Things To Remember While Pursuing Success 

There are several things I ask you to keep in mind as you are learning to grasp this new concept of success.  These tips will help you to thoroughly evaluate where you stand with regards to real success in your life.  Some of them have been mentioned already and all of them will be mentioned again.   

The first thing to remember is that “experts” complicate things.  This is not to say that you shouldn’t seek help or ask for guidance when you need it.  I think seeking advice is very important.  “Plans are established by seeking advice…”ix  I am saying you should ask people who are getting the results you are seeking.  Don’t ask someone simply because they are an “expert.”  Also, don’t avoid asking someone, simply because they are not formally educated on a topic. I remember when I used to pay hundreds of dollars to have the brakes done on my car.  The mechanic would make the procedure sound difficult and complicated.  Then one day, without enough money to get a much-needed brake job, I decided to do some research.  What I found was how amazingly simple doing a brake job is.  If you can change a tire you can fix your brakes.x  I have since saved thousands of dollars because I stopped relying on “the experts.” 

T.D. Jakes has said: “Success can be as painful as failure if you are not equipped for it.”  You must be ready for it.  When success comes, usually after a season of long struggles, it comes fast.  Don’t allow it to overwhelm you.  Make sure that you are prepared.  The best way you can do that is to make sure you are constantly practicing all of the fundamentals.  You will make mistakes in practicing these principles, but after each mistake be sure that you get up and continue to move forward. 

Remember that success and achievement are different.  In many cases they do go together and complement each other.  They also may be independent of each other in certain circumstances.  You may go to the gym every day to work on your physical health (success) but you haven’t set a goal to run a triathlon or a marathon (achievement).  As you can see from the above example, they can go together.  Obviously if you are training for a marathon you will be healthy but you don’t have to run a marathon in order to be successful at improving your health.  The Principle of Achievement will be discussed at a later time.  Right now, it’s important for you to focus on real success.  Achievement will come and you will learn how to figure out what to achieve and just as importantly why to achieve something. 

There are certain tools and attitudes you need to be introduced to.  These will help you to get maximum benefits in the shortest amount of time.  You have probably heard of or used these tools or attitudes at some point in your life. In order to move forward I will mention each only briefly: 

1. Prayer: “Pray continually.”xi  For now, just pray the best you can.  If you can’t do that, just talk about the good things in your life in your head. 
2. Quiet Time:  You need to learn to be alone with yourself and more importantly, to be at peace with yourself while you are alone.  The only way to get good at this is to just do it.  Start small, around 5 minutes and gradually add time until you can sit quietly by yourself for at least one hour a day.
3. Visualization: Visualization is a tool that I have found to be extremely helpful.  It is not the key to success, like so many programs claim, but it is a useful instrument.  It comes more naturally to some people than to others.  If you are already good at it, use it.  If not, practice until it becomes effortless.  You only need to use this for 15 minutes a day.  I have found that it works best when you go to sleep 15 minutes earlier than normal and spend that time visualizing the things, behaviors and attitudes you want in your life.
4. Have an Open Mind: The concepts I will be discussing may seem foreign or awkward at times, but remember that you have spent most of your life learning things that work contrary to success.  These are the tools and attitudes that have worked for me and countless others.  Remember that you can always go back to your old ways whenever you want; just give this program an honest try first.
5. Persistence: Be persistent and if that doesn’t seem to be working, KEEP BEING PERSISTENT!  Stay with this program, it will work!  You just have to keep yourself wanting a better life.  Avoid comfort zones that tend to keep people down.  One good way to stay with it, when it seems time to quit, is to make a list of all of the stimuli that motivates you or keeps you positive.  Think of songs, poems, quotes, etc.  Thomas Watson once said, “You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes.  Make all you can.  Because remember that’s where you will find success.” 

Michael at R2W