Success is truly an individual, personal story. What I define as successful may be altogether different from your definition. It may be a new, fancy car, or a big home, a high paying job. Or it may be living debt free and having peace of mind. Whatever your definition, it didn’t come by osmosis. It took hard work and planning.
When we were younger, we measured success in small increments. If I passed this test, then I was successful. If I passed to the next grade, I was successful. What we didn’t realize as children was that succeeding in the moment was an important part of the journey on the road called success.
We often, as adults, measure success by the accomplishment of a long term goal and until we achieve that or if we never achieve it, we don’t consider ourselves successful. But success is not a destination; it is a journey with markers along the way. These markers either signal that we’ve been successful thus far and continue on OR they signal that we are not headed in the right direction and we must re-calculate, as our friendly GPS lady often tells us, and go in a different direction.
We all have moments where we want to give up. The odds are against us, the task seems impossible, and we can’t summon the strength to go on. However, it’s not the desire to quit that defines us; it’s how we respond to it. In the face of adversity, do we throw up our hands and say, “never mind, it’s too hard?” Or do we steel ourselves and forge ahead?
Giving up is never an option when success is the only choice!
What does it take to be successful?
Think big – thinking big is not something that just happens to us, nor is it an attitude about life. It is rather a state-of-mind that we must choose to cultivate on a daily basis that becomes our life’s attitude over a lifetime.
Find out what you love to do and do it – The best way to tune into your life’s passion is to ask yourself, ‘What would I do if I had a billion dollars and didn’t have to work?’
Learn how to balance life – A well balanced life is essential for personal effectiveness, peace of mind … Examine your values and decide what’s important to you; then set your boundaries.
Do not be afraid of failure – It’s almost impossible to go through life without experiencing some kind of failure. People who do so probably live so cautiously that they go nowhere. Put simply, they’re not really living at all.
Have an unwavering resolution to succeed – Going after success is a big step, it’s no wonder why many people make the conscious decision to just be okay with the ordinary. Don’t be like one of them, go after your dreams and stop being afraid of big steps.
Be a woman of action – As women, many of us were raised to be “good girls.” Forget it. You are the boss of you and you don’t report to anyone but yourself, so make up your own mind and decide for yourself what you want and how you want to get it done. Dream it. Say it. Do it.
Avoid conflicts – Be a good listener. Never stick to an inflexible opinion. Avoid having to be right all the time. Take some alone time, if it’s a relationship conflict. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Plan important discussions.
Believe in your capacity to succeed – Believe in yourself through tough times. Believe in your capacity to succeed. Believe in your intuition, especially when you have to choose between two good paths. Believe that the answers are out there waiting. Believe that the journey is the destination. Believe that it’s all worth your while.
Always maintain a positive mental attitude – A positive attitude makes you happier and more resilient, it improves your relationships, and it even increases your chances of success in any endeavor. In addition, having a positive attitude makes you more creative and it can help you to make better decisions.
Don’t let discouragement stop you from pressing on – The secret to overcoming discouragement is to look at it as a temporary obstacle and learn how to process it. Once you start executing your plan, the discouragement you feel will leave as quickly as it appeared. Hold on to your vision and remember that ALL great successes came after periods of discouragement and failure. Don’t give up.
Be willing to work hard – Almost all the hard work you have to do to succeed is focused on replacing your routines and habits with the ones a successful person would have. By deliberately changing your procedures, you change the results you achieve, the value you provide, and the way you are seen by yourself and the rest of the world.
What does it take to be successful in life? There’s no simple answer, but history has shown that there are practices that can maximize your chances of a productive, happy life. If you’re not on the road to what you define as successful, perhaps you need to change some of your daily practices.
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