Success 101: What it Really Takes to Succeed

“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” Arnold H. Glasow

There are thousands of books, blogs, video tutorials, guides, podcasts and other sources of information on how to reach success.

Most of them offer a secret, easy steps, a unique technique or unconventional ideas to achieve it. And people keep spending money on that because they hope things really are that easy.

The truth is that things are simple. The steps you need to take to become successful are simple, but the whole journey is not easy.

It’s hard, takes time and sacrifices. And the more we deny it, the further we get from our goals.

Reading about entrepreneurs, young businessmen who’ve made a lot of money, people who started from nothing and made it to the top and so on, is totally worthwhile. Following their steps and not making their mistakes can really help a lot. But the biggest benefit is that it makes us realize that they were once average people who had nothing but the desire to change and the willingness to do what it takes to succeed.

So let’s leave all hope that the ideal lifestyle we want to lead will be easy, that there is a magic button for that and we’ll see the person we want to become in the mirror in a week or so.

Let’s face the real facts that have been proven for so many centuries and start working on our goals now so that we can soon see the progress which will be the motivation we’ll then need to keep going.

Here I’ve listed the most important things you’ll need to do, qualities you’ll need to develop and the way of thinking you should have in order to live your legend and get everything you want.

They go together. You may need to work on some of them more than others, but eventually you’ll need all of these traits.

What You Need to Succeed in Life

1. Purpose.

It all starts with a purpose. It is the momentum that will make you begin, that will help you make the first step and will give you direction in life.

Your purpose is your sacred desire, the thing you want to have/be/experience/etc. the most and for which you’re willing to make sacrifices.

Without your purpose you’ll be going nowhere and thus won’t know what step to take next. It’s like walking in the dark. All you need to know is the final destination and the next step. And both of these become clear by defining your purpose and staying focused on it every single day.

So make sure you know exactly what you want in your life, have defined your deepest desires and clarified your intentions.

2. Vision.

See yourself successful before you really are.

This is a step not everyone is ready to take because of all the self-limiting beliefs we have and the mediocrity we live in.

But once you start visualizing success, you will make your mind believe it’s actually possible.

Also you’ll set in motion one of the most powerful laws in the universe – the law of attraction. It’s proven that we’re human magnets and whatever we think of, we become.

Constantly visualizing the result we want, expecting it to happen in the best way possible and focusing on that thought is what will make the universe bring us people, things, events and situations with the same energy level.     Everything in the world is in vibration and the power of visualization can help  you get anything that has the same vibration.

Of course you shouldn’t count on that. The biggest mistake will be to just sit there and expect success to knock on the door. Instead, take actions every day that take you closer to your final destination but keep in mind that the universe is not against you (as most people think).

3. Belief.

Not only should you believe that what you want is possible and you can become the best version of yourself, but you should be absolutely sure about it.

It’s another universal law that whatever you believe in, becomes your reality. Soon you’ll start to see things that are consistent with your beliefs and nothing else will matter. Then you’ll start taking actions based on those beliefs and that’s when the real magic happens.

4. Action.

Nothing will ever happen unless you do something about it. The most important thing is to begin.

Make the first small step towards achieving your goal.

It may be anything (writing the title of your book, buying a gym membership, telling your friend about what you’re up to, selling your car to invest the money in your idea, etc.) but it has to be done right away.

An object in motion stays in motion. So start small, start now and everything else will come in place.

5. Hard work.

That is what holds most people back. They just think it’s such an obvious step and don’t pay enough attention to it. It’s also the thing they’re not happy doing and want to avoid.

I’m sorry to tell you that but without this step nothing will ever happen. There may be some exceptions you know about – people who got it all without sweating too much – but you can’t rely on that.

6. Repetition.

Many give up on that step too. It’s actually harder than the previous one because it means doing the hard work over and over again.

Most people underestimate the power of repetition because they just don’t fancy it. But if you think about it, we live a life of repetitive actions – our habits. And if we don’t take control of them and choose the right ones, then they will control us.

So whatever you do, don’t stop and keep pushing. Soon satisfaction will come.

7. Sacrifices.

Another inevitable step if you want to succeed.

If you read the biography of any successful person you admire, or just the About page of a top blogger, you’ll see what they’ve been through to get there. And it will most probably consist of many sacrifices.

It may be free time, money, social life, fun, holidays and so on. But the point is that you’ll have to invest something in order to get something back.

8. Initiative.

And last but not least is a very interesting quality not everyone possesses, but as anything else, it can be learnt.

Here is how Napoleon Hill describes it:

“Initiative is that very rare quality which impels a person to do what ought to be done without being told to do it.

Golden opportunities are lurking at ever corner, waiting for the person with initiative to come along and discover them.

Before a person can rise very high in any field of endeavor, he must become a person of vision who can think in big terms, who can create definite plans and then carry these plans into actions, all of which makes it imperative that the quality of initiative be developed.”

These are the most important things you need to know. Now that you see how possible it all is and that it’s absolutely free and you can start immediately, everything is in your hands.

Which of these do you need to work more on to succeed? And where on your journey to success are you at this point? Share your answers in the comments below.