I believe that many people today full outrageously short of their potential, but why? If we want to lead successful, positive lives what must we do?
Having worked with ‘successful’ people for over 25 years either, leading them, coaching them, training them or learning from them I have been fortunate to gain the inside track of how these individuals go about achieving their potential . This has also given me opportunities to explore the barriers they have faced and applied a range of these strategies to my own life!
First let’s define ‘success’ or ‘successful.’
Acclaimed author Maya Angelou describes success as “liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.”
Billionaire Richard Branson equates success to being fully immersed in your work. He says “The more you’re actively and practically engaged, the more successful you will feel.”
Spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra believes success is a matter of constant growth. “Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realisation of worthy goals.”
What is clear is that success means different things to different people and this is aligned to Stephen Covey’s belief that the definition of success is deeply individual. He was known to have said “if you carefully consider what you want to be said of you at your funeral, you will find your definition of success.”
In summary success means different things to different people and your definition of success is likely to change at different times in your life and career. What is clear having defined what success means to you, the choices you make every day can help you grow stronger and move towards your goals and aspirations and live the life you want to lead. In the remainder of this article I have summarised the first of four characteristics and approaches that successful people share and a range of actions that you can take to work towards your own successful future.
Embrace Learning or as Carol Dweck describes, Cultivate a Growth Mind-set
One of my favourite quotes is from Ghandi “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Whilst I didn’t excel at school I always loved learning new things and since I finished school (many years ago now!!) I have sought out learning opportunities both in my personal and professional life. It’s only two years ago that I completed an MA in Psychological Coaching and the learning journey I experienced was amazing. Much of the time I could feel myself stretching, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and changing into a different me. It was uncomfortable at times, but I embraced this in the sure and certain knowledge that it was for a greater purpose and eventually I would succeed. In my experience this willingness to push yourself, be willing to fail in order to eventually succeed is what differentiates the best from the rest. I describe this as learning orientation; a willingness to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, consider perspectives different from their own and make learning a part of their everyday routine. Carol Dweck (A Stanford Professor of Psychology) would term this a ‘Growth Mind-set.’ A mindset, according to Dweck, is a self-perception or “self-theory” that people hold about themselves. Believing that you are either “intelligent” or “unintelligent” is a simple example of a mindset. According to Dweck, “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.” Alternatively, “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment,” says Dweck.
What-ever we do professionally what is clear is that success comes faster to those who are open, active learners. The higher up the success ladder you climb, the more complex the systems and opportunities that are presented to you. Absorb all the information you can and if you sense a gap you can’t fill, connect with people who have the knowledge or experience you need.
Practical steps you can take;
Review the three most difficult situations or adversities you have ever faced and ask yourself how these events contributed to your future success of fulfilment?
Set yourself a goal of learning something new every day.
The next opportunity that comes your way that you are tempted to say “no” to, just say yes! See what happens and what learning emerges.
Research your hero. See what you find. Most, if not all successful people have met with obstacles, overcome them and learned from them!
