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Success: The Greatest Motivational Principle

It seems no matter where I speak at: corporations, small businesses, universities or government entities, I’m always asked how I became successful. And it never fails that the person asking the question has this baited, anticipatory look in their face waiting for me to deliver some diatribe that will once and for all end their search for the holy grail of success.

I’m usually reluctant to answer such a question because the truth about success IS simple, but the mindset required to achieve is complicated.

It is my contention that the greatest motivational principle in life is knowing “how”. It’s knowing how to do things for yourself. It’s knowing how to build a business on your own. It’s knowing a skill and how to apply in the service of others in order to make a great living. The greatest motivational principle is knowing how to do the very thing you love to do and then turning it into a profitable career choice.

We often feel despair or a sense of abandonment when we don’t know how to break out of our monotony, our routine our…situation. You could listen to motivational tapes and books, but that affect will only last for some time. You could pray and hope for divine intervention, but that assistance is never guaranteed. You could wait for someone to lend you a hand, but you also know that the chances of that are very slim.

So what should you do? Well, when you finally get to a point where your life isn’t making sense anymore and you just can’t seem to go on anymore, sit down, take a deep breadth and have a good cry. No,…seriously…have a good cry. Bawl your eyes out. And when you’re done this is what I want you to do.

First, I want you to remember, to really remember back to when your life was on track and you felt good about yourself. See that time and moment in your life.

Second, as you’re reflecting, try to capture the ‘context’ of your happiness. By context I mean, was it because:

a) You felt as though you were in control?,
b) You enjoyed it for some purpose or reason?,
c) Others looked to you for guidance and leadership?

I want you to really try to define the context of your happiness. Use keywords like: independence, control, personal growth, respect from others and so on.

Third, giving where you’re at today, I want you to take one of the keywords you noted in step two and begin to make a ‘mini-plan’ on how to reclaim it. Let’s assume for example that you chose the keyword ‘control’. You want to begin to regaining some control over your life.

So here are some starting out ideas:

1) I will not say yes to everything people ask of me because it takes away from my personal growth.

2) I will accomplish these 3 things this month…come hell or high water.

3) I will read one positive or influential book each month

4) I will NOT allow others to dictate my time

5) I will begin to give myself 5-10 minutes each day to reflect and think about what my goals

6) I will NOT compromise my family or personal time for work

7) I will begin to reduce my economic debts with the goal of being debt free by ________

You get the idea.

By listing these types of commitments and then acting on them, you’ll have taken a great step on the road to success.

If you commit to your plan of attack…you will begin to see a change in your self-esteem and personality within a month. This is HOW you begin the process of change.

Lastly, as you execute your plan and you begin to achieve varying levels of success, keep in mind that success is a ‘process’, not an end point, or destination. Along the way you will make some mistakes and fall back to old habits,…so what, don’t get discouraged. Try again until you succeed.

Along the way people will reject your ideas and your commitment to better yourself. They will laugh at you and maybe even try to hinder or discourage you. My advice to you is to remain true to yourself.

And if you need a kick in the motivational rear, I want you to stop and reflect on how sad, desperate and lost you felt before you started this journey. I want you to remember the pain of not doing what you love to do, the pain of not staying on purpose.

Pain is a great motivator. Painful memories of what you hated about your life are even better motivators. Don’t forget why you started the journey. Your past will ignite your need for change.

Always have the presence of mind to say, “Although I’m struggling, and things aren’t YET going my way, I cannot and will not go back. Success is a process and when the process is over the transformation will have been completed. I am ready to be transformed.”