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Change Your Mindset

4 Key Factors to Determining Ultimate Success

having tangible metrics can help recognize success when it is attained

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Success means a burgeoning business, a nice house, and at least one luxury car. Or does it?

For many entrepreneurs, defining success can be a tricky exercise. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone with a career all want to be successful but rarely engage with what exactly that means. Even more challenging is the idea of setting up applicable metrics to gauge their progress toward that success.

Looking back at my own career, there were a few goalposts I aimed for when defining my own sense of success. In the early years, success meant having more control over my life and never worrying about being replaced or passed over for promotion.

However, that definition of success has changed over the years. Now, success means having less stress, enjoying more time with family and friends, and being able to travel the world. The consensus among most experienced entrepreneurs is that money doesn’t define success, at least not on its own. 

The majority of entrepreneurs point to other milestones as markers of success, but their metrics for success demonstrate some hugely varied responses — feel-good buzzwords like “making a positive impact” and “building a legacy.”

And yet, as entrepreneurs, we need tangible ways of measuring success, not just fairy-tale sentiments. That said, the entrepreneur alone defines success.

Entrepreneurs must also understand the difference between a business being successful and a person being successful. An entrepreneur might achieve a profitable business while feeling unsuccessful in their personal life, but by setting your own success metrics, you can decide when you’ve reached success.

“The secret of success in every field is redefining what success means to you. It can’t be your parent’s definition, the media’s definition, or your neighbor’s definition. Otherwise, success will never satisfy you.” – RuPaul

Why are setting success metrics necessary?

Metrics define achievements, and having tangible metrics can help recognize success when it is attained or a goal when it’s completed. These signposts help us recognize success and feel a sense of achievement.

Metrics also help us adapt our expectations for success, which often comes at various stages in life. Case in point, success for a budding entrepreneur will mean something different for someone with years of experience.

For those determined to set down their standards for success, four concepts can help entrepreneurs actualize their goals.

Drive: The drive of an entrepreneur is an overarching idea encompassing the traits that allow them to pursue their goals and dreams, even in the face of failure. Drive can also mean never settling for less or second-best. Although this can have setbacks, second place isn’t always a bad place to be. While it depends on the industry, sometimes being the highest revenue earner can mean lower profits, bloated staff counts, and burnout. Don’t allow “drive” to become your sole measurement of success.

DisciplineOf course, we all know what this means — getting up and doing the grind even when you don’t want to. It means not just doing the work when it’s fun and exciting; it’s keeping control of your emotions and vision even as challenges try to pull your focus away. Self-discipline helps entrepreneurs manage their time and resources efficiently. Discipline can also mean having the discipline to realize I can always do better.

Adaptability: Having drive and discipline is great. Even with those traits, however, you must have the ability to adapt when faced with new facts and realities. Taking a failure and turning it into success is crucial to entrepreneurial success. Many entrepreneurs have failed because they continued pushing an idea despite mounting evidence that a change was needed.

Grit: This combines drive with passion. Without grit, an entrepreneurial idea can’t succeed. However, grit must be combined with adaptability to reach its potential. Conversely, while grit may be a leading factor in the success of your business, it doesn’t necessarily lead to personal success and happiness. Take time to smell the roses: it’ll make your achievements all the sweeter.

Developing these attributes provides a solid framework for conceptualizing success and establishing achievable goals.

A different definition of success

Success is measured by having time to do what you enjoy. Consider the following example: An entrepreneur makes $100 million every year but works 60-hour weeks, 52 weeks a year. Clearly, they’ve achieved financial success; however, this entrepreneur wishes they had more time to travel with their family. Have they found success?

Instead, a better measure of success here would be to set concrete goals, such as: “My goal is to be so successful in business that I can take two months off per year to travel or only work 20 hours a week.”

However, this is only an example; there is no one-size-fits-all metric for measuring success among different entrepreneurs. But since entrepreneurs agree that money is not always the best measure, consider measuring the time available to enjoy your favorite things.

Setting up your own success metrics

With all these characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, the key here is learning to apply them. Here are three strategies that consider your drive, discipline, adaptability, and grit. These can help you move from an “I want to be successful” attitude to an “I want to achieve this specific kind of success in this timeframe” mindset.

  1. Define success for yourself – The first and most important step in this process is to replace the word “successful” with a list of what you want to achieve. For example, do you want to get out of debt or have more time with your children? When exactly do you want to have these measures met in your daily life? Get specific with a timeline in which you want to achieve these goals.
  2. Success doesn’t come all at once – Entrepreneurs need to understand that success comes in stages. Every several years, evaluate your current goals, update your definition of success, and then work toward it again.
  3. Practice gratitude – Being content with what you’ve already achieved while still being driven to accomplish more is the key to happiness for an entrepreneur. If you aren’t content with what you have now, you won’t be content with what you have and accomplish in the future. Simply put, practicing gratitude is a must.

While the insatiable desire to do more is tantamount to what makes an entrepreneur, too many believe that success and happiness are always around the corner, never taking time to appreciate what they’ve already achieved. Without this recognition, they can become depressed, lose touch with their close relationships, and even burn out.

Don’t save the feeling of success for retirement. Entrepreneurs should strive to find a measure of personal success before they exit from the world stage. Remember, you define success for yourself.

Gideon Kimbrell is a software engineer and entrepreneur. He is co-founder/CEO of InList.com, the premier app for booking reservations at the most exclusive nightlife, charity, and entertainment events in major locations around the world. He can be reached on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Change Your Mindset

4 Tips On How To Write Down Your Goals To Actually Reach Them

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4 Tips to Writing Down Your Goals Effectively

Everyone has goals. Whether small (“I’d like to lose 5 pounds before the summer”) or big (“I’d like to make a million dollars next year”). 

There’s a huge gap between having goals and accomplishing them. The act of writing down your goals plays an important part in closing this gap and reaching your goals.  According to a study done on Harvard MBA students, within ten years’ time, the students who had written down their goals were making ten times as much as their classmates who hadn’t written down their goals.

What to write out in your goals 

1. Clearly define your goals

This may be harder than you think. That’s because oftentimes, we get caught up in our daily routines and lose track of our true desires in life. Most people are guided by their circumstances. But there are a few people who shape their lives according to their goals. Who do you think is happier: the person who is defined by their circumstances or the person who creates their circumstances? Which category are you in now? Which category do you want to be in?

Chances are, you’re in the first group. But, the good news is that if you’re reading this article, you’re probably trying to make it to the second category. In order to do this, you have to take stock of your situation. That means taking some time to sit down and reflect. Find some quiet, alone time. Sit down and consider your current situation from all angles and write down your observations.

If you need some help doing this, consider answering the following questions:

  • Where are you now?
  • Where do you want to be?
  • What do you have to do to get there?

“It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

2. Look at the big picture

Envision where you want to be next year, the year after or five years from now. Think about long-term goals. Don’t think about details or how you will accomplish them. Simply allow yourself to dream and to think about what it is you truly want. Whether it’s a personal or professional goal, just let your heart speak. Maybe you want to be married with children in five years’ time. Maybe you want to run a marathon. Or you want a job that you both love and that pays you well. Or you want to take time off to travel. Whatever it is, no matter how far from your current circumstances it may be, write it down.

 

3. Look at the small picture

Now, is when you start to fill in the gap between where you are now and your dreams. What is the first step? If you want to be married and have children, fill out a profile on an online dating site or let your friends know that you’re interested in meeting someone. If you want to run a marathon, get yourself a personal trainer at a gym or join a running club. Maybe visit a sports nutritionist to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need in order to stay healthy and competitive.

If you want to land your dream job, think about your qualifications. Do you need to take some courses in order to be a candidate for the job you want? If you already qualify, start sending out your resume. If you want to travel, how could you convince your boss to let you take the time off? What about arrangements for a house-sitter or sub-letter? Who could take care of your pets? What other steps are there between you and your goal? Map them out, step by step.

 

4. Use positive Self Talk

When writing down your goals, try to put things in a positive way. Negative goal setting implies that you’re doing something wrong. It’s like scolding yourself for not doing better.

Below, I will provide 4 examples:

  • Don’t say: Stop dating losersInstead say: Find a successful, loving, supportive partner.
  • Don’t say: Stop being lazyInstead say: Improve my fitness to have the body I want and increase my health, energy and self-esteem.
  • Don’t say: Quit your dead-end jobInstead say: Find a job that matches my skills, passions and financial goals.
  • Don’t say: Stop putting off traveling. Instead say: Prepare the way for an incredible traveling adventure.

Putting a positive spin on the language you use can make you feel excited about tackling your goals. Such an attitude will help you overcome hurdles and make you determined to reach your future accomplishments.

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill

Whatever your goals are, studies show that the act of writing them down can have a significant impact on their outcome. Defining exactly what it is that you want, setting up the steps to get there, and saying it all in a positive way are powerful steps to realizing your dreams. So, grab a pen and get started.

Ready To Write Down Your Goals & Reach Them? Read more blogs about reaching your goals and success on Addicted 2 Success

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Change Your Mindset

Need Help Reaching Your Goals? This 6 Step Process Is For You

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how to reach your goals
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Nobody wants to fail and everyone wants to succeed. Every day, people are struggling to reach their goals and achieve success. A failure is a painful event and one that almost all of us work tirelessly to avoid. However, no matter who you are, failure is unavoidable. Not only that, but as much as you hate to fail, failure is still necessary for your success. There can be no success without failure. (more…)

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Life

Don’t Forget the Hard Times Embrace Them to Grow

A dream may never become a reality if you fail to learn from what made it impossible in your past

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A dream may never become a reality if you fail to learn from what made it impossible in your past. Each trial I have faced strengthened me, increased my confidence, and instilled in me the discipline to seek accountability for my life.  (more…)

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Change Your Mindset

5 Ways To Achieve Your Goals (With Examples)

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Accomplishing mountians

Setting goals is a crucial first step, whether you’re striving to reach personal or professional milestones. However, achieving those goals requires planning, determination, and focus. In this post, we’ll discuss five actionable strategies that can help you achieve your goals in 2023, and we’ll provide real-life examples to inspire and motivate you. By implementing these tips, you can train your brain to achieve your goals and make meaningful progress toward your aspirations.

1. Write Down Your Goals

The first thing needed to achieve a goal is to have one. A goal becomes very clear and precise once you have written it down most simply and easily to remember.

Here are some examples:

  • I am the world’s best dancer!
  • I am the greatest athlete!
  • I have created the world’s most innovative tech company!

They are all written with the belief that these things have already happened. Once you start believing it has already happened, other people too can sense your confidence and things start happening.

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” — Andrew Carnegie

2. The One Page Plan

A simple one-page plan to accompany your goal is much more powerful than a detailed 30-page plan. After you have written your clear goal – write down all the things you will have to do to achieve it. Make it as simple and direct as possible so that you can refer to it every day and take action. A simple plan is easier to follow and keep up with.

3. Get The Right Skills

Once you have a clear goal that has been inked into your mind, and a clear plan in place, it is very important to invest in the skills you need to achieve your goal.

So for example, if you want to become a movie star, you should immediately start developing your acting skills. Observe how other actors perform, join an acting class, read about acting, and most importantly, start honing your craft by joining a local theatre group and going for as many auditions as you can. Practice is very important for mastering any skill.

Struggling To Achieve Your Goals? Here Are 9 Possible Reasons Why! 

4. Surround Yourself With The Best People

The best way to achieve our goals is to make sure we have the best people supporting us. People who succeed are always those who understand the power of people.

So let’s say your goal is to be an entrepreneur and you have developed your entrepreneurial skills, the next step would be to get the best people to join your team to help you achieve your goal. These would be people who you consider to be the best marketers capable of getting you the best customers and investors.

Once you have the best people supporting you, it becomes much easier and faster to achieve your goals.

“It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people’s lives.” – Clint Eastwood

5. Power of Faith

Nothing beats the power of faith and belief. Sometimes you might face challenges, sometimes things might not be going your way, and you might feel like giving up – these are the times when faith and belief will keep you going.

So many people give up, just a few inches away from victory. I am sure you are not one of them since you are investing time into self-development which gives the highest returns! Now go out there and start achieving your goals!

Need more motivation? Read our blogs on motivation and become your best self now!

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