noun. the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
Being successful. Becoming successful. Accomplishing goals. Achieving success.
We are surrounded by the language of success, but does it need to be a binary opposition of winning v losing or being successful v unsuccessful?
Success isn’t about luck. Success is about being driven to succeed. Success is about fulfilling our potential.
Successful people share certain traits – they are open and curious; they are in control of themselves and their actions; they are conscientious and vigilant; they are driven and hardworking.
Success is our mindset. Having a growth mindset (the belief that we are in control of our own ability, and can learn and improve) is the key to success. Hard work, effort, and persistence are all important, but they are not as important as having that underlying belief that we are in control of our own destiny. A success mindset allows us flexibility to see the different possibilities and steps needed to get the job done.
Success is psychological as it is the accomplishment of our self-defined goals. A goal is simply a dream with a deadline. Once we feel that we have accomplished the goal we set ourselves, we have succeeded.
Some Steps to Success:
- Identify your goal.
- Set your deadline.
- Make a plan to get you there.
- Take action – do something every day to move toward your goal.
- Evaluate how you are doing.
- Resolve in advance that you will persist until you succeed and that you will not give up.
- Reflect on what you achieve.
- Celebrate successfully fulfilling your goal.
In Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset: The Psychology of Success’ there are 10 big ideas that she outlines:
- Adopt a growth mindset and focus on learning over achievement;
- Change your mindset by thinking and reacting in different ways;
- Become a growth-mindset thinker in the moment;
- Love what you are doing by embracing the process and the growth;
- Reward the journey, regardless of the outcome;
- See your relationships from a growth mindset;
- Appreciate that artistic ability can be developed through training;
- Understand that physical skills can be developed through training;
- Shape mindsets through the gift of growth mindset actions and words.
- Accept that we all have interests that can blossom into abilities.
So let’s focus on becoming successful, in whatever we are doing, rather than being successful. Success is not a destination but the journey we are on. The growth is in the struggle, the learning is in the endeavour. Let’s also remember that we set our own goals and determine our own success criteria.
Success requires a growth mindset.
“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.”
Steve Maraboli
Success requires imagination.
“Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be,have or do”.Brian Tracy
Success requires self-motivation.
“Your success and happiness lie in you”.Helen Keller
Success requires determination.
“Put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts.This is the secret of success”.Swami Sivananda
Success requires intentional activity.
“Success is never accidental”.Jack Dorsey
Success requires commitment.
“Success does not lie in results, but in efforts, being the best is not so important, doing the best is all that matters”. Unknown
Success requires effort over time.
“Success is a journey not a destination”.Unknown
Success requires embracing opportunities and the fear of the unknown.
“If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on”.Sheryl Sandberg
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