According
to Bill Gates there are 3 keys to success in any new venture:
1)
Being in the right place at the right time. (You could well be already
there!)
2)
Have a vision of where the industry/business you're working in is going!
3)
Taking Massive and Immediate Action! (It is time to act!)
"The
future belongs to those who believe in the quality of their dreams."
Was it Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, the famous German poet and philosopher
who said those wise words?
Here
are my 15 steps to fulfilling my wildest dreams...
1.
KNOW YOURSELF
Know
and accept your weaknesses and faults (we all have them), but even more
so your strengths, abilities and gifts. Build on your strengths and
try to minimize or improve on your weaknesses. An honest, objective analysis
of yourself is the first step in preparing you for success and realizing
your dreams. Celebrate you for just being you, a unique creation.
Aim
for mental clarity about what you most want out of life. Think about it
and write it down. If it's happiness, what do you mean by happiness: a
sense of belonging, recognition, independence, love, money or security?
If you don't know where you are and where you want to go with your life,
how will you ever get there? Aim at nothing and you're sure to hit it.
2.
GET PASSIONATE
Don't
apologize for getting passionate. What excites you the most? If you are
not enthusiastic and excited about what you're doing, your path in life,
you'll never get others to share your dream. Once you find your passion,
you will have found your POWER, MEANING and PURPOSE in life.
3.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PASSION
Always
be aware. Negative people will poison your dream faster than anything else.
Motto: "If you can't be positive, shut up!" Try and stay positive...even
in the face of negativity.
4.
ACCEPT FROM THE START THAT YOU WON'T PLEASE EVERYONE
You're
going to be misunderstood, misquoted, hurt some feelings, perhaps even
lose some friends (for the time being). Motto: "What other people think
of me is none of my business!" Repeat this statement to yourself, especially
when you doubt or feel discouraged.
5.
ALWAYS BE YOURSELF
To
thine own self be true. (Shakespeare's "Hamlet", act I.3.) This is supremely
important, no matter what the world may think of you. The masses are conditioned
to mediocrity and other people's success can make them not feel inferior
for their own insignificant little lives.
Accept
yourself. Learn from others--but don't be intimidated by them, or pretend
to be someone you're not; because..."We are most effective when we're being
ourselves."
6.
DON'T BE SCARED OF MAKING MISTAKES
The
only real mistake is one from which you learn nothing. Motto: "Far better
to try something and fail, than try nothing and succeed!"
7.
ACCEPT THAT IT WILL NEVER BE EASY
Realizing
your dream may be the hardest, most uphill thing you'll ever do. A truth
..."You can't coast uphill."
The
key ingredient in success is never giving up. Keep on keeping on with your
quest. It has been said that "success is 99% made up of failures".
8.
STAY HUMBLE (no matter how successful you may be)
Don't
ever think you've made it and arrived--there's always a lot ahead, more
to do, higher mountains to climb. Motto: "The greatest way to do our thing
has yet to be discovered!"
9.
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF
There
is incredible power in yourself (in the form of the unique human mind),
but far more so in the forces of the Universe. Make them work for you by
living your life in harmony with these natural forces. Like positive energy
attracts like.
Enough
"spiritual" thoughts! Back to the "real world" and you. Avoid developing
an inferiority complex (Who am I, a 'nothing'?"). Don't be filled with
feelings of self-pity ("nobody likes me"), or think "I can't do it." These
thoughts will steal your dream.
10.
HAVE FUN
Nothing
is ever as bad as it seems--don't get too solemn, or serious or too downcast
when things go wrong (as they surely will from time to time). Take a leaf
from Thomas Edison's book: "I never did a day's work in my entire life:
it was all FUN!"
Laugh
at life's funny moments...and there are plenty of them. "The secret of
happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does."
-J.M. Barrie
11.
DEVELOP 'THE WILL TO LIVE'
There
will be plenty of times when you'll face the death of your dream. When
failures, disappointments, and criticisms come you need the will and faith
to keep going. Remember: We learn far more from our failures than our successes,
because failures show us what doesn't work. So, failure is just one step
closer to ultimate success. Often the difference between failure
and success is trying just one more time, picking yourself up off the canvas
after being knocked down time and again.
12.
DEVELOP 'THE WILL TO HELP AND SERVE OTHERS'
Success
on its own (i.e., for its own sake) will pollute and corrupt you--it's
a dead end street unless you have meaning in your life. The years of struggle
breed fortitude and character. The gold may be an inch away from the seam,
where your fellow miners have given up. You need to succeed for a reason,
a purpose, a cause that's bigger than you!
and
IF (a very big if) you've fulfilled all the above requirements...
13.
ALWAYS BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR OPPORTUNITIES
They
are all around you. There are no permanent problems —only solutions, possibilities
and opportunities. The Chinese word for 'crisis' means 'danger' + 'opportunity.'
14.
If you truly believe in what you are doing, DEVELOP THE 'WILL TO SUCCEED'
with absolute commitment. It is not enough to just survive, aim at
being the best you can possibly be! Keep your dream big, bold and even
outrageous - don't water it down or settle for mediocrity...even if others
think you are crazy! Trust in your judgment, your intuition and your creative
mind to overcome any obstacles. "Be bold and mighty, unseen forces come
to your aid."
15.
NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM!
Be
patient. Don't be in too much of a hurry to achieve your goals and dreams.
Be persistent and never quit. As the saying goes, 'Winners never quit and
quitters never win.'
Always
remember, when you think you've exhausted all your possibilities, you really
haven't - there's always another way, a better way...and even more importantly,
there's always another day!
Life
is not a dress rehearsal, it's the main event. GO FOR THAT DREAM.
It is within you and within your reach.
Craig
Lock has studied and written extensively on the subject of personal
success and how to live your dreams. Craig
can be found accomplishing his dream at http://www.craiglockbooks.com. |