Connect with us

Success Advice

6 Reasons Why You Need to Rethink Success

Published

on

rethink success
Image Credit: Twenty20.com

Over the last several years, I have become addicted to reading, writing and talking about success. I follow motivational speakers on Twitter. I regularly listen to tips and tricks on podcasts and YouTube about how to find success in your career, business, relationships, or extracurricular activities. I’ve gone to talks, networked, made connections, and sought out like-minded individuals. I’ve made friends and I tried to influence people. I even wrote a book on how to set better goals based on my own research and interviews.

Nonetheless, I’m sick and tired of talking about success. I’m sick of it because I feel like my definition of success is different from everyone else’s, and by filling my mind with other people’s definitions of success I am effectively losing a part of myself. I’m tired of it because there is so much noise out there (here I am again… contributing to that noise).

In the world of success and motivation, there is no shortage of advice around success tips, life hacks, and tricks of the trade that will act as fast fixes for all that ails you. Because of this, we need to stop talking so much about how to attain success. Instead, we need to spend more time training our brains to see opportunities for success all around us.

Here are 6 reasons you need to rethink success:

1. Talking doesn’t lead to doing

Sure, it’s exciting to listen to the latest podcast from Tim Ferriss as he shares expert wisdom from the world’s top performers. Likewise, it can be fun to sit around with friends talking about a new business idea or think about how to strike it rich in the next 6 months, but talking doesn’t lead to doing.

Consider how you spend your time. Don’t get caught up trying to do just a bit more research or analyze a situation just a little bit more closely. Take 5 seconds to sort out your thoughts and then dive right in to action on something you know you should do.

2. Success is different for everybody

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, success is defined by the individual. For someone living in poverty and struggling just to provide enough food for their growing family, success may mean getting a steady job anywhere that will pay the bills. For those of us lucky enough to have a stable job or a defined career, we may often find ourselves defining success by what we see online. Usually these definitions of success are completely unrealistic and require an adjustment to truly be achievable. So, rather than fitting into someone else’s definition of success, ask yourself what really matters to you in this moment, and then go for that.

“Success is different for everyone; everybody defines it in their own way, and that’s part of what we do in ‘Close Up’, finding what it was each person wanted to achieve and what their willingness to sacrifice for that was.” – William Shatner

3. It’s all about mindset

Today, more and more people are struggling with mental health issues related to anxiety and depression. Many have drawn the connection between high stress lifestyles and the need to constantly be comparing yourself to others around you. For most of us, stress can be incredibly detrimental to work productivity and overall happiness. If you want to become truly successful, it’s important to develop a growth mindset that allows you to live in the moment and reduce stress.

4. Striving for perfection is demoralizing

While striving for excellence can provide much needed motivation and inspiration, striving for perfection can be demoralizing and depressing. By its very nature, perfection is impossible to achieve, so it is highly unlikely you will be able to achieve it in any facet of your life. Don’t let yourself be demoralized by never reaching your goals. Instead, focus on achieving excellence to the best of your abilities and then slowly improving over time.

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

5. Your values will change over time

Whether you like it or not, your values will change over time. You won’t necessarily want the same cherry-red Corvette Stingray you wanted in high school after you get married and have kids. Nor will you see the value of saving a dime towards retirement before you hit the ripe old age of 30 if you’re like 50% of the millennials out there I know.

6. Look for your main driving force

Deep motivation requires continuous learning, having the ability to develop a feeling of competence and having a deeper sense of purpose. Being open to learning is a key component of success. Ironically, many people that strive to become successful feel that they already have to know everything and be the expert before they can reach any level of success.

Always strive to learn like the Fortune 500 CEOs who read roughly 50 or more books per year on personal development. Likewise, motivation comes from developing competence in a certain skill or area of expertise. Combining this interest in learning with a competence in a specific area of expertise allows you to better uncover your deeper sense of purpose.

It’s hard to get out of the mindset of comparing yourself to others around you. We live in a world that is constantly connected. Now more than ever, we see everyone’s news feeds in real time, and we are able to know instantly who is doing well compared to everyone else. You will always have opportunities to compare yourself to others, but the truth of the matter is that we will only be able to claim success if we are happy with ourselves and our own definition of success.

What does success mean to you? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

McVal is the founder of We Write For Growth, a platform for businesses to connect with talented writers and researchers and growth hackers. He is also the author of How to Make $2,000 a Month Online and Start Up your Life: Why we don’t know what we want, and how to set goals that really matter. McVal writes about motivation, decision making, and strategic thinking. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2011 with a degree in Spanish, and has since worked as a market researcher and business consultant in Washington D.C., New York City and London. You can reach him on Twitter @mcval or on IG @mcvaliant. 

Advertisement
2 Comments

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

Published

on

Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

Published

on

Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

Continue Reading

Success Advice

Here’s a Young Man’s Antidote for the Uncertainty of the Modern World

Why do a lot of young guys lack confidence in today’s world? 

Published

on

How to boost your confidence
Image Credit: Midjourney

We all have been told that confidence is a key factor in achieving success and happiness in life. But what is it exactly? (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

Toxic Leadership: 5 Ways to Identify a Bad Leader

if you have a leader who displays any of the toxic traits, it’s time to move on to greener pastures.

Published

on

Toxic leadership
Image Credit: Midjourney

Let’s be honest, we’ve all crossed paths with a toxic leader in our careers at some point. Unfortunately, while some toxic leaders don’t even bother to hide their behaviour, some know very well how to conceal their true selves behind a strong-built facade. The latter is the most dangerous of the two. (more…)

Continue Reading

Trending