We read more and more on the internet about “12 Ways to be Super Successful” or “10 Ways to Reach Massive Wealth” and so on and so forth. While these are encouraging words, I find it to be utter bullshit based on some of the sources that are writing generic “feel good” bullshit that they can’t apply themselves.
While its very cool to know how to become a HUGE success in 2014 by following a 12 step program, its absolute bullshit in just about every way. Part of the reason we never write about making money or enjoying massive success is because it is your ability to stay consistent that will get you there, not so much your ability to get excited for three days.
Lets compare the self-help industry to the workout/fitness industry which is very similar.
The idea of self-help is to make you feel empowered so you get started with the program but is often not equipped or even cares if you finish. The same can be said for workout videos. While many of these amazing workout videos work and all have insane claims, many of them are not created to help you but instead are marketed to excite you and empower you to try. Since you are not used to “consistency” needed to see those massive results, you tend to give up and only blame yourself. That’s the strategy and each and every one of them keeps racking in millions and millions but is it fair?
The simple answer to that is YES!!!!
That’s right, I actually said it is fair that every one of these videos and every one of these systems takes your money, knowing that you will most likely give up. It is fair because we are a culture focused on overnight results and no matter how effective these systems, none would sell a single copy if they said “Become Successful in 3 years” or “Get the Perfect Abs in 8 Months”. No matter how true or effective they would still be, nobody would pay attention because all the bogus systems would say “Make a Million in 3 Months” or “Get Abs in 6 Minutes a day” which both sound so much more appealing to those same lazy people who want to be handed everything.
So what is the reality of success and what it really takes to get there? Success is determined by 3 things, and 3 things only; and in this order.
Belief: You can’t become successful not believing in yourself. Its that plain and simple, no matter what system you follow or how incredible your product/service. It will simply never reach its potential without you believing in it and in you. As cliché as this sounds, use a simpler way to look at this like the idea that you work a job and are afraid to let go of your comfort in order to work for yourself. This is not because you enjoy money, but rather because your belief is not strong enough to carry you to the finish line. Your lack of belief in yourself is your distrust of your own ability to take yourself to the finish line, which translates to your own inability to let go of what you know you can do for something you have yet to do. Belief is the first imperative key to succeeding.
Confidence: Once you are capable of believing in yourself enough to start and carry on, you must have built the confidence to carry that belief and stay the course even through the tough times ahead. Confidence kicks in when you are faced with failure or setbacks, but must ensure you can continue onward even when it seems like there is no way things will get better. Your ability to carry on, despite not seeing immediate results, gets traced back in your confidence you built along the way. This confidence enables you to re-enforce your belief that you know what you are doing, and that you accept that your faith is in your control, not in the circumstance around you. Once belief kicks in, confidence becomes the force that carries you to the finish line and therefore is the second needed element to succeed here.
Consistency: The last and final element to success is your ability to remain consistent with just about what you do, but also with the velocity in which you move forward. You must be able to work on anything you work at with velocity even when faced with setbacks that test your confidence, and then repeat the process over and over again. As easy as it may sound, it isn’t or everyone would be in a better place. Think about what we discussed earlier about those videos, and ask yourself if you would indeed benefit from exercising consistently everyday. Regardless of the program you follow, there would be results eventually simply based on the idea of remaining consistent. The same can be said about working on a project or venture. You must remain consistent in your ability to keep at it, even when you get a lot of NOs or get very little traction.
Now lets put this formula into real world parameters. Being successful is not defined by your ability to make mone, but rather by your ability to master yourself and your environment. In this case:
Belief + Confidence + Consistency = Ability to take on anything and see it through to the end.
In the case of what success is made to look like:
Buy a product + get excited = Results but not sustainable.
The reality is it doesn’t matter if you are dealing with a workout routine or a wealth strategy. The conditioning of one’s self is the ultimate victory, not the mastery of the trade itself.
To conclude this, lets use trading as a good example many can relate to. You can trade stocks using a system but the system will not teach you to have the tolerance to losing money or holding ground when you lose 40% of your investment. It will teach you what to buy and what to sell and what to look for. The difference that will make this system successful or fail is YOU. You will either remain consistent and believe you can master the trade, as well have the confidence despite the losses or you will simply give up at the first loss and blame the system for misguiding you.
No matter what you read or what you use to help guide you, just remember that none of them will decide if you succeed or fail but you.
