SUCCESS

Achieving Success requires one have a strong belief in ACHIEVING SUCCESS. This is step 2 in the process of achieving success and very important, one must believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their goals.  

To have a clear vision of your target that we call Success, one must have a clear definition as to what is SUCCESS for them. 

There is no way to hit a target that is unclear or undefined. There is no way to point oneself at the target if we don't know where it is. So we need to clearly define what success looks like for ourselves. This is really Step 1. Then once you know what you want, believing you will achieve it is step two and taking action is step three.  

                                      -  KNOWING  -  BELIEVING  -  TAKING  ACTION

What are all the factors that you would include in your picture of SUCCESS? Health (your health, your partners health, your children's health, your parent's health, the health of those you love and care about), Love, Family, Friends, Laughter, Happiness, Pleasure, Emotional Security, Financial Security, Financial Independence, Romance, Achievement, Contribution, Recognition, Travel, Education...........what are all the subjects that are necessary to define success for you? I recommend you make a list and then put the list in order of importance. If you could only have one thing on the list what would be number one? What would be number two if you could only have two? What would be number three and so on. You will surprise yourself when you make the list and you see what is really important to you, what matters most, even though it all matters.

In fact, it took me three different sittings to get the list to where I felt it was right. It took me time to see that unless I was healthy, unless I was happy it was most likely not possible for those I loved to be healthy and happy. When I first made the list I was comfortable to have the health and happiness of my family before mine, but has I refined the list and tuned the list to what I thought was really first, the essentials, and then the most important things, ahead of the less important things, I came to see the priorities entirely differently. It took three serious reviews and careful thought for me to get the list to where it reflected my personal values. And for the very first time I understood me and what really mattered to me. This was a wonderful experience for me and if you give it the time and are patient, I think it can be a wonderful experience for you. 

Honestly, two things happened to me when I did this. I came to understand how complex my definition of Success was and how many factors were included in my definition of success. The second thing that was a great lesson for me was what were my priorities. I took so many things for granted, I really was unappreciative of so many things that I require to feel successful, that I was focused on a few things instead of making sure that I gave priority where priority should be given. I knew the moment I review my final list that I had to take time every day to live in gratitude for all the gifts, all the blessings that were in my life and the lives of my loved ones. This was a very important realization for me and still I must remind myself from time to time to look at my list and be grateful that my life is abundant in Success.

Then I took a look at where I was spending my time. I was shocked. When I first made this list many years ago, my time was almost inverse to what I considered my priorities. I worked a lot of hours, I took it home with me, I worked on weekends, I took calls during games I was coaching, business was #1 in terms of my time. But when I made my list of priorities, business, being financially successful was down my list in terms of priorities. It is interesting that those who love you the most support you with their silence, they want you to do what you think you must do, so with that quiet support I was busy oiling the squeaky wheels in my life, spending my time with those things that made the most noise, that appeared to be the biggest problems. I had to learn to live by my priorities. It took me many years to find the balance and the wisdom to know how to manage the complex challenges of all of life. In fact, I am still working on it as I can still get out of balance. But the good news now is I notice it and it doesn't last very long. The squeaky wheels get the grease as they must, but not at the expense of higher priorities. (Only once in a while does that happen). 

So, once you have clearly identified and defined what SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU, you can begin to make a plan for achieving SUCCESS.

Achieving goals almost never happen by accident. In fact to achieve goals usually very deliberate actions are required over time, evaluating progress and making necessary course corrections to move forward toward the goals. I came to realize that the ultimate achievement was to make the pursuit of Success and the achievement of my goals, synonymous with my Life Style, with my daily routine, with my day to day values, with how I lived my life. I came to understand that it was a big balancing act and the better I have done the balancing the closer to my definition of Success I have come.

I use to believe that Success was a destination. Now I know it is the journey, for it is the pursuit of Success where I really find Success, because my definition changes, as I grow and my family grows, as life changes and as I learn more about life.

I hope this helps you find your Success. It is quite a special  journey.