To be successful you need to understand success. If we have a wrong idea of success, then we have a wrong approach to today. As a result, everything falls out of hand.
Everyone wants his day to be good, but only a few know what it should be, even fewer people know how to organize it. And there are very few people who understand how today's lifestyle affects your tomorrow.
Why is this so? The problem is that most people misunderstand success. And if we have a wrong idea of success, then we have a wrong approach to today. As a result, everything falls out of hand.
Here are the common misperceptions of success and the reactions that often accompany it:
We believe that success is impossible, so we are critical of it
Most people are not fully aware of the truth that life is hard. Instead, they constantly groan and complain about the enormity of their problems, about the burden of their worries and all kinds of difficulties, as if life in general is easy, as if life should be easy. When success eludes us, we humbly admit that we are defeated and pretend that it should be so.
That's when we begin to criticize success. For example, we say: "Who needs this success at all ?!" And if someone else succeeds whom we consider less worthy of him, then we really blow off steam! We perceive this success as "the unforgivable sin of one little fellow against his fellows."
We believe that success is something mysterious, and therefore we go in search of it
If success is not given to us, and nevertheless, we do not completely abandon what we have begun, then we often begin to look at success as an incomprehensible mystery. We believe that all we need to do to succeed is find the magic formula, the silver bullet or the golden key that will solve all our problems. This is why there are so many diet bestsellers and so many management fads in corporate offices every year.
The problem is that we want rewards and some kind of success without paying anything for it. Seth Godin, author of Resolution Marketing, recently wrote about this problem in the business world. He believes that business leaders often seek quick fixes to their companies' problems, and cautions, "We need to stop trying to get what we want at lightning speed."
“You won't win an Olympic gold medal by spending just a few weeks on intense training,” Godin writes. - An opera singer cannot achieve worldwide fame in one evening. Well-known law firms and design companies are not created overnight … Every big company, every big industry and every big career has been built in exactly the same way: grain by grain, step by step, slowly. " You cannot succeed by magic.
We believe that success brings good luck, so we put all our hopes on it
How many times have you heard people explaining someone's success say, “It just happened to be in the right place at the right time”? This is as much nonsense as the idea of instant success. The likelihood of success due to luck is the same as the probability of winning the lottery - 50 million to one.
From time to time we hear about some Hollywood star who was unexpectedly "dug up" in a provincial pharmacy, where the girl worked as a simple employee; or an athlete who was selected to join a professional team despite not playing sports at all until high school graduation.
This makes an overwhelming impression on us. “That's so good luck,” we think. “I wish this would happen to me!” But this kind of luck is extremely rare. For one lucky person, there are thousands upon thousands of people who have spent decades of tireless, hard work to achieve the kind of skill that helped them seize the opportunity. And there are tens of thousands more who have invested years of work and yet failed to achieve what they wanted. And yet, as far as success is concerned, you better not rely on a fluke.
We believe that success is productivity, which is why we work for it
Once I saw a sign that presented information about some small business, which said:
57 RULES OF SUCCESS: Delivery of products. The other 56 are irrelevant.
What is about working hard and getting results makes you feel like your efforts are being rewarded. And many people value this feeling so highly that they call it success. US President Theodore Roosevelt said: "The highest prize that life can give us is the ability to work hard in a job that is worth it."
But it would be one-sided and wrong to regard only hard work as success. Can a day be called a bad day just because it’s not filled with work? Can someone who has retired or retired be called a person who can no longer be successful? The ability to work hard is a delightful trait, but hard work alone is not successful. A lot of people work hard and still don't succeed. Some people devote all their energy to futile work; others are so devoted to work that they neglect to establish important relationships, destroy their health, or completely exhaust themselves. Success may not come to those who don't work hard enough, but hard work and success are not the same thing.
We believe that success comes from opportunity, so we look forward to it
Many people who work hard but seem to be getting nowhere believe that the only thing they need is a chance. Their motto begins with the words: "If only …". If only my boss let go of the reins a little … If only I got a promotion … If only I had start-up capital … If only my kids were good … life would be great.
But the bottom line is that people who are not doing anything, but just waiting for some opportunity, will not be ready to properly seize it if it appears. As living basketball legend John Wooden spokes, "When the opportunity comes, it will be too late to prepare for it." And for those whose desires do come true (be it a promotion, start-up capital, or whatever), it rarely makes any changes unless they've done the prep work to be successful.
When the opportunity comes, it will be too late to prepare for it. John Wooden
Moreover, we are all inherently fickle. What we thought would solve our problems or make us happy does not last long. It reminds me of my childhood. When I was eight years old, I said, "If only I had a new bike!" And then Christmas came, and I received a new bike as a gift, along with holiday bells and whistles. I felt at the height of bliss … for about a month. Then I had a new "if only …", which, as it seemed to me, would make me happy again.
Opportunity can help to some extent, but it cannot guarantee success.
We believe success comes from leverage, so we rely on it
Some people associate the concept of "success" with the concept of "strength." Their point of view is supported by the words of such influential people as industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who argued: "Success is the power by which a person can meet all of his requirements for life, without violating the rights of others."
Many have taken this a step further and view success and strength in this way: Successful people have taken advantage of others to get what they have achieved. Figuratively speaking, in order to get what they want, they are looking at what angle to put the lever, which would allow them to use more force compared to the force applied by another person. They believe they can forcefully pave the way for success.
The dictator Saddam Hussein, who ruled Iraq for a long time, used this method using power, machinations and brute force. Politically, he began his career as a rapist. He committed assassinations in the interests of his party in order to thus rise to the highest echelons of power and eventually become the vice-president of Iraq. When Hussein was no longer satisfied with the position of vice-president, he simply seized power and declared himself the president of the country.
For decades, he has used torture, harassment and murder to maintain power. But in the end he failed. Power and brutality cannot guarantee success.
We believe success comes from connections, so we straighten out networks for them
What do you think is more important to achieving everything you desire in life: what you know or who you know? If you think the answer should be someone, then you probably believe that success comes from connections.
People who believe in the importance of connections think they would have had them if they were born into some influential family. Or they think that their fate would suddenly change for the better if they met the right person. But these beliefs are wrong.
Relationships are, of course, rewarding, and meeting good people is rewarded in its own way. But connections by themselves will not improve the life of a person who has gone astray, and will not provide a guarantee of success. If this were the case, the children of every successful businessman would have it all, and the half-brothers and sisters of every president of the United States would achieve the highest success. But, as you know, this is not the case.
We believe that success comes from recognition, which is why we crave recognition
Is there any specific indicator in your profession that you have achieved recognition? Would it make a strong impression on your peers if you were recognized by the rating of a magazine or became the world chess champion? If you were awarded the title of Teacher of the Year, or some prestigious university awarded you an honorary title of professor, would that be a success? Each profession or industry has its own particular form of recognition. Are you personally eager to gain recognition?
The French, who are known to all food lovers, enjoy the highest honors of chefs. One of the highest recognition rates for them is considered to be receiving the category of a three-star restaurant. Currently, only 25 restaurants in France have this honor. One of them, Côte d'Or, is located in Burgundy, and its owner was named Bernard Lohse.
For decades, Chef Lohse is said to have been obsessed with creating a perfect restaurant and getting the highest grade. He worked tirelessly, and in 1981 the restaurant received a two-star rating. After which he began to work even harder. He perfected every dish on his menu and constantly improved the level of service in the restaurant. To improve the quality of production and expand its scale, he had to incur huge debts, amounting to $ 5 million. Finally, in 1991, his restaurant received a three-star rating. Lohse managed to achieve what only a few could do.
“We sell dreams,” he once said. "We are sellers of happiness." But the recognition, which he achieved with such difficulty, briefly made him happy. One spring day in 2003, after Lohse prepared a dinner ordered by someone, he shot himself. There were no obvious reasons that could lead to this, and Lohse did not even leave a note. Some say that he was inconsolable because his rating fell from 17th to 19th place (out of 20 possible). Others say he suffered from manic-depressive syndrome. No one will ever know why Lohse committed suicide, but one thing is clear: the high recognition he achieved in his profession was not enough for him.
We believe that success is a solemn event, and therefore we plan it
For more than 30 years of my life, I have devoted to speaking on all kinds of events, at conferences, to help people become more successful in their field of work and learn to be leaders. I look at the influence that this or that event can have on a person's life through the eyes of a convinced realist, considering it very limited, which I often remind my listeners of.
An event is a great vehicle for inspiration and an opportunity to cheer up. Events often prompt us to make important decisions in the direction of certain changes. They may even provide us with knowledge and mechanisms to get started. However, real, sustained change does not happen overnight. This is a process. This insight prompts me to write books and tape lessons so that people who have made a decision to change have access to tools that they can use after an event, which helps to facilitate this process.
Real, constantly maintained change doesn't happen overnight! This is a process.
At EQUIP, a non-profit organization that I founded in 1996 with the goal of educating and resourcing a million leaders abroad, we use an orientation process. We don't just kind of look in for a minute, act out an event, and then disappear. We are implementing a three-year strategy. It all starts with translating books and lessons into the local language. After the first introduction to the learning system, we offer leaders books and cassettes to use for their growth. Our training teams then return to this country every six months to train the leaders in new skills and bring the process to completion.
Do not misunderstand me. Events can be useful if we understand what they can and cannot do for us. You just shouldn't expect them to suddenly bring you success.
Personal growth occurs as a result of making and following decisions.
(c) John MAXWELL "It is only important today"
