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Why do some succeed, and others don’t?
We’ve all heard it, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Well, I believe it’s also about the destination. I’m not talking about the end-all destination, which truly is death. The end is the end, right? But what about the pit stops along the way? The mini-destinations along the trip?
In our younger years, we had dreams and goals of the future. We deemed these “futures” as our adult destinations. For some, it is to have a family. Others dream of a having a high power job with financial success. Some dream of owning their own business and never having someone to tell them what to do again! Then they realized that owning your business means you still have to answer to others, just not in the traditional way as the rest of us.
Why do some see success as non-tangible and some see it only with things that money can buy? Is it possible to have both? When I was younger, I saw my future professional self wearing business clothing, high heels and living in an apartment “downtown”. I think that was during the time I was watching L.A. Law. Millennials will have to Google that TV show. Funny, I didn’t place myself in any specific kind of employment, but that was how I thought success was going to look on me. Now that I am older, I feel very successful in the way my life has turned out. Does this mean I am done moving forward? Since my life feels so rich with non-tangible success, is it wrong to now want to pursue tangible successes? Is my real travel destination just around the corner?
What is the Successful Mindset?
Are the most tangibly successful people wired differently? Are they just lucky? Do they just ‘want it more’? If you are not born into financial wealth, what does it take to get there? Sometimes, being in the right place at the right time with the right opportunity really does happen. But most times it just starts with you. Reaching the real travel destination in your life is actually up to you. I am personally still learning about what it takes to get there. There are countless books at our fingertips written by successful people teaching us the ways, why don’t we listen? Here is what the successful minds teach us about how we too, can be tangibly successful.
Simon T. Bailey
Simon T Bailey is a successful author and speaker who’s continued mission is to inspire future influencers. In his book Shift Your Brilliance: Harness the Power of You, Inc.. In his book, he speaks of 5 specific areas to help you clear your vision to help you reach your goals. The 5 steps include: See it, Write it, Read it, Say it, Act it.
Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey is a financial guru who teaches millions of people how to become financially debt-free. He is author of 5 New York Times best-sellers, hosts podcasts and is a radio host. I personally participated in one of his Financial Peace University programs. He fully believes any person can reach their financial goals. Four tips he shares are: Avoid debt, Prioritize your expenses, Be intentional, and Take Pride. One of his best-sellers I highly recommend is The Total Money Makeover – A Proven Plan for financial Fitness.
Steven R. Covey
Steven Covey was an American author, successful businessperson and participated in hundreds of keynote speaking engagements. The book the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People is one of the most widely popular recommended books for people entering business. The book focuses on the timeless basics of human principles which allow for both professional and personal growth.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is globally known as the co-founder of Apple computer. In his lifetime, his successes included being an investor, industrial engineer and entrepreneur among many other things. He was considered one of the greatest CEUs of his generation. In his book The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success, he lists 7 principles of innovation that can be applied to any aspect of your personal or professional life.
Jen Sicero
Jen Sicero is a New York Times best-selling author, motivational speaker and success coach. Her book You Are a Badass At Making Money – Master the Mindset of Wealth, has helped countless people change both their personal and financial lives. She teaches you how to discover the differences between self-doubt and capabilities and how to manage your self-sabotaging beliefs. This book is highly recommended!
Bottom Line, What it Takes
After reading the above books and doing personal research, what is the bottom line? Just tell us, what does it take to be successful? If financial success is your real travel destination, here is a running theme answer:
Destination
Define your destination – be specific. Where do you want to be, when do you want be there.
Plan
Devise your plan. Not in your head, but in print. Don’t speak in generalities, specifics matter.
Learn
Seek information. Surround yourself with other like minded successful people. If you want to learn how to be a neurosurgeon, are you going to want to shadow a yoga instructor? If you are an entrepreneur, and want to learn what works, what doesn’t, are you going to ask your friends who work day jobs and aren’t taking the same risks? I’m a new blogger, I participate in blogging sites and learn from those who have already struggled but persevered on the other end.
Re-evaluate
Re-evaluate frequently. Every week be consistent with reviewing your goals and keep your eye on the prize. The real travel destination is a long term goal, it’s not going to happen in weeks or months. It might not even happen for years. So to keep you motivated, you have to continuously re-evaluate your goals and make the minor adjustments. Reaching the smaller goals will help you achieve the larger ones.
Positivity
Cultivate positive relationships. This means being open to others perspectives. Surround yourself with positive people and learn to flat out get along with others. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States of America, said “the most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people”. This is the key to good leadership.
Empowerment
Empower others. Successful people cultivate success in others.. Successful people are not angry at others’ successes, they learn from each other and encourage success. They teach others what they know and promote success of others. Jealously and blame have no place in success.
Be OK with Failure
Never give up. Failures are inevitable. Failures help you weed out the weaker plans and force you to devise stronger ones. Don’t allow negative experiences to sabotage your positivity. Thomas Jefferson said “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
In sum
You got this. Keep moving forward as there’s no sense in moving backwards. If you need some ideas of making extra money on the side while you make your financial adjustments, check out my post on Making Money with a Side Hustle – the Top 15. Continue towards reaching your real travel destination!
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