“I do not have superior intelligence or faultless looks. I do not captivate a room or run a mile under six minutes. I only succeeded because I was still working after everyone else went to sleep.”
- Greg Evans
Why do some people ‘’make it” and others can’t? What are the secrets to success? Why didn’t all of that schooling teach you anything about money? For the last 20 years, I have been observing and studying the lives of successful individuals and I have noticed some commonalities that may provide some insight for those of you looking to increase the odds of success in whatever endeavor you may be pursuing. I will be talking about these insights in this series, which we at Black Swan Management, LLC like to call The Keys to Success.
Anthony Sills, CEO Think about the last time you really accomplished something big . . . what was it? Why were you successful?Some people believe that success is really about being in the right place at the right time, and they’re (kind of) right. But that’s not really success; it’s more of a mirage. Successful people are in the right place at the right time…but not by accident.
Everyone wants success, but few find it.
Each year hundred books are published about your lack of success. And each year these books promise to get you on the right track for a life of achievement. Millions are spent on training materials, seminars, and courses. And while some are no doubt beneficial (I have read hundreds of these books and gone through dozens of these courses personally), much of the information is destined to collect dust on a shelf in the closet or to be sold as a used book at a garage sale for most people.
And the majority of the people who buy these programs and literature fail. Why?
They want to be successful….just not bad enough.
Think about it. If you ask 100 people if they would like to be a millionaire, or if they would like a new car, many of them will say ‘yes’ but if you ask the same 100 people if they would be willing to work an extra ten hours a week to get that $1M or that new car, how many would say ‘yes’?
There is no ‘silver bullet’ to achieving your goals. The real difference between those who ‘make it’ and those who don’t is HARD WORK. The love of what you do, combined with your belief in what you do, will not determine your success. It will determine how hard you will work and how dedicated you will be to achieve it. Success just shows up from there. Here are some suggestions from your friends here at Black Swan Management, LLC to get you started on your journey of personal development—and remember, the keys to success are hard work, belief in yourself and your abilities, persistence, and the determination to succeed!
- You’re never done learning and school is NOT your only teacher. Most successful individuals are lifelong students. What do they study? Their craft, human nature, the world around them, history, business strategy, communication skills, and more. If you are committed to achieving big things in your life you must also commit to staying abreast of developments in your field and learning how to be successful. It wouldn’t hurt to know more than your competition either. Comedian, Chris Rock only has a G.E.D. but he reads several newspapers every day. Maybe that’s how someone with a high school education became one of the most successful (political) comedians. If you think you’re not smart enough or you think you learned it all in school consider what Jim Rohn says: “Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.”
- Accept responsibility for your own success. Many people believe they deserve rewards before they’ve proven themselves through performance. In fact, very few people accept personal responsibility for their success. If you aren’t where you want to be in life ask yourself ‘why not?’ It’s not your spouse’s fault, your employer’s fault, or your family’s fault. If you aren’t living the life you want to live it is no one’s fault but your own. When you accept this universal law and come to terms with its implications, you will be light years ahead of where you are today. Take a few minutes and think about problems you face in your life. How many of them have you been blaming on other people? Stop being a victim. Grow up. Take charge of your life and assume responsibility for your success and happiness.
- Learn how to live with risk. I do not know anyone who has succeeded who has not been able to assess and take a risk and then live with the consequence – success or failure. Risk avoidance is a sure way to remain mediocre; being safe does not promote personal growth. Failure or making a mistake is not a bad thing; it’s proof you were exploring new ways to do something, and that’s better than safe success. We learn from our mistakes, not our successes. Really creative people embrace risk. They can sustain a high level of ambiguity; they do not need to know where they are. They do not mind being lost, for they call it just taking the longer, more interesting way around.
- Persistence, Persistence, Persistence. Even when you don’t know how you will achieve your goal you must keep pressing forward. Nothing says persistence like Ray Kroc, the kitchen wares salesman who in 1954, at age 52 and in poor health, began a new age in franchising, changed the American landscape, and, for better or worse, diets in much of the world. If you don’t know, Kroc is the entrepreneur who became the national franchising agent for McDonald’s (which had one location at the time) and developed the system that would enable McDonald’s to expand worldwide. Missing the point? Ray Kroc was no spring chicken when he began this phase of his career. Many people doubted him. He had disagreements with business partners, problems with franchisees, and many other challenges as he pursued his goal. Did he quit? Of course not. Today, McDonalds is the single largest owner of real estate in the world. It owns more property than the Catholic Church. McDonald’s also serves more than 47 million customers each day all around the world!
- Discipline yourself to save money, even on the most modest salary. You will never ‘make it’ if you don’t have discipline. And you will never become a successful entrepreneur, investor, or business owner if you can’t manage your money. We at Black Swan Management, LLC believe wholeheartedly that one of the major keys to success is saving a portion of your income, even if it seems like such a small amount it won’t make a difference. As The Richest Man In Babylon teaches us, a part of all you earn is yours to keep. If you don’t save money, you are working for others, not for yourself. Not to mention, you will be at the mercy of circumstance and other people which is a rough road to travel.
We’ll be discussing more tips and techniques for personal development and being successful in Part Two of The Keys to Success but for now just remember that, as Jim Rohn says, “When you know what you want, and you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way to get it.”
About the Author
Anthony Sills, M.B.A. formerly traded FOREX from the Atlanta Financial Center and has worked for stock advisory services, brokerages, Fortune 100 companies, and national banks. Mr. Sills is currently a licensed loan officer and freelance writer. You can reach him at anthony@BlackSwanManagementLLC.com.
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