You don’t know what success is.
The problem with success is that most people don’t fully understand what it is. Success cannot be generalized because success is not the same for everyone. A successful life depends on the individual’s goals for himself and his ability to achieve those goals. Goals change throughout a person’s life, so the idea of success will also change. If at the age of 5 a child wants to grow up to be a football player, then success is making it to the NFL. But at the age of 21, if he decides investment banking is what he’d like to do, then his definition of success has changed.
From the very simple goals of losing a certain amount of weight, to the life-changing goals of raising a stable family, success is yours to define. Once that definition is clear, it will be much easier to recognize when you see it. Clarity on your goals is essential to your path to success. And your definition of success should be tangible and measurable. Otherwise, you’ll be chasing an elusive faceless shadow. Identify your success and make it clear before you seek to find it.
Incorrect assessment of what you can do.
I’ve never been a big fan of American Idol. It’s amazing how many fans this show has generated through a series of singing contests that are divided into knockout rounds. When this show is in season, the talk of all radio and TV stations is who will win the idol. One of the biggest draws of the show is getting to witness those poor souls who truly believe they are destined to be famous despite their obvious lack of singing talent. Although millions of people sit and watch as one person blindly attempts an impossible feat, many of those watchers are doing the same in their own lives.
Many begin the journey of success not really knowing if they have the tools they need to claim victory. The ability to step outside of yourself, clearly assess what your skill level is, and determine what you are capable of as an individual is an invaluable skill. It takes more than just believing in yourself to achieve your goals. It takes persistence, talent, hard work, and an understanding of the product that is you.
You may have a dream and a talent, but have you fully harnessed that talent and shaped it to perfection? How well would your talents and abilities compare with those who are where you want to be? These questions need to be asked and examined before a truly successful attempt is launched.
unreasonable goals.
They are sometimes called unrealistic goals. Along with an assessment of what you can do, you also need to properly assess what the goal is. To avoid setting unreasonable goals, achievement toward that goal should be measured by time. If your goal is to earn a certain amount of money, then to ensure you’re making progress, you need to set a time frame for that goal to be met.
When you examine your situation and reassess your skill set, you’ll be better able to judge how realistic your goal is. I must warn you that this does not mean you should shorten and aim low. Les Brown said, “Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you’ll still be among the stars.” But being realistic means that you are willing to equip yourself with the skills, education, discipline, hard work, and persistence that it will take to achieve your intention.
Your way of thinking is not aligned with your goals.
Doubt and fear are two incredibly powerful inhibitors. Combined with a lack of clarity and a wrong view, success is almost impossible. Aligning your thoughts with your goals is crucial to what you want to achieve. Changing your thoughts and managing your inhibitors can be a troublesome task. Especially if your thinking has been out of alignment for a long period of time.
Your thought process in dealing with your success should reinforce what you want to achieve, not undermine it. It’s like that old saying, ‘if you want to catch a thief, you have to think like a thief’. If you want to be a successful person, you have to think like a successful person. It is well known that most of the most influential people in the history of the world had different ways of thinking. Your way of thinking is the beginning of your success. William Arthur Ward said, “Nothing limits achievement like small thinking, nothing expands possibilities like wild thinking.”
The law of attraction was made famous by the movie The Secret. This film explores the powerful capabilities of the mind. It also highlights the idea that changing your thoughts is the first step to changing your life. I agree that without a change in mind, no change can occur. Once your thinking is aligned, your actions will follow.
Your actions are not aligned with your goals.
Although I enjoyed The Secret, I think they failed to emphasize the importance of action in a successful life. The movie did a good job of inspiring the viewer to change their mindset in order for great things to happen, but it overlooked the fact that action is necessary to claim those great things. Like I said before, your thinking is the first step to success, not the only step.
Think of this quote from John Locke “The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.” Those who have achieved great things not only thought great thoughts, but also took great actions and took great risks. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy biographies. When I read about someone who has accomplished a lot in their life, I try to take note of those acts and risks that were taken to achieve those accomplishments. People who are willing to take action towards their goals and sixteen opportunities are the ones who break that potential barrier and achieve success.
If you’re not yet where you’d like to be, you need to look at what you’re doing and formulate a plan of action that will get you where you want to be. Is there a way to take a better and more calculated risk? What about your time management? Is there a way to get better results from the time you spend? Are you doing all the necessary training, learning, and preparation so that you can excel? Watch your actions and align them with your thinking to produce better results.
Your environment is not aligned with your goals.
If you’ve never heard of the crab bucket story, here it is in a nutshell:
A man was walking along the beach and saw another man fishing in the waves with a bucket of bait by his side. As he got closer, he saw that the bait bucket had no lid and had live crabs inside.
“Why don’t you cover your bait bucket so the crabs don’t get away?” he said.
“You do not understand”. the man replied, “If there is a crab in the bucket, it will surely come out very quickly. However, when there are many crabs in the bucket, if one tries to climb over the side, the others grab it and pull it.” back so that you share the same fate as the rest of them.”
We could look at that story with our big human brains and think that these poor, mindless creatures are damning themselves for their behaviors. Surely humans are much more logical and would never react that way. The truth is, people act that way all the time.
Here’s a way to tell if you’re surrounded by crabs that will prevent you from succeeding. The next time you are with a friend or a group of friends, share with them something you would like to do that would improve yourself. If your environment is inhabited by crabs, you will get negative, discouraging, and sometimes sarcastic responses. Sometimes crabs, I mean people, are just trying to spare you some pain or humiliation. Other times, the mere thought of you doing something they can’t or won’t do is enough to force them to discourage your efforts. In order for you to be successful, you need to put yourself in an environment where you can push yourself. Not one that is hell-bent on keeping you in the bucket.
You have given up too soon.
Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who didn’t realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” The importance of persistence is sometimes overlooked in today’s society. We require things to come quick and easy and if they don’t then we move on. This idea doesn’t work when applied to success principles. When obstacles appear and the goal seems impossible, that’s when most people get away. There was a recent survey of pentamillionaires (people who have made $5 million) who started their own business or worked for a small business that had explosive growth. Most reported that their success came in a lump sum after years of effort. Years of effort!
You never know how close you are to success. You only know what you have done so far to be successful. Your goals and dreams can be one day, two days, one hour away. But if you give up now, you’ll never know.
Take a look at the list and then take a look at your life. Focus on the things that need to change to get what you want, then take action to get there.