How do you define a successful life? Is it becoming a millionaire or a sports champion? Is it finding the cure for an illness? Or is it raising happy, well adjusted children?
Luck is not the factor that determines our success. Success is the realization of your goals. Ask any successful person what they want to achieve in their life and they can tell you exactly what that is.
It is Bill Gates dream that everyone has a computer at home. He became an extremely wealthy man in the process but it is not the money that makes him successful. He has virtually realized his dream.
In fact, if you look at a lot of people that we consider successful, very few were motivated purely by the money. People who are successful usually get lots of material rewards, which are hard to not be attached to, even when they weren’t the original reasons for them striving for success.
Roger Bannister didn’t break the four minute mile for money but to prove it could be done. Mount Everest was the mountain Edmund Hilary wanted to conquer.
Mother Theresa wanted to help the poor but she probably never dreamt she would start a charitable organization responsible for helping millions of unfortunate people worldwide. Although she died poor, it was the general opinion that she had been successful in life.
If you are spoilt and lazy, can you be successful? In fact, I would disagree; I would say that dedication, resilience and hard work are the real secrets to success. You need the ability to pick yourself up and start over when things don’t go according to plan.
People who are successful see setbacks as opportunities. To have a successful life, firstly you need to look at what success means to you personally.
Forget about other people’s definition and find your own. You need to be committed to making this work. This may mean putting in longer hours than anyone else. It may mean studying and working at the same time. No matter what you have to do, the commitment and energy to achieve it will be there for you.
It is only when you know exactly what you want to achieve and make that your goal, will you recognize opportunities being offered to you to help you get to your destination.
If you don’t know what you want, how will you recognize when life is giving you a chance? To be successful you need to use a guide and it just like using a map to reach a new destination.
Know your destination, how to get there and be determined to do anything to make it.
Whether you are successful or not in life is not your parents fault, the fault of your genes or your third grade teacher. Accepting total responsibility for your results in life so far will help you create the life you want.
If you think you can or think you can’t, you are usually right! Henry Ford (1863-1947)