Being successful is one of those tricky concepts that I usually tend to shy away from writing about, simply because there are so many interpretations of what “success” truly is. For some, “successful” mean money, for some it means happiness. There are so many different approaches to being successful that the waters get muddied on what really works and what doesn’t.
Lately, I’ve been focusing a lot on my own personal success with challenges in my life. So, I boiled the concept of success down to it’s most basic form and came up with 4 ideals that will drive you towards that success – no matter how you define it.
MAINTAIN THE WARRIOR SPIRIT
I don’t know if it is my fascination with Bushido and the Samurai culture or playing team sports in my formative years, but I’ve always seen life as a competition sport. Better yet, it is a CONTACT sport. When there is a challenge in your life that hits you, you have two choices: fall down and cower or swing back. That, to me, the warrior spirit. Don’t look at a challenge in life as an inanimate obstacle. Imagine it as a living, breathing foe standing in front of you. One that is just as battle hardened as you are, and stands to take from you whatever it wants. Fight back for whatever it is that you want to achieve.
DON’T FEAR FAILURE
Fear is it’s own little monster that can eat your attempt at success like rust eats metal. So often we find ourselves dreading failure more than we are driving towards an achievement. It’s like being so afraid to hear a “no” that you don’t ask the question.
In anything you are working towards you simply have to accept the fact that failure is a possibility at best. Do whatever you have to do to avoid that possibility, instead of focusing on it to the point of getting hung up.
PUT IN THE WORK
No matter what it is that you want to do, if you don’t put in the work, nothing ever gets done. You can design the greatest building in the world, but until you level a foundation, and actually build it – that’s all it will ever be – a PLAN. I can’t tell you how many times in my life I have said I was going to do something and never put in the work to get it done. We all do it. If you want to achieve it – DO IT.
STEP BACK
One important key to success that everyone seems to forget is the need to step back from time to time. Whether it is taking a few days away from a project or just walking away from your desk for 5 minutes, stepping back from a task can give your brain the time it needs to recover. You’ll be amazed at how often you come back with new ideas, new approaches, and new vigor for what you are doing. Laser beam intensity has its place, but stepping back and re-charging is essential to being successful.
Source: Unified Soul Theory