Have you ever wondered what it takes to achieve success? Your vision of success may be financial independence, higher education, a dream job, world travel, or any number of things. No matter what you desire in life, there is a way to achieve greater odds of reaching them.
Hopes and wishes, while fun to think about, are never a winning strategy and usually result in disappointment. Stay off the hopium and wishes ≠ riches. A winning strategy involves a combination of four drivers that increase the odds of attaining your desires. These drivers are what I’m calling the secret sauce of success – how to achieve your dreams.
1. Purpose & Desire
The first step to achieving a dream is by defining a definite purpose, backed by a strong desire for fulfillment. In other words, what really fires you up in life? Maybe you want to educate school children to better our youth, run for office to better the country, build better software to solve business issues, or whatever it may be, you need to define your calling.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
– Mark Twain
Finding purpose is the first step towards success, but needs to be backed by a burning desire for fulfillment. Desire is key and needs to push you ahead no matter the circumstances. There is no backup plan, no escape strategy, and you must push forward with no alternative. Most people will give up in this type of situation or abandon the idea for another, but one with a strong desire will persist through thick and thin.
Personally, I found an issue with purpose when I started college years ago. Who knows what they want to do for the rest of their live’s at 18 years old? I started undergrad with a focus on accounting and switched majors after a couple years because I didn’t enjoy it. I had no purpose or desire to become an accountant and therefore failed at becoming one. After finding alignment in another field, I found purpose and ultimately success. This just goes to show the power of purpose and desire in achieving your goals.
2. Defining a Plan
Creating a plan is simply turning desire into action and is critical to success; those without a plan, plan to fail. These plans are of vital importance and need to be perfectly detailed. The reason being, your achievement can be no greater than your level of planning.
When creating your plan of action, it’s important to seek council with those who align with your vision. No one is born with infinite knowledge and by using the minds, skills, and talents of others, you can achieve results far beyond your own capabilities. To reiterate, be sure to only seek council with those who will be helpful in your quest and align with your aspirations.
With a seemingly perfect plan in place, there is always room for failure. Now, as someone with purpose and a burning desire, failure is merely a detour to success. Accept failure as un-sound plans and rebuild as necessary until better results are achieved. Failure cannot cope with persistence, so by continuously re-adjusting plans as necessary, you’re more likely to see success.
3. Nix the Negativity
Those looking to achieve their potential need to be mindful of their environment. Negativity breeds negativity and by surrounding yourself with negative influences, you’ll start to acquire their state of mind.
The reason this is detrimental to success is because your mind will start to recognize this pattern of negativity and your subconscious mind will translate it into its physical equivalent. Instead of charging ahead with opportunity, you may stifle yourself with thoughts of judgement, deficiency, and fear. Ultimately, your mind finds harmony with those that coincide with your dominating thoughts. The key is to…
Close your mind to negative influences and keep a positive mindset.
If you find yourself around a negative influence, try to avoid trigger conversations, limit the amount of face time, and/or build a solid support network that’ll keep you grounded in a positive state of mind. Practice looking to the bright side of every scenario. Each positive thought will produce more positive thoughts, which in turn will define you as a person and drive you to success.
4. Build a Network
Taking consistent action on your goals may become challenging at times. To overcome this challenge, it’s best to build an alliance with one or more people who will provide encouragement, support, and expect accountability to keep you on track.
For example, let’s say you and the others of your network speak about their objectives for the month. The room is full of positive encouragement and support in attaining each others goals. At the end of the month, everyone can speak of their progress to receive praise and support with any shortcomings.
This type of alliance will encourage you to follow through on both your plan and purpose. By meeting on a regular basis and holding yourself accountable, you’ll start realizing how much you can truly accomplish.
The Secret Sauce of Success
Just like your favorite recipe, it takes the right ingredients to achieve the desired results. The combination of purpose/desire, a well-defined plan, a positive mindset, and a supportive network, you’re sure to achieve the results you are looking for. It may not happen overnight, but through persistence, you’re likely see it through to success.
What are your thoughts, have you found success with any of these four drivers? Leave a comment below!
