What Success Really Is And How You Can Get Your Hands On It

What is your idea of a successful person? The most common belief is that having a large balance in your bank account equals success. Shocking Truth #1: Money doesn’t equal success. Even with their great fortunes, many millionaires live miserable lives, primarily because they neglect personal development while pursuing only wealth development. Being rich and unhappy is not a victorious life. Shocking Truth #2: Fame doesn’t equal success either. Evidence of this is found on celebrity magazine stands. Even after amassing fame and fortune, many of the stars we see on TV are actually unhappy, constantly surrounded by drama and dealing with ongoing personal and professional problems. Many of them turn to drugs and alcohol to fill the empty void they feel inside, the one that their careers are unable to satisfy. Personally, I would pass on success if it meant constant conflict in my life. Webster defines success as “the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame.” While Webster may be partially right, he left out some things. If I could modify the definition, this is what it would look like: “the fact of getting or achieving massive wealth in your finances, health, spiritual, and family life; respect for your nobility and courage; fame for setting the bar high for what is possible by achieving your highest potential and by encouraging others to do the same.” This revised definition of success encompasses my life mission, and it is the type of success that will be laid out in the pages ahead. Why are some people successful and not others? Growing up, I assumed that successful people were lucky. I silently wished and hoped that I would someday get lucky too. I dreamed of having an enjoyable job, a loving family, money to travel and to give, and basically living the good life. The older I got, the more discontent I became. The thought of “someday becoming lucky” not arriving was devastating. I was so terrified that I decided to take matters into my own hands. My quest began. I was determined to find the answer to my question: “Why are some people successful and not others?” After listening to countless success stories, piece by piece, the puzzle began to come together. I began to realize that all successful people have many characteristics in common. Surprisingly, education is not one of these common traits. There is no correlation between education and success. Of course there are countless exceptions, but many self-made millionaires and even self-made billionaires never graduated from college. Bill Gates, for example, ditched his plan to become a lawyer and dropped out of Harvard University. He was more interested in computers. Now he is the richest person in the world. Steve Jobs, another pioneer in the computer revolution, also dropped out of college after only one semester. Years later, he presented us with many technological breakthroughs. These two individuals changed the world for the better and proved that, although education is important in many regards, it is not the only element to success. If it’s not education, then what is it that makes some people successful and not others? For one, a positive mindset. If you were to take note of the thoughts running through your head in one day, how would you rate them on a scale of zero to empowering? Are your thoughts filled with faith, expectancy of good things, and belief in your abilities to do what is necessary to take your life to the next level   You must change your mindset immediately. Your thoughts and your beliefs play a very important role in achieving success. In the upcoming chapters, you’ll learn how to alter your daily thoughts so that they can work for you instead of against you. Quality habits and daily routines are another trait all successful people possess. We all have daily routines we follow whether we realize it or not. What do yours look like? If you are like most people it’s probably one or more of the following: hit the snooze button a couple of times and then rush out of bed and quickly get ready for work, or you may check the news, social media, or email on your phone before you even get out of bed. I consider that starting your day on the wrong foot. As you’ll discover later in this book, there is a more powerful way to start your morning. Not every day will be perfect, but the majority of your days should be filled with passion for your work. Your workday should end with a feeling of accomplishment for what you’ve completed that day and a feeling of, “I can’t wait to come back tomorrow.”