5 Quotes That Can Help You Decode the Factors Behind Achieving Success
Because success is closer than you think if you just take the right steps
I used to think that people who have achieved success in life are lucky. I knew they were hardworking, but I thought luck was a big factor in their success.
Success may seem mysterious and it’s easy to think that it belongs to only a special group of achievers.
But when you have time to think things through and when you start paying attention, you realize that the main difference between a successful and unsuccessful person is almost always how hard they try, never the luck.
With time, we learn that success is possible and the way to get there is easier and more important than we thought.
#1. The Simplicity of Success
Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.— Arnold H. Glasow
Even when I started writing online, I was constantly looking for ways to get successful fast. But success is not about luck or shortcuts. It’s about doing the right things every single day.
This means being honest with yourself about the work you’re willing to put in and then working hard without focusing too much on the lack of results.
Success takes time, and it’s not easy to fully grasp this fact.
A lot of the time, the only thing you need is to be patient and persistent. So, don’t give up on your goals, no matter what challenges you face.
#2. Embracing the Uncontrollable
Trying to control or change what isn’t within your control will only drain your energy and leave you in torment. What you can control is how you perceive a situation, how you react to it, and how you respond.
The reality is this: Even though you might not like the situation you are in, you can choose to accept it. Once you learn to accept what is, and then focus on what you can control, you win.
This line is a reminder that our energy is better directed toward mastering our responses to external circumstances rather than useless attempts to manipulate them.
You’ll get sick. There will be family emergencies and work emergencies. Some days, no matter how much you try, your mind is just not in the right place and you get nothing done.
It’s okay. What you regret in the end is giving up due to these hurdles.
And regrets are not the only things you end up with. When we try to control things that we can’t control, we end up feeling stressed and frustrated.
We feel overwhelmed and often these frustrations become excuses for us to not try harder because we think it’s useless to even try in such a situation.
We think the system is flawed, or the algorithm is at fault.
Stop this.
Just do your work and forget everything else.
#3. The Habit We Take for Granted
If you want a new idea, read an old book — Ivan Pavlov
This is something I learned recently, and it is a game changer.
I read a lot of books and nowadays most of these books are non-fiction, self-help.
And it’s so hard to remember a lot of things from these books even though I have a highlighter to mark important lines, flags to mark important pages, and a pencil to write in the corner. I’ve also tried taking notes.
But nothing works. I always forget what I read.
So, I tried to re-read the same book, which I hated in the beginning because re-reading a book meant one less book per year. But after starting, I realized that I missed so much the first time because I was in a hurry to get to the end.
#4. Finding Meaning Amidst Distractions
“When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.” — Victor Frankl.
We all need something that gives our lives meaning.
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find your purpose or your calling. So, we waste a lot of time waiting for inspiration to strike, waiting for the perfect moment to start.
Because we think we can do the hard work when we have something to work hard on.
But this is rarely how things happen. If you wait for the perfect time or perfect idea, you’ll keep waiting.
You’ll never know if something is for you until you start working on it.
And to do this, you have to stay away from temporary relief or instant gratification. When we don’t have a sense of purpose, we tend to fill the void with distractions, such as shopping, eating, or watching TV, but none of these things will ever give you any satisfaction long term.
So, start working on yourself. Do the opposite of what 95% of the population is doing. Read, learn new skills, write, exercise, and keep trying new things until you find something that sticks.
#5. Start With Your Inner Self
‘We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.’— Carlos Castaneda.
Our attitude plays a big role in our journey.
I’m sure you’ve heard choose your hard. This means that life is hard, even if you don’t do the work you’re supposed to do.
You only have two options: you can either live with regrets your entire life or you can work hard every day towards your goals.
Both of these things are hard, and you have to choose one for yourself.
And this works internally as well. If we keep the focus on the negative things, we’ll never be happy. And if we try to ignore the negative and focus on the positive, which is hard to do, we’ll be more at peace with ourselves.
And most of the time we’re just making things hard for ourselves by thinking about the things that have not even happened yet, and that may not happen ever.
In fact, when was the last time things actually went how you imagined them?
Never.
They can go worse, but never the same. So, it’s useless to waste your time and energy focussing on the bad things.
Takeaway
Success isn’t far away. It’s something real. Something we can make happen by what we choose to do.
It is never about luck or shortcuts.
It’s about hard work, dedication, and perseverance. These ideas can guide us through life, helping us understand things better, have a clear goal, and strongly believe that we can succeed.
So what are you waiting for?
P.S. This was originally published on Medium