The Basics of Success, Part II: 5 Fundamental Steps

Have you ever looked at someone else’s success and thought, “How did they do that?!” And then looked at yourself and wondered, “Could I do that?”

Most of us have big goals, if we let ourselves indulge in them. The fact is, we all have the potential to achieve what we want, most of us simply lack the motivation and determination to follow through on the difficult steps. Or, looking even more deeply into the problem, we do not even know what those steps are.

And that is the problem that we address and simplify here: the fundamental steps to achieving the success you are fully capable of.

1. Clearly Delineate Your Vision – Successful people have one thing in common: they all know what they want to achieve. This statement has two facets. First, YOU have to know what you want — this is your goal, not the goal that someone else set up for you. Second, you have to clearly define exactly what you want.
2. Develop Your Strategy – Create an overall game plan to reach your goal. This step takes planning and thought, and obviously you cannot predict every step, but generating a strategy to get you to your goal is an important step as it gives you the map and the energy to take consistent steps toward success.
3. Expand Your Horizons – From years of life experience, we all have our own paradigms, thought patterns, and perceived limits. Reaching for a goal you have never met before, however, calls you to take actions you have never taken before. Broadening your horizons to try new things is an integral component of reaching new success.
4. Work – Success would not be success if it was easy enough for anyone to achieve while sitting on their couches. The bigger your goal, the harder the work will be to reach it, and the bigger the reward will be in the end.
5. Never Give Up – Failure is only failure if you accept it as such. Your option is accepting the setback, learning vital lessons from it, and creating a new approach that breaks down the problem into small enough pieces to take one at a time.

Success never came by accident. Success always results from clear planning, creative work, and dedication. And anyone willing to invest in their goals, take small but vital steps every day, and never give up can achieve the success they desire.