Success: the accomplishment of a goal or purpose. It is not defined by how much money you have, the things you’ve accumulated, or the certifications you’ve obtained.
It’s not until you appreciate what you have, that you’ll realize that having more will not make your life better.
We buy things to make us happy and for a while, we do feel happy. Then we get back to our day to day. We go back to what we know: our comfort zone. And then, what happens?
These are the things no one told you about success:
- You have enough already. Period.
- Every aspect of your life, affects every aspect of your life. We are holistic beings. When you change one aspect of your life, realize that you are simultaneously changing the whole. You can’t change a part without fundamentally changing everything.
- You can’t have it all. Every decision you make has an opportunity cost. When you choose one thing, you aren’t choosing several others. Whenever you hear someone say that you can have it all, please know that they are lying. We ultimately need to choose what matters most to us + be ok with that. If we attempt to be everything, we’ll end up being nothing; that internal conflict is quite literally hell.
- Never forget where you came from. When you achieve any level of success, it’s easy to believe you are the only one responsible for it. It’s easy to forget all the sacrifices other people have made to get you where you are. It’s easy to see yourself above others. If you burn all your bridges, you’ll have no human connection left. In that isolation, you’ll lose your identity, becoming a person you never really set out to be.
Humility, gratitude, and the recognition of your blessings keeps your success in proper perspective. You couldn’t do what you are doing without the help of countless other people.
- If you need permission to do something, you probably shouldn’t do it. So many people chase whatever has worked for other people. They never truly decide what they want to do and end up jumping from one thing to the next — trying to strike quick gold. Then they stop digging just a few feet from the gold. The ultimate truth: No one will ever give you permission to live your dreams.
- You earn as much as you want to. We tend to say we want to be successful. If we really wanted to, we would be.
- Earning money is moral. Earning money is a completely moral pursuit when it is done with honesty and integrity. If you don’t feel moral about the work you’re doing, then you should probably stop. When you believe in the value you provide so much that you are doing people a disservice by not offering them your services, you’re on track to creating colossal value. Our work should be a reflection of us. It’s always the other person’s choice whether they perceive the value in what we’re offering or not.
In my years as an entrepreneur, I learned quickly to stop seeking praise. I also learned that my work had merit when someone cared enough to give me unsolicited criticism.
I’ve always believed that from a scarcity mindset, when you think that helping other people hurts you because you no longer have the advantage you see the world as a giant cake. Every piece of the cake you have is cake I don’t have. Meaning that in order for you to win, I must lose.
Instead, from a perspective of abundance, there is not only one cake. There is actually an infinite number of cakes and if you want more, you can make more cake.
Carve time out every day to grown, improve, evole [INVEST IN YOURSELF)] — otherwise, your time will get lost in your crowded life.
Elevate your thinking. See yourself at the top. You’ll be disillusioned by the perception of those you once saw as idols. Guess what? They are just people, just like you.
Reference: Benjamin Hardy, Psychology Today