Success. What a complex concept.
Each and every one of us wants to be successful in one way or another. The most interesting part about success is that everybody has a different definition of it.
For some, success means wealth, power, fame, while for others it can represent love, family, spirituality, and so on.
Pablo Picasso said “Action is the foundational key to all success”.
Every successful person will tell you that they’ve arrived to their desired destination by working hard, putting a lot of effort, and never ceasing to believe in their dreams.
Failures? There are no failures in life.
Failing is a feedback that lets you know that whatever methods you’re using aren’t working, and that you should change your course of actions right until you succeed.
Success Comes after Many Failed Attempts.
Everyone knows about Thomas Edison, the famous light bulb inventor. He is considered to be one of the most intelligent and successful inventors in the entire history.
But not many of us actually know his story. For example, did you know that one time Thomas Edison was told by his teachers that he is “not smart enough to learn anything”?
How about the fact that before he actually invented the new object that changed the world, he has failed over 1000 times?
Yes, and despite all the failures, he never stopped believing, and never gave up. All that hard work and efforts made him successful.
Related: 10 Simple Steps to Benefit from Failure and Turn It Into Success
How to Begin Your Success Journey?
There’s a point in our lives where we start thinking higher, we want more, and our craving for success becomes more intense than it was before.
No matter how old, experienced, or smart you are, it all starts with a clear decision. You must decide that you REALLY want to succeed. Beware. A decision isn’t the same thing as a wish or a desire.
If you decide to succeed, you must totally commit. Besides all that, you should devote your time to personal improvement. Successful people never stop learning and growing.
Few Important Success Principles
Success leaves traces. Instead of reinventing the wheel, you should definitely improve your mindset by following some basic, tested, working success principles spoken by successful people who have already made it. Here are some of them:
1. You Are the Only Person Responsible for Your Success.
The moment you understand that everything that happens to you is a result of your own thoughts and actions, is the moment you’ll be one step closer to success.
No matter the circumstances, you must take full responsibility and never blame others for what’s happening in your life.
We’ve all heard stories about great disabled athletes who took part in Olympic Games and actually won because they had strong will and worked hard on reaching success, no matter how hard the circumstances were.
Related: What Every Millennial Should Do Early On for a Massively Successful Life
2. Positivity Fuels Productivity.
Being an optimistic individual is a key to great success.
All the positive energies that you’re evoking are attracting the same type of experiences and opportunities. If you get caught up in disempowering moods and feelings, if you believe that things will go wrong, they will. This is a universal law. You can’t have success if you are filled with negativity.
I can speak for myself – it really works! Every time I think positively about something important, like being able to get some bonuses at work, it comes true as a successful victory for me, because of my hard work and positive thinking.
3. Consistent Action is Required.
The first thing you need in order to be successful is a rich mindset. The second one is ACTION.
Action equals work. Hard work and persistence equals success, no matter what.
This is where most people fail. They get caught up in learning, planning, coming up with ideas, but never take action. Without action, the concept of success is just a faraway dream.
There is even a joke about this.
When a man needed money badly for his family, he prayed to God to let him win the lottery. He prayed and prayed, but nothing happened. And after the umpteenth time of the same prayers, God turned to the man and said: “If only you bought a lottery ticket – then I would help you win the money!”.
That’s the point – in order to reach success, you need to take some action first.
4. Believe That You Can Pull It Off.
Our subconscious minds play a huge role in our lives.
They constantly whisper us what we can or can’t do. Most of the times, because of our previous experiences, we tend to adopt self-limiting beliefs such as “I can’t do that, or that, or that”.
Those affirmations in our heads will always destroy our dreams, because they limit us.
Instead, we can start believing that whatever we want to do is completely achievable, and it’s only a matter of time until we pull it off.
Related: How to Use Success Affirmations Effectively
5. You Must Fail in Order to Succeed.
Success comes after many failures.
As mentioned earlier, a failure is something that lets you realize that you are doing something wrong, and that you must change your actions in order to make progress. A failure can also be a personal test –as success never comes easy.
So, don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is just another valuable lesson in our life.
Conclusion
Success doesn’t come easy. Never. Please don’t take this for granted. It really doesn’t, and it never will!
But…there’s a huge BUT. The moment you see that your efforts and persistence takes you one step closer to where you want to be, you’re going to feel extremely proud of yourself, happy, and motivated to move forward.
There’s no greater feeling than reaching your goals and dreams. It’s something worth fighting for. Remember, all the hustle and challenges you’ll be facing along the way are necessary. Keep your head up, and never give up!
See also:
Tim Ferriss: Successful people aren’t different – you’re just making excuses
What is Actually Required for Success?
About The Author
This is a guest post by Jessica Freeman, a professional journalist and freelance writer. She enjoys writing on the topics of education, success and career developments.