make you a fortune. It can bring you happiness, success and much more.
Mentors
We are human, we make mistakes and we can learn from those mistakes. We form habits, some good and some bad. Sometimes we need a third party to point out those bad habits and how we are self-sabotaging our own success with unhelpful beliefs. Most successful people have mentors to help them be objective and maintain their success. Mentors come in many shapes and sizes and depend on your goals in life.
The Experiment
Here’s a little test for you to do on yourself. It’s free and takes little time and above all it is fun.
The next time you are in a crowded or busy place, imagine you have a shape, like the bow of a ship in front of you and that it slides between the people. They will get out of your way. Believe it, know it and see it. Hear the breeze separating at the bows and see the people moving out of the way. Smell the salty sea spray and notice the gentle powerful wave as the bows slice firmly through the waves.
The Passion
Remember we talked about the 5% few who know what they want? I lied. I’m sorry. The real statistic is so shocking that it is almost unbelievable. Less than 1% of people know what they want and can express it in words. You are in an elite group of 1%. Well done.
Now you will want the final ingredient: passion. Look at the word “want.” It is not really strong enough. Imagine you are training to be an Olympic athlete and look back over your last 4 years of training. You have trained 7 days a week, 8 hours a day. You go to bed early, drink no alcohol and control your diet of food and drink down to the last gram. You have prioritised your training above your family and friends and sacrificed your relationships and free time pleasures. All this is for a piece of metal on a band round your neck. That is passion.
It is not about “wanting”, it is wanting with a passion. Do you really want to succeed, with a passion?
It IS possible. Write an extra list now. What do you feel passionate about, and be honest.
Getting Up In The Morning
Finally, a serious way to test your determination to succeed is to pick something you are not so good at. A little thing like “Getting up” in the morning. When you fall asleep, imagine yourself leaping out of bed in the morning as soon as you wake up, and enjoying the feeling of that success. How does it feel?
Change a small thing in your life and you will enjoy a feeling of success and a deep satisfaction of knowing; you CAN succeed.