Success in life is a hot topic. People are so obsessed with unlocking the key to success that a huge self help movement was created around the subject to assist people in taking control of the lives they supposedly lost. What really is the difference between successful and unsuccessful people?
This particular topic has been on my mind recently due to the fact that I have been reading Geoff Colvin’s excellent book, Talent is Overrated. In it, the author talks about what really separates high achievers from average performers. One thing that I found particularly interesting is in the mindset that average achievers have around how success is achieved. Average achievers tend to think that success happens because someone is incredibly gifted, has a flash of brilliance or finds lightning in a bottle.
The reality is that high achievers can point to having a plan, working diligently on that plan and then realizing success after years of deliberate practice in their chosen domain of expertise.
What it really comes down to is planning and execution. You set the path that you feel inspired to travel and then you figure out what disciplines you need to walk the path and practice those disciplines daily.
The self help industry has made millions on the premise that you can be successful through some easy, step by step method to living the life of your dreams. Just because someone else was successful utilizing a system in no way actually means that you are going to realize the same success. The gurus success typically has more to do with who they are than the system that they used.
The great news and maybe the bad news is that your success also depends on you. No one else is going to be successful for you. It takes diligently planning and diligent execution on an individual level to make that high level of success possible.
What are you keys to success? What do you do to maintain success?
Maintaining success is huge in business. I have personally seen and had many small successes, only to fall short shortly thereafter. Daily I sit down and decide what I am not going to do. It may be reverse psychology but it is useful to me. I have a tendency to create huge task lists and then do only a few tasks. Choosing what not to do gives me piece of mind that all the other things will get done on my list just not that day. Daily review of my goals is essential to my success in achieving my goals.
Aaron,
Many of us have small successes as well as set backs. Being a business owner seems to coincide with 2 steps forward, 1 step back. It’s how we deal with failure that’s important. I think reviewing your progress daily is a great way to keep yourself on track.