I am very interested in succeeding. Quite honestly, I work very hard to be successful. I was recently in a situation that reminded me of two powerful ideas that promote success.
1st Idea: What is success?
Before going over the measure of success the first question is what do I want to be successful doing? I only have the time, mental, and emotional capacity to be truly successful in a few things. If I don’t define those things for myself then circumstances and other people will define them for me.
I can be successful doing anything I put my time and energies into as long as my abilities allow me to compete.
*Word of Caution* When defining success be sure your definition is specific enough so you know whether you’re there. To be successful in a general area I must master key specific areas. I make much more progress focusing on the key specific areas than by expending great energy to perfect everything!
2nd Idea: The key to success
After soul searching most of us can define the key specific areas we must master without too much angst. However, how we will succeed quickly becomes overwhelming. Who will work with me to do what must be done? Which approach should I take to best accomplish success? Are we performing this approach to the best of our abilities? Do I have enough resources to do what is necessary?
All of these questions are very important! I believe these questions are the basis for proper business planning. However, how I succeed is a different and easier question than what I do to succeed.
I recently came across a Ted Talk that Dr Angela Duckworth gave on “The key to success…” Here is a link to the Ted talk: Click Here to Listen to Ted Talk What she said rang true in my life and challenged me to reconsider my ideas on achieving success.
What I took away from watching this video is that I must define the few areas in my life where I must succeed and then I must determine that I will succeed in those areas whatever the costs.
When I am willing to succeed no matter the cost then failure on any scale is helping me refine how to reach success rather than defining me as a failure. I have at times fallen into the trap of thinking that unless I succeed in specific tasks I will fail. The truth is that after I resolve to succeed then failure with any task is an opportunity to find a better way to approach the problem. My success will come from my failures!