It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.

muhammad ali

Everyone wishes to be successful, but not many people are willing to put in the work required to get ahead in life or be successful.

Most of us are looking for easy and quick solutions for problems in life. Look at the following screenshot:

‘How to make quick money’ query has more than 3 billion results. There is a whole lot of advice on how get things done quickly. But, I believe that anything that comes quick, goes quicker.

So, in your life, don’t wish for easy, quick things. Wish for hard things and seek discomfort. (from YouTube channel, Yes Theory)

In this post, you will learn my 7 ways to be successful and achieve success:

#1. Start with End in Mind:

In his book, 7 Habits of the Highly Effective People, Stephen R Covey mentions starting with the end in mind. What this means is that you must have a rough idea of where you wish to go or what you wish to achieve.

Doing this will not only give you better clarity, but it will also drive your motivation. When you get day by day work done, your end product or creation will fall into form.

When I started first writing and blogging, I had rough idea on what my blog should look like, what I should write about and so on. As the days go by, my vision came to reality and I was able to build upon my vision.

Having a rough vision provides you with guidelines to take the next step. Yes, the journey is not a straight line.

There will days when you feel utterly dejected, utterly disappointed. Take deep breath. Look at the alternatives. And move on to your vision.

#2. Don’t Keep Eye on the Trophy!

We often think too much about the results that we are trying to achieve. By keeping your eyes on the trophy you may forget what is on the race track.

When I started earning money blogging, my entire attention was on earning more money. But, that was my greatest mistake. And it showed up in the content I created. I faltered with my end goal.

This lead to a slack in my output affecting both the money I made and also the content I created. And getting back into the game was so much tougher.

To be a winner, you need to have your eyes on the race track rather than on the trophy. If you perform well on the race track, you will be a winner. Instead, if you are thinking of things you will be doing after you win the trophy, you will end up in anxiety, worry and stress.

#3. Be a Contrarian

If you behave and act like everyone else, you will become like everyone else.

Just look at the greatest achievers around you! They are not like others. They have their own routines, habits, principles and values. The top 1% achievers do things radically different from others. And that’s why you will see them successful.

I have not come across a single successful person who is same like others while being at the top of his/her game. They are all unique.

I have a friend, Avil. If you look at his life, he has always been a contrarian. He has done things differently and sees the world differently. He is always looking to add value to anything he is part of! His personal mission, his talks, his workshops. He is unique. He has touched many lives of job seekers here in Dubai that people who have been positively affected call him, Gamechanger!!

What an honor!

If Avil thought same like how others thought and behaved, we would not have seen the fruits of his thoughts. Be different and be unique. Look at problems through different angles and provide solutions.

#4. Learn from Failures

How many failures does it take to succeed?

I do not know about you. But for me it is ‘as many as it takes.’

I have seen many of my friends getting dejected by failures and give up easily. If I find someone like that in my friend circle, I immediately call them not to give up. And if they are adamant, I slowly drift away from that friendship. I need ‘fighters’ as my friends and not otherwise.

I have been through a lot of failures myself. But every time I failed I stood up and sought other challenges. I never gave up.

Fall down 7 times, get up 8.

The never give up attitude is more important than anything else. A success habit is the one to learn from the failures and stride towards your next venture or the goal. I am always pumped to start something new in life. A new blog, new investment, new course and so on. I get joy in keeping my brain active and positive.

Failure is part of the success journey. You will learn so much through your failure. If you do find that you are not successful in the current project, look for ways to learn from your failures and do not repeat the mistakes in your next project. A great example in this could be Amazon when they launched their Fire phone. It was an epic $ 280 million disaster. Jeff Bezos however was happy that they failed and learned valuable lessons.

#5. Don’t Stop

Life is a bumpy journey. Today is not the same as yesterday and tomorrow will not be same as today. What sets achievers apart is that they don’t stop taking the step towards their goals.

Lazy minds take rest for extended periods. Not those with growth mindsets. They never stop learning. They never stop getting things done. They never stop giving more than they receive.

Yes, you must stop to ponder about your decisions.

This following song by Fleetwood Mac is the exact message I was looking for: Don’t Stop

Whatever your goals are, Don’t Stop. Keep at it.

#6. Lead by Example

If there is one quality I look for in leaders is that they should lead by example. But most often you find leaders doing otherwise. Again, you do not need to be a leader to lead by example.

Whatever is your position in life, everyone gets opportunities to lead by example:

• At home be a good dad or mom – Your kids are watching your every step!!
• Be a helper in your community. In the church, I remember I was part of the youth group. And we did various social welfare activities inspiring other youth to join us.
• At an organization I worked I volunteered to conduct team building activity

You will get so many opportunities in life to lead by example. Don’t give up on them.

• If you are presented with an opportunity to help someone, do it.
• If there is a volunteering opportunity, do it.
• If you know someone is dealing with depression, offer help.
• If someone in need requires financial help, do it.

If you are in a leadership position it becomes all the more important that you lead by example. Put yourself in the situation of your colleagues. Guide them. Delegate smartly.

#7. Lift Others Up

One of the best ways to be successful and to get ahead in life is to lift others up.

This seems counterintuitive till you understand what this really is. You have to understand that we rise by lifting others. Great leaders in our society do so and there are quite a few examples of this.

‘Lifting others’ means

• Being Positive
• Being Humble
• Empathising
• Encouraging
• Sharing What You Know

Look at your own organisation for inspiration.

• Does your leader encourage you to take lead?
• Does your manager corrects you when you are wrong rather than blaming you?
• Does your colleague support you when you have overwhelming workload?

These are simple examples of lifting others. And you’d call yourself lucky if you belong to such an organisation.

On the other hand, I have been in organisations where there is petty office politics, back biting, overall negativity. I have learned a lot from these experiences.

If you are in a leadership position, please take a moment to talk to your colleagues at an equal level. I know it is quite hard to give up your ego. But believe me, when you empower your team, you will have the best of people.

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These simple but effective ways to be successful or get ahead in life are quite rarity we see these days. But if you pay attention, these are the basic qualities that you must have in order to be successful whether you are business owner, employee or in your personal life.

Evaluate yourself. Evaluate your environment. Always spread positivity.

Often, in the real world, it’s not the smart that get ahead but the bold.

robert kiyosaki

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