When we were kids in grade school, one of the things we would do from time to time is compute how old we would be in the year 2000. We used to laugh about how old and decrepit we would be. Well guess what...that day arrived today. I look back on those grade school days and how far I've come and how much further I want to go.
In looking over the last 30 years of business I've found that there are reasons that some businesses fail while others, faced with the same adversities, succeed and flourish. My first article of the new millennium will be devoted to success in the 2000's and beyond.
What is success?Success comes in many forms and with many measurements. Bill Gates is a monetary success, Sister Theresa was a spiritual success, Stephen King is a literary success. I considered many of my teachers as great successes but none were wealthy. Money is the most common measure but not the best.
I think true success is being able to look at what you have accomplished and at least one other person is better off because of your efforts. You have somehow made a difference. Sort term or long term difference really doesn't matter.
Why are some people successful and others are not?This is a question that has baffled psychologists and scholars for generations. There are many different theories about what makes one person rise to the top of their craft and others, often with more talent or skills, never rise about mediocrity? ...Their potential never fully realized.
Many people feel it's a matter of luck. Bill Gates was lucky. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I couldn't disagree more. Bill Gates simply saw a future that no one else saw. He saw the potential of computers for the future.
Steve Jobs, of Apple Computers, saw what Xerox did not see. The mouse and the laser printer, both invented by Xerox (also the computer monitor), were cast aside by their engineers because they couldn't foresee that copiers will eventually evolve into the digital copiers that we are seeing on the market today.
It helps to love what you doSuccessful people rarely "pick" an industry or vocation based on monetary gain. Usually they pick what they do because they genuinely love it. It may have been a hobby that they want to share with others. It may be the continuation of the family business. That's why we often hear the expression, "It's a labor of love." If we had all the money in the world we would still want to do it.
Is there a secret to success that works for everyone?I'm not sure about a secret but I truly feel there is a "formula" for success that works for everyone. It's detailed in Napoleon Hill's book, "Think And Grow Rich." I'll paraphrase his six step plan for success.
- Step One: Define exactly what you want in life. Money, fame, business success...must be defined exactly as you want it to happen.
- Step Two: What sacrifices are you willing to make to achieve your goal? What are you willing to give up?
- Step Three: Select a specific date that you want your goal to be accomplished. Make it realistic. Movie Star by next Tuesday is probably not going to happen with any plan.
- Step Four: Create a plan of how you are going to accomplish your goal. And, most important, Begin at once, Whether you are ready or not. If you wait until you are ready you will never do it.
- Step Five: Write it all out on paper in a clear concise statement. Goal, date, plan, sacrifice....all in a few short sentences.
- Step Six: Read this statement out loud twice a day. Once at bedtime again when you wake up in the morning. As you read it imagine in your mind that your goal has already been attained.
Sounds really easy when it's broken down into six easy steps doesn't it. It is if you follow the plan. This is the plan I followed in starting this web site and writing my book. The book is a reality and so is the web site. In my mind it's a success.
The last word on success in the new millenniumUsing the formula above the other part of success that I have learned in thirty years of studying successful people is a simple yet powerful one. They simply will not be denied their goals. They get knocked down, they get back up. Again and again and again. No obstacle seems too high. They are focused on only their goal and they will achieve it no matter what.
I wish each of you the very best of business success in the coming century. Thanks for your support of this site and for referring it to others. Happy New Year....
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