Success, for the most part, is a study and application of the obvious.
The problem in life for most people today is not that they can’t find the secret to success; it’s either don’t take the time to look for it or they can’t be bothered to apply what they find.
It boggles my mind how many people today seem shocked when I suggest they use the Internet to find a solution to their problems.
It might take some time to sift through what’s out there to find what you’re looking for but if the secrets to success are out there, then aren’t they worth looking for?
All it takes is a little elbow grease.
For those willing to roll up their sleeves and search, there is only one small problem.
That problem is time.
Success doesn’t happen overnight.
You don’t just plant the seeds today and expect a harvest tomorrow, or the day after that…or even the day after that.
In spring you plant the seeds, then you water them, then you have to protect them from the bugs and the weeds, and if all goes well, come fall you’ll have a harvest waiting for you.
Along the way, should you ease up just a little who knows what could happen.
And here’s the worst part, even if you do everything right, it might not be your year.
A tornado could rip right through your crop at any time.
Right plan, right actions, bad luck.
It just happens.
And we just have to accept that.
A nice person, good attitude, right plan, positive thinking, hard worker, sincere, friendly, has everything going for them…and yet, they still end up poor. I know a few of them.
Life isn’t just about being a good person, having the right plan, or working hard. It takes all of that and more.
But if I were to choose one quality that separates the successful people from the unsuccessful people is that they (and this is a key word) persevere.
They get hit, and they get back up. They get hit again, they get back up again.
They take hits over and over…but that doesn’t stop them. In fact, it makes them strive even harder.
But today’s post isn’t about time or perseverance, it’s about the discoveries I have made in studying success.
I call it my “Who-Knew List” because I’m a fan of sarcasm.
Each item on the list should make you go, “Doh?!” much like Homer Simpson does each episode.
- That both rich & poor people have 24 hours a day
- You never know what will happen tomorrow
- That parents aren’t perfect
- Companies don’t make us rich (we do that ourselves)
- Coke is bad for you
- Facebook would eat so much of our time away
- Government make mistakes
- Words can change our lives
- You can earn $5000 a week and still go broke
- That people remember (what we did, especially if it left a bad taste in their mouth)
- People forget
- People can be stupid
- People are that lazy
- People don’t always listen
- People can be stubborn
- People misunderstand (it always pays to double-check)
- Books can be life-changing
- Fast Food isn’t healthy
- Exercise is good for you
- Flossing really helps
- The amount of food we eat affects our body shape
- Our attitude is what determines how we feel, not circumstances
There are hundreds more but I’ll leave the rest up to you.
Some of them are self-explanatory, but one or two might make you wonder.
As for how someone can go broke earning $5000 a week…it’s easy. They spend 6…or more.
People often think that the secret to financial security is more money, and sometimes it is. But the key element isn’t really how much money you earn, it’s how much you can save…or more importantly, how much you spend.
In the end, it’s not how much money you have, but what you do with what you have.
You’ll notice that people appeared more than once on my list because success in life comes about from working with people in one form or another. Clients, coworkers, children, parents, friends, acquaintances, even strangers will have a big impact on your life.
Most will be positive, but every now and then we do run into a few hiccups.
Learning how to deal with people will go a long way toward helping us achieve success which is why I devoted chapter two of my book, iSucceed, to people.
We know these things, and yet, somehow many people choose to ignore them.
Why? That’s the million-dollar question.
I’ve given up trying to figure out why, instead I focus on HOW.
I think Jim Rohn said it best when he said, “The formula for success is a few simple disciplines practiced every day.”
That’s the best formula I’ve ever found and each word is profound in that sentence, but to me the key word is EVERY.
Every day, for our entire life. Success is not a one-time thing…it’s something we must choose to be each day we wake up.
Success isn’t that hard…but it will take time, it will take effort, it will take perseverance, it will take the study of the obvious.
Anyone can, not everyone will.
Adrian Shepherd