5 Key Formulas For Success In 2017
Success has always been, and still is, a topic that I find extremely fascinating. On second thought, maybe it’s not success that fascinates me as much as how people succeed. I believe that’s where the true fascination lies. To hear of an individual, group of people, or company who have succeeded against all odds, even when everything in their environment is screaming “give up! Throw in the towel!” is thoroughly exciting. To see someone ignore the easy road, which usually ends with a white flag raised up saying, “I quit”, can be awe inspiring. To watch an individual trample the status quo, demolish mediocrity to emerge as champion, now that I find to be extremely amazing. I believe that every person has within them their personalized secret to success. Therefore, after reading or hearing about this person’s “starting from the bottom” background I think to myself, how and why? These two questions always come to mind after hearing about such great success. Why did they do it? And how did they do it?
Although I haven’t nearly achieved the success that I truly desire, I understand that success is a formula. The fact of the matter is, certain things/actions must happen, for something else to happen. Below you will find five key action steps that, if followed, I believe will bring you higher levels of success in 2017.
Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
There’s a quote that I love by theologian and teacher William Shedd that states, “a ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for”. Bob Proctor co-star in the DVD hit “The Secret” said it this way “some people are so afraid of risk that they tip toe through life trying to safely make it to death.” So ask yourself, am I tiptoeing through life or am I making my presence known? A few days ago, I took inventory of everything that I am currently doing or have done: from radio, being on tour, a professional speaker and author and co-founder of a nonprofit, to name a few, only to discover that I had no prior experience or schooling before jumping headfirst and neglecting to reside in my comfort zone. Honestly, my comfort zone would have kept me living in my hometown in the basement living with mom and dad. So, I say to you, just like the ship, it was built to conquer the seas not to rust away in the harbor.
Shift To A New Place
I must admit there have been days along my journey that the weight and pressures of pursuing my goals and dreams felt unbearable at times. Bill collectors would call and I would dodge them. The wife and kids would have a need/want and I would make up a convincing lie about why I wouldn’t be able to come through. Oh yeah, I can’t forget about going to the refrigerator hoping and praying that food would magically appear. I will say that those were some painful moments of my life. I felt stuck and in a rut with no hope in sight. But I knew I had to do something and do it fast. So, one day I try something different. I thought about the goals that I wanted to achieve within the next five years and I did all I could to place myself in my dream. I visited car dealerships, went to few open houses, spent more time with the right people and less with the wrong. The new shift changed my mental pictures which eventually changed my reality. Truth is, you’re so close. Your new life is one shift away.
Change The People With Whom You Associate
Not too long ago I came across this quote by Hare Krishna that stated, “in the sun there is great heat and light, and by reflection the greatness of the sun’s light the moon in night also appears great”. The moon, by nature, is dark and cold, but in association with sun it has become accepted as great. Hence by association with one of the great, one appears to be great. It’s been said that, five years from now that you and I will be the same person except the books we’ve read and the people we’ve met. And lastly, big ma used to say “birds of a feather, flock together”.
Adopt Good Habits
“If you want to change your world, you need to start cultivating good habits.” During my days working as a store manager. I had a serious, serious bad habit of showing up to work after my scheduled time. Not only that, I made excuses for why I could never get myself to work on time. Now that maturity has overtaken me, looking back I see why my professional life was in the predicament it was. After deciding on becoming a full-time entrepreneur I quickly discovered that poor time management and excuse making had no place in the marketplace. If I wanted different outcomes I had to change my habits immediately. Ponder on this, “change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort almost any habit can be reshaped”.
Play Your Cards Right
Down through the years there have been many comparisons to life. Some compare life to a roller coaster, a marathon, a battle, a garden and of course we can’t forget a journey. However today, let’s compare life to a deck of cards. Every one of us have been given a set of cards that we had no choice of receiving prior to our arrival on this beautiful planet. In my book titled, “What if I Am? The 4 Stages In life”, a woman shares her life story about how she lost her brother, sister, mother, father, daughter and husband. She even shares how she suffered from chronic illnesses. Listen to what she stated about life. “Life is like a deck of cards. It’s not always about the hand you’ve been dealt. It’s about how you handle the hand you’ve been dealt. You can fold or you can do your best to win even if it seems impossible.” Always remember, it’s not what you have, it’s what you do with what you have.
