“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” -Winston Churchill
There have been many ways to interpret success and how to achieve it. For many, persistence complemented with unwavering desire to succeed is key while for some, the essential ingredients for it are simply working towards a goal and never losing focus. For Vince Lombardi, success comes with the price of hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether one wins or loses, one had applied the best of themselves to the task at hand. Regardless of how one interprets how one achieves success, one thing remains universal: It takes the right kind of persistence and mindset to make it.
What people can readily observe in a successful person is the result–they do not see the struggle towards achieving that very goal they were so determined to. For this reason, some people would fail in their intrepid endeavors at doing something successfully–they only think about the result without necessarily contemplating about the logistics it takes in getting there. Achieving success is not a one-time attempt (unless you are very lucky), so it invariably means staying positive amidst trials and adversity. It requires one to go from failure to another failure without losing enthusiasm and focus. In essence, you need to develop the appropriate kind of mindset in order to be successful. Whether you are aspiring to develop a new generation of SEO consulting services or to build your new empire of retail conglomerates, here are seven mindsets you should keep abreast:
1.) You should accept who you are and what you are about
The road to success needs a little introspection on your part. You need to know who you are, and you would need to accept that and what you are capable of. In a nutshell, this is about accepting and liking yourself as you are. It may seem like a hackneyed notion, but in success this is pivotal. If you desire success, you cannot let adversarial conflicts with yourself bog you down. You need to accept yourself wholeheartedly, or you will be spending most of your time in doubt as regards what you do and what you are capable of.
2.) You should set goals and work to achieve them
The road to success may be an unpaved path, but having goals would certainly help you navigate it. True enough, having a vision is great but having an idea alone would not take you anywhere. Having a dream with corresponding goals is how your dreams and visions would materialize and seem achievable. More often than not, if you operate on just a dream alone without any goals, you would most likely end up in a confused heap of mess. You need to consistently set and word toward goals in order to make a positive difference as this will lead you closer to your ultimate goal. Additionally, setting goals makes you see visible, albeit little, results and progress which would propel and encourage you further. So set some goals and set them high and do not cease until you have accomplished each and every one of them.
3.) You should accept failure and not take it to seriously
There is no failsafe plan towards success. Even the most successful people would tell you that amidst their success were times they have failed. Similarly, you will too but no matter how many times you have failed, your will to persevere should remain strong. Your failures would not define you as your willingness to persist what would give you results and ultimately get you to accomplish what you have set out to do. Do not let failures weight you down, instead, treat them like little challenges that you would need to overcome to reach your goal.
4.) You should not get sidetracked by problems
In your pursuit of success, encountering problems would be inevitable. If you are always getting distracted by these problems, you will engender bad thoughts which would hamper you in your pursuit of your goals. Have a healthy mindless or problems will only grow in strength. Think of problems as an opportunity to be innovative in coming up with solutions, think of them as minor setbacks which would not impede the way to the success but sharpen your focus in getting there. Focus on the possibilities and not the problems.
5.) You should not leave things to chance
Hoping for the best and praying success will come is counterintuitive to the essence of achieving success. Instead of waiting by the sidelines, hold the reins and make success happen. Do not leave anything to chance and if you truly want to succeed, take a more active role in seeing it gets done. Being proactive in accomplishing your goals displays your decisiveness and strong will. Decide to take control and let the rest fall into place.
6.) Continuously learn
No man has the monopoly of knowledge which would mean that for anyone chasing success, something is to be learned every step of the way. Be open to learning more and embrace the fact that you do not know everything. Be enthusiastic about learning so much more and let go of any bias. Admittedly, experience is life’s best teacher and would have lessons for every single one of us. But do not disregard the possibility that you may encounter someone or something along the way that may teach you a thing or two. You might just not know it, but this may play a pivotal role in accomplishing your goals.
7.) Be decisive
Successful people are not ambivalent, and they make decisions adroitly and soundly. Likewise, you should adopt the same mindset. Be smart about how you make decisions, know the information required, contemplate your options and pick the best one among all of them. Although it is incredibly important to choose the most favorable option, this does not mean you can vacillate or even second-guess yourself. If your decision turned out to be bad, take it as a lesson instead of dwelling on it. Remember, a bad decision is even better than no decision at all.
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to attaining success and for every individual, it may take a different tack than the ones applied by others in order to achieve theirs. There is no universal road map nor is there a standard recipe to follow when it comes to succeeding, however developing the right mindset can set you on the right track. Cultivate the seven mindsets above and let it propel you towards your goals.