7 World-Class
Choices You Need to Make That Will Get You World-Class Success
1. Don’t Let Anyone Define “Success” For You
“At some point, I realized that I had to give up other
people’s definition of success. This is one of the most difficult things to
give up because it is so deeply embedded in our cultural narratives that it
becomes the standard by which we measure our lives. Even as entrepreneurs we
have collectively agreed that fame and fortune are the markers of success.
But, giving up other people’s definition of success is
incredibly liberating and ultimately leads to the fullest expression of who you
are and what matters to you.It’s not a one-time thing. It’s a daily habit of
comparing less and creating more.”
“Success”
doesn’t just mean what the larger mob of society says it means: “lots of money,
fame, and fortune.” Many people with fame, fortune, and money have terribly
empty, imbalanced lives.
No
one can define your success but you. If you continue to let others tell you
what success is, you’ll never reach it. Even if you did, it wouldn’t be a true
success, because it’s not what you really valued.
No,
living an extraordinary life means defining your own version of what success
is. You can begin to spend your time on what really matters to
you.
Do
you really want 1,000,000 Twitter followers?
Do
you really need to be in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list?
Do
you really want to be a New York Times Bestselling Author?
Or
is your version of success more nuanced, more narrowed, more focused, more
specific?
If
you want to live an
extraordinary life,
your definition of success must be your own. If we are always chasing what
other people tell us to, we’ll never experience true success.
Let
go of other people’s versions of success. Define your own success, and achieve
it.
That
is true success.
“Many
people think in terms of ‘I have to do what my colleague/neighbor/family member
is doing’ instead of ‘I have to do what’s best for me.’” -Grant Cardone
2. Stop Seeking Approval From Others
“When
we are not chosen, we feel bad. When we are chosen — even by idiots — we feel good. We need to unlearn this
imprisonment. Not dissect and analyze it. Just completely unlearn it.”
-James Altucher, best-selling author
If
you live your life to please others, you’ll never experience world-class success.
That’s
because world-class success requires you to be unique and extraordinary.
World-class success almost always comes out of following a “crazy idea” to
fruition. One day it’s crazy, and the next day, it’s a breakthrough.
You’ll
never get to your breakthrough if you focus on the approval of others.
Wrote
author Todd Henry:
“The more bold you are, the more rejection you’ll
experience.”
The
closer you get to your goals, the more criticism you attract. Your ascent often
highlights others’ descent. If you’re seeking approval, you’ll get nowhere — just stuck in other people’s changing opinions.
World-class
performers went against the grain.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s first agent begged him to take the only roles he was offered:
Nazi henchmen and nameless villains. But Schwarzenegger believed he was
leading-man material.
Steve
Martin developed his comedy material through 10 years of rejection before
hitting it big. (He even recorded every “boo” and applause for his jokes in a
journal).
American
chef Julia Child enrolled in a cutthroat, all-male, all-French chef school,
where she was ridiculed for months — until she
become the #1 student.
Stop
seeking approval from others.
Focus
on being as authentic as possible instead.
3. Choose the Path of the Black Sheep
In the words of Chris
Herd, founder of Nexves:
“There
is one character trait that every successful person I have ever encountered all
have: an immunity to peer pressure.”
If
you do what everyone else is doing, you’ll get what everyone else has.
If
you want big change, you need to make big changes.
It’s
lonely at the top of the mountain. Those few who have reached world-class
success have gone against the grain time and time again. They’ve ruffled
feathered, flipped the status quo, and bothered more people than they can
remember.
World-class
success requires world-class choices. One of the most difficult of these choices
is to be a black sheep:
Do
things most people don’t do
Act
in ways many people think are crazy
Say
things people might not understand
Believe
things people might find arrogant or stupid
Henry
Ford, creator of one of the first automobiles, once said:
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have
said faster horses.”
When
you choose the path of the black sheep, you invariably draw ire and criticism
from the rest of the herd.
But
you also place yourself in a position to do what no one else has ever done, or
ever accomplished.
As
Douglas MacArthur once said:
“You
are remembered for the rules that you break.”
4. Choose to Be Consistent Above All Else
“Nothing
in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is
more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded
genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated
derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The
slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human
race.” -Calvin Coolidge
Consistency
is the most fundamental virtue to achieving world-class success.
To
become world-class, you need to develop mastery over several complex areas.
This will take time. Even the most disciplined individuals struggle with
consistency. It won’t be easy.
But
if you choose to fully commit, to keep going no matter what…
You
can accomplish nearly any goal.
The
truth is, consistency beat talent.
Consistency
beats luck.
Consistency
beats good intentions.
Frankly,
consistency even beats quality. The consistent performer will, over
time, outperform her more talented yet inconsistent counterpart.
World-class
success requires extreme commitment. In the words of John Assaraf:
“If you’re ‘interested’, you come up with stories,
excuses, reasons, and circumstances about why you can’t or why you won’t. If
you’re committed, those go out the window. You just do whatever it takes.”
Do
you want world-class success?
If
so, ask yourself:
Am
I committed?
Or
merely interested?
Commit
to consistency, and world-class success will follow.
“Most
people knock on the door of their dreams once, then run away before anyone has
a chance to the open the door. But if you keep knocking, persistently and
endlessly, eventually the door will open.” -Les Brown
5. Spend More Time Learning and Creating Than On
Entertainment and Distraction
“Your
level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development, because
success is something you attract by the person you become.” -Hal Elrod
Entertainment
and distraction are the enemies of true learning and growth. They will prevent
you from being extraordinary.
Renowned
motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said the most successful people in the world
are always lifelong learners. As the old saying goes, “leaders are readers.”
World-class individuals fully understand that their level of education directly
determines their quality of life.
“Formal
education makes a living, but self-education makes a fortune,” Rohn explained.
It’s
not just about a college degree. Frankly, most of what you learn in college
isn’t applicable to real-world success. It’s your self-education,
the kind of learning that helps you develop into the next evolution of
yourself.
Sadly,
many people will continue to go through life “in quiet desperation, with their
songs left unsung.” They let others dictate their income, their happiness, and
their fulfillment.
If
you want world-class success, you must choose self-education over
entertainment. It’s a choice too few make — then again, there are very
few world-class individuals.
6. Invest So Much
in Yourself, People Will Think You’re Crazy
“Every skill you acquire doubles the odds of your
success.” -Scott Adams
You are your greatest asset.
The world’s most successful individuals invest heavily
into themselves.
This is the reason why athletes like LeBron James
reportedly spend $1.5 million dollars a year investing in his
health and body. It seems the more successful an individual, the more they
invest in themselves.
Self-investment begets success, which begets more means
(money and influence) to reinvest.
If you want world-class success, you’ll need many tools,
abilities, and competencies — most of
which you might not have yet. This mastery costs money and time.
Ordinary people often spend their money and time on
“liabilities” — purchases that can’t earn
you more income.
Extraordinary, world-class individuals constantly spend
their time and money on “assets” — purchases
that earn you substantial income over time.
If you want to be middle-class and average, spend your
life buying liabilities.
But if you want to be rich and successful, spend your
life buying assets.
7. Choose Freedom Over Security
The
ultimate measure of success isn’t money;
It’s freedom.
World-class
individuals are constantly working towards a life where they can:
Spend
their time how they want
Spend
their time with whom they want
Have
the freedom to do what they want
The
more freedom you create — time-freedom, energy-freedom, schedule-freedom — the more you’ll be able to evolve into a world-class individual.
Most
people, when given the choice, choose “security” over freedom: a safe job, a
safe financial plan, a safe life.
This
isn’t bad — many people are content with living an ordinary
life, without much risk. But what most of these individuals don’t recognize is
that this “security” is really a lie.
In
fact, when you choose security over freedom, you’re actually living a very
risky life. You’re putting your safety in the hands of your employer (who says
they won’t fire you?), the economy (we all know how unstable that it), and
other people (who don’t truly care about your security).
World-class
individuals choose freedom over security. You can’t have both.
Said
Louis Sachar, New York Times best-selling author:
“So, what’s it going to be — safety, or freedom? You can’t have both.”
In Conclusion
“The key to becoming world-class in your endeavors is to
build your performance around world-class routines.” -Darren Hardy
https://medium.com/the-mission/7-world-class-choices-you-need-to-make-that-will-get-you-world-class-success-cf7380c67979
No comments:
Post a Comment