5 Steps to Success
Are YOU ready to practice the 5 Steps to Having More Success in your life?
I’ve been an adult for 5 decades and I’ve seen entire families live at one financial level or another : some rich, some poor, some middle-class; and I’ve learned one thing – everyone of them, rich, poor, or otherwise – is living just the way they expect to live!
That’s right: some people expect to be poor, they reject success!
They won’t get an education,
They waste every penny they make,
They engage in habits that cost them money – drinking, smoking, gambling.
Now, you may not be in that group; but you still think that something is holding you back, that you haven’t achieved your potential. If that’s your mindset, then let’s start thinking differently! For Starters:
1. Decide to be successful.
You don’t need a reason to make that decision. You don’t need 50 people to tell you how talented you are, or you’re stunningly beautiful, or how much they love you. You just have to say,
“You know what; today I’m going to believe in me.
Today, I’m going to be confident in my abilities; I’ll use what knowledge I have NOW, and learn what else I need to learn LATER.
I’m going to live as though I were an incredibly wealthy, successful person for no other reason than that’s what I am going to be!”
That my friends; is the power of intention. It may be the most Frightening of the 5 Steps to Success— to know that WE get to choose how we handle life.
Here is something to think about: People of all races, creeds, and colors come to the USA – they get an education, work hard, start businesses, etc. They believe that opportunity exists here!
At the same time people who are born here, of those same races, creeds and colors spend their lives complaining of how unfair the ‘system’ is, how they can’t get ahead, blah, blah, blah.
Yes, life can be hard; but unless you’re sitting in a prison cell or on death row, you’ve got opportunities:
You can start to be successful right now. You can just say, “You know what, I’ve decided to be successful in my life.” I’ve written about visualizing in some blog posts and the one key thing is to start by being grateful for what you have and feel grateful for the opportunities in life, and you’re on your way.
Have you ever had a day where you just crushed it? Chances are good that happened because you woke up in the morning you said, “I’m going to get some stuff done today.” You had the intention to be a successful human being that day.
So, why not have the intention to be a confident human being every day? Why not have the intention to be:
a giving person or
an ambitious person or
a great boss or
a great parent or
a loving spouse, or
whatever kind of person that you want to be? Just decide – and live your day that way.
Here is a Simple Fact: IF you don’t have the intention as you start your day, you’ll act on impulse and that creates worry, concern, fear, hostility, etc.
We have to have intention for who we are and what we’re going to be. It begins with you simply deciding to be a successful person. I changed my life when I did that. I grew up in a completely dysfunctional family. I got married, had children, and decided that they would not suffer because I didn’t have the skills to be a good husband and father.
I thought, “I want to be a successful, how is this going to happen? I chose to:
read books,
take parenting classes,
watch videos and
listen to podcasts, etc.
2. Have Integrity (Living in alignment with your values, your beliefs and your dreams)
We develop a real sense of being successful when we can say, “I know who I am and I know what I want and I am chasing that consistently.”
Years ago, my daughter had a piano recital. I told my daughter that I’d try to attend it, but I had a late business appointment. What made things worse was that I had to stop by my house and pick up some papers for that meeting. My daughter was on the porch when I drove up and was so excited that I could attend the recital. When I told her that I was just stopping by and would have to leave again her face ‘fell’, but she put on a fake smile and told me it was okay. I made a decision that day, I’d never miss another recital, and I never did.
How have you been doing in that department? Have you been really demonstrating who you are to the world? Have you allowed yourself to do that? I think that if you decide to be confident, and you have integrity in who you are being and what it is you’re seeking in life, and your values, then you’re good. It may be the most Basic of the 5 Steps to Success.
3. Develop competency.
Psychologists often call it the confidence-competence loop. As you become more competent in something, you learn how to do it more easily, AND you’re more confident in doing it. As you’ve learned how to ride a bike and you’ve ridden the bike more and more and more, you became more skilled at it. You developed more confidence in your ability to ride the bike.
If you go into business for the first time, be okay with being uncertain. Be okay with being uncomfortable. Be okay with not knowing how it’s going to turn out, because this is your first time. But start it anyway, because once you begin you’ll develop new skills. You’ll develop comfort with them and then suddenly one day you’ll wake up and say, “I’m pretty good at this.”
Nothing changed in who you are. What changed is your level of competency, knowledge, skill and ability. That’s what competency is… knowledge, skill, ability and talent.
Success in my business (the cleaning industry) comes from learning how to choose the ideal clients to solicit for business, marketing, bidding properly, presenting effective proposals, etc.; all skills that can be learned. It may require the most Effort of the 5 Steps to Success.
4. Momentum.
You’ve got to get the ball rolling..We have to say, “What is it I truly want,” and then start moving towards it on a consistent basis, often before we know the whole plan.
Too many of us are waiting for:
the perfect plan,
the perfect time,
the perfect person,
the perfect thing to pursue our goals or our dreams.
We have to, instead, say, “What can I do to begin this? What can I do now to begin?” Because, even if you begin and you’re not sure, you can’t possibly know the whole path.
When I started my cleaning business I was looking for a way to make a few hundred dollars a month.
When I was making Three Thousand Dollars a month I thought I’d maxed out the potential.
At Ten Thousand Dollars a month I couldn’t believe it.
When I started getting individual accounts that netted me nearly Forty Thousand Dollars per year…….
See what I’m saying? I hadn’t a clue when I started, and you don’t either! It may be the most Pleasureable of the 5 Steps to Success!
5. Find the resources you need.
If you’re unsuccessful you can’t sit around and play the victim saying,
“I just had a bad set of parents.”
“I have laid-back friends. They won’t like it if I’m working all the time.”
“I guess I’m destined to be around a bunch of losers.”
No! Hang out with new people. Go to some seminars. Go to a church. Go to a volunteer meeting. Listen to some podcasts. Get inspiration from people who are positive and who are achieving amazing things.
Here is how Success Happens:
What you have to realize is, “If I don’t have encouraging people around me, I’m going to find those people and spend time around them.” Because, as people are cheering you on you gain more confidence. When people are saying, “Hey you’re doing a good job.” You say, “Yeah I am doing a good job.” You allow yourself to feel that sense of success when other people recognize it in you. It may be the most Challenging of the 5 Steps to Success!
As you do that, what do you notice? More integrity, more competency, more momentum, more resources, and suddenly one day you wake up and you found you’ve created Success in your life.
Ever thought of starting a small business? Check out my home page for some great business ideas!
