“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” — Dwayne Johnson
Have you often wondered about success? What does it actually mean to you? Does the word success trigger a meaning that’s associated with money or power or wealth beyond measure? Or does success mean something else to you? Maybe success means having the freedom to travel, living in a certain country, getting married and having children, or simply being healthy and happy.
Of course, we all attribute different meanings to the word success. Not everyone thinks about it the same way. But, for the most part, people attribute success to monetary achievement. They have big-money goals and dreams that involve flashy cars and palatial mansions and overflowing bank accounts.
However, before embarking upon any journey to achieve your goals and attain success, whatever definition it might take on for you, you have to be willing to make certain sacrifices. The truth is that big goals take enormous amounts of effort to achieve. They don’t happen simply and they aren’t straightforward by any means.
But if you’ve been thinking about success, and it’s quite possibly eluded you for some time now, then there are certain approaches and methods that you need to pay homage to if you’re serious about achieving the seemingly “impossible.” I say impossible in quotes because nothing in life is impossible with the right mindset. The word itself can be broken apart into “I’M POSSIBLE.”
No matter where you are today in life, no matter how many times you’ve failed or have suffered setback after setback, you can achieve your dreams as long as you stay persistent. Although it might sound like the world’s biggest cliche, you should never, ever give up on your goals, no matter what happens.
How To Define Success
Before you can achieve any goal, no matter how big or small, you need to define what success means to you. The problem that most people have is that they set goals that aren’t in harmony with their values and beliefs. When you do that, you fail. Failure occurs when something runs contrary to who you are deep down inside.
The problem? You don’t even realize that a goal is completely out of sync with what you stand for as a person until it’s too late. But if you can do this analysis beforehand, you’ll have a proverbial leg up. So how does this work? Simple. All you need to do is review your core values and beliefs. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1 — Define your core values in life
Write out a list of your values. What do you value most? Family? Friends? Contribution? Freedom? Power? Honesty? Each person has a different set of values. I can’t help you define them. But by defining them, you’ll better be able to achieve success in your own right because you’ll have a foundation for designing the life of your dreams that’s in harmony with who you are.
Take the time to write out your list. Each value should be one word long. Not longer. Pick at least 10 things you value and place them in an order of importance. This way, you can see what you’re attributing the most meaning to in your life. For example, here are what my values are:
- Family
- Faith
- Freedom
- Contribution
- Loyalty
- Honesty
- Respect
- Love
- Achievement
- Wisdom
You can find a great list of values here on James Clear’s website. He lists off 50 core values and I would highly suggest selecting your top 10 from this list and ordering them from most important to least important. This is an important part of the success process because you’ll refer back to these later on.
Step 2 — Define your core beliefs
What we value isn’t always an indication of what we believe in. In fact, sometimes they can run contrary to one another. For example, someone who might value honesty might believe that most people are not trustworthy. Just because you value something, it doesn’t mean that it’s harmonious to your core beliefs.
Some people that value love might feel like they’re unlovable. They might believe that they’re big-boned or that they’re eternally flawed. For example, someone who values wealth might believe that money doesn’t grow on trees. If you believe that money doesn’t grow on trees, and you’ve had a hard time generating an income most of your life, you might even value wealth more highly.
When something eludes a person, it’s more highly sought after. If you’ve always been skinny and healthy, you might not value your health as much. It might be low on your list. But your core belief might be that you are beautiful inside and out. That’s easy to believe when that belief has been reinforced your entire life because you’ve always been skinny or good looking. Get the picture?
Take the time to list out your core beliefs. This is really important if you’re trying to achieve success. The reason why is because the better you understand what it is that you want out of life and what you actually stand for, the more you’ll be able to instill a strong enough reason to achieve it. For example, here are some core beliefs:
- I am worthy of happiness
- Most people are good if you give them a fair chance
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
- Problems are a sign of life
- Failure is the pathway to success
- Experiences are more important than accumulating things
Get the picture? You can learn more about how to create core beliefs or find some core beliefs that might be useful here. Take the time to create a list with your 10 top beliefs and order them in importance from top to bottom just like you did with your core values. This is crucial to the bigger picture.
Achieving The “Impossible”
Once you understand who you are at the very core, in that you’ve defined your values and beliefs, you can begin to push forward with that knowledge, which is vital to your overall ability to succeed. In total, there are 15 ways or methods that you should go about moving forward.
#1 — Set Goals And Create Plans
You can’t succeed if you set goals the wrong way. You need to set them the right way. They need to be written down for starters. 92% of people fail to achieve goals because they don’t write them down and they don’t plan for them. But you also need to ensure that your goals have strong enough meaning to you.
Make sure that the goals are SMART goals and that they’re harmonious with the values and beliefs you defined. Ask yourself, does this goal make sense considering what I value and believe in? If you answered no, then you need to redefine your goals. Once you’re sure about them, create big meanings behind why you’re willing to do anything to achieve those goals.
#2 — Always Dream BIG
Never be afraid to dream big. In fact, you should always dream big. No matter what. Don’t allow anything that anyone else ever says to you to dissuade you from achieving your big goals. The truth is that the sky is the limit and whatever it is that you put your mind to, you can achieve. It’s all just a mindset and a mental game. Nothing more.
When you fail to dream big, you limit yourself from the infinite possibilities and potential that you have hidden deep down inside of you. If you fail to dream big, you fail to tap into that massive potential.
#3 — Never Fear Failure, Be More Afraid Of Not Trying
I’ve failed many times. But I’ve also picked myself up each time. Success is not defined by how many times you’ve failed, but rather by how many more times you’ve gotten back up again. Don’t be afraid to fail. Failing isn’t the end of the road. It’s simply a way to start again, but this time with more experience and knowledge of how to do things the right way.
No one is perfect. Even the most famous people in the world have failed the most times. Life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to work out. Things don’t and won’t always go according to plan. But you should be more afraid of not trying than you are of failing. It’s far better to take a chance than it is to sit idly and watch life pass you by.
#4 — Carefully Manage Your Time
Anyone serious about success needs to carefully manage their time. We all have the same amount of time in the world. No matter who you are, the next person doesn’t have more time than you. That’s an important distinction to make. Why? Because, unlike money, once time is used it’s gone.
Money can return. We can save and invest it and make more of it. Not with time. So be careful to use your time wisely and implement an effective system for managing your time. That’s really important to do no matter how you define success in life. You can’t achieve your goals if you’re not careful about how you use your time.
#5 — Choose Your Friends Wisely
Lay down with dogs and you come up with fleas. Isn’t that how the saying goes? There’s a reason for that. Our friends can literally make or break us. If you’re serious about succeeding in any endeavor, find friends that will elevate you rather than knock you down.
Your peers have a big influence on your ability to succeed. When you’re inspired and motivated by your friends, you do more to achieve your own goals. Otherwise, when your friends help you to partake in things that solicit bad habits like drinking, gambling or drugs, you end up in a downward spiral. So choose wisely.
#6 — Seek Work-Life Balance
Setting your core values and your beliefs should show you that there’s more to life than attaining monetary or “thing” related goals. Family and contribution and adding value to the world is very important. Keep in mind that there are people out there that would die to have your problems.
For that reason specifically, you need to seek a healthy work-life balance. Don’t just focus on your career or financial goals; focus on your relationship and health goals. Take the time to work out and stay fit, eating healthy along the way. It does a lot to assist you in achieving outlandish success.
#7 — Have Cheat Days
Sometimes, you need a break from the constant and never-ending hustle. You will (and should) have cheat days. Not often. But at least once a month if not once per week. If you’re on a diet, take a day to enjoy whatever you want, within reason of course. If you absolutely love pizza, have a slice or two once a week. Why not?
Life is short. It’s meant to be lived. Just don’t go overboard. It’s easy to allow a cheat day to turn into a cheat week, a cheat month and even a cheat year. Don’t let that happen. Everything in moderation. Everything. It’s an important part of the success recipe to allow yourself some creature comforts from time to time.
#8 — Think Positive No Matter What Happens
Even when things go south, you have to think positive. Thinking negatively will get you nowhere fast. Negativity begets more negativity and you just end up stressed out and fearful. However, a positive mindset is going to allow you to break through those hurdles to achieve your dreams.
This is really important. There’s magic within positive thinking. The human mind has upwards of 60,000 thoughts per day and when you think positively, your subconscious thoughts will help to support your dreams rather than to hold you back.
#9 — Always Add Massive Amounts Of Value
At the heart of any definition for success is the ability and willingness to add massive amounts of value. The people in this world that have added the most value have succeeded at the highest levels. If you fail to add value, you’ll fail to achieve a large portion of your goals no matter what they might be.
Sometimes, this means doing the most amount of work for the least initial return. It’s the harsh truth. But you can’t succeed if you try to do the least amount of work for the greatest return. And you can’t succeed if you take shortcuts or cut corners. Go the extra mile always if you’re serious about achieving success.
#10 — Avoid Time-Wasters
Each of us has a guilty pleasure that we absolutely love to spend our time with. Maybe it’s video games for you or binge drinking with friends or smoking and gossiping, and just about anything else. However, be careful of the time that you waste with these types of pursuits.
It’s easy to get sidetracked and veer off course when we spend our time in the wrong places. This is also something that snowballs and builds momentum. Be careful about how much of your time you invest into wasteful areas of your life if you’re serious about achieving your long-term goals.
#11 — Take Massive Amounts Of Action
As much as you might be able to do everything else associated with the art of achievement, if you don’t take action, you’ll get nowhere. Always take massive amounts of action. Create a massive action plan and do a little bit each day towards the attainment of your goals.
It takes time to achieve success by any measure. Big goals don’t materialize overnight. But if you do just a little bit every single day without fail, you’ll build up momentum over time.
#12 — Analyze, Analyze, And Analyze Some More
When you create a goal, be sure that it has a trackable metric. The better you can track your goals, the more likely you’ll be to achieve them. That’s the truth. It also helps you to see where you are, how far you’ve come and just how much you have left to go. It’s one of the most important tools for achieving success, no matter how you define that.
Track every single day if you can. This is part of the SMARTER approach. The “E” and the “R” at the end stand for evaluating and re-adjusting. Don’t change your goals. If you see that you’re approach isn’t working, through constant evaluation, you can re-adjust your approach by changing the plan, not the goal.
#13 — Believe In Yourself
If you don’t believe in yourself, no matter who else believes in you, you’ll lack the courage and the commitment to achieve outlandish goals. You absolutely have to believe in your abilities to achieve things. Without it, you’ll be trapped, unable to extricate yourself from the shackles of bad habits and the status quo.
Deep down and unwavering belief is a hallmark to some of the most successful people of all time. Never ever lose sight of a profound belief in yourself. Remember that you were meant to thrive. Not just to survive.
#14 — Find Ways To Help Others
Always search for ways that you can help others out there. This is a crucial and very important part of the success recipe. Contribution to your fellow man, woman and child is critical. Society is built upon contribution. We all contribute in our own small little ways for the greater good.
The bigger the contribution, the greater the chance for success at the highest level. Without contribution, you can kiss your chances of achieving outlandish dreams goodbye.
#15 — Get Spiritually Centered
When you are spiritually grounded, and you realize that the world is a sum of all it’s parts, you create a foundation for something remarkable in life. This involves doing meditation, prayer or simply stepping out of our selfish existence to realize that there is so much more going on than what’s happening in our own lives.
While it’s easy to allow personal problems and distractions to cloud our ability for achieving a spiritual centeredness, it’s important to not veer too off track. Whatever it is that you desire in life, be sure that you get there while staying grounded and remember that success is temporary. It can be here today and gone tomorrow. You can’t take the things that you accumulate with you beyond this life. So be grounded and allow it to bring you joy, comfort and a sense of happiness.