Top 3 Simple Methods For Attaining Success:
We’ve all been there. We have mentally, verbally and emotionally committed to something. It could be the gym, a new sport, a musical instrument, reading, a business idea and so on.
There’s an initial spike of motivation, forward thinking and real action (most of the time) but what follows is a rapid decline in activity. Work has you tied up longer hours, you have family commitments, you go on holiday and lose momentum, you genuinely don’t enjoy it.
You don’t get the outcome or ‘success’ you had envisaged when you started and you give up or stop trying. Imagine explaining that to any of your idols or mentors in any part of your life – ‘yeah so it was hard and the results were below par so I gave up’. Imagine the look on their faces!
The point is that it doesn’t matter the reason you gave up or haven’t stuck to your aims/goals/resolutions. It doesn’t matter the reason you started either. The main issue is the outcome.
C’mon, admit it – you’ve all had illusions of going to the gym and suddenly looking ripped. Starting a new business and within 3 months making a decent income. In my case, starting a 4 hour a week Spanish course, for 5 weeks, and not being able to speak more than 2 words of Spanish at the end of it. I could barely even understand 1 word!
What were my expectations? I would be able to have conversations in Spanish by the end of the course. What made it worse was when I actually went to Spain they speak with ludicrously difficult accents. Sort of like learning to speak English from a London tutor then arriving in Glasgow, Scotland ready to talk to the locals.
It’s the same as watching motivational videos of guys working out and thinking hitting the gym will be easy – I’ll look like an Abercrombie and Fitch model in no time. Think about everything that goes into it; these gym nuts will go to the gym religiously, they will hang out and learn from other gym goers, they will have a diet plan, magazines and protein shakes! They will live and breath the gym and consistently apply all the above and more…. DAILY!
My point is this – we create an outcome from thin air, nearly always an outcome which is hugely optimistic and FAIL to put in the consistent effort to get there. It’s always the consistent, incremental work that fails – and therefore the big dream is over before it’s ever really started.
Now a lot of people, including myself, have had visions of that mega pay day, that ultimate work session which changes everything. The truth is, that doesn’t work. It doesn’t fulfil you and it certainly doesn’t pay you for very long.
Consistent action with tunnel like vision which takes time, effort and commitment will nearly always succeed over the quick gain reward.
So lets look at the top 3 simple methods needed for success.
1. Focus on one thing
FOCUS! It’s not rocket science but it’s mistake that everyone makes. Focus means a lot of things to a lot of people. In this instance, focus means pick one path, and stick to it.
I’m not suggesting you pick a direction with a blindfold; do you research but once you have a good feeling, follow your gut and focus on this.
A lot of people get a little bit crazy when it comes to focusing rather than tunnel vision, they chase every shiny object.
Pick one path that focus like the terminator!
2. Set time aside
This is easier said than done I get that. Many people have commitments beyond belief; jobs, children, family, houses, pets etc! However, you need to put some time aside each day if you want to see improvements.
That might be 30 minutes in the morning before anyone else is up. Using you lunch hour at work productively on your own project rather than scrolling through Instagram.
The point here is setting the time aside so that it becomes a habit – if you commit mentally to this time you will begin to utilise.
Imagine committing to putting 30 minutes aside each morning and completing it for the first week – the feelings of fulfilment you would have from nailing that first step!!!
Please note that thinking you can make it up by cramming on a Sunday night never works – you won’t manage 3.5 hours and will not be patting yourself on the back.
3. Consistency
Now doing the first two is great but the main ingredient you will need to bind these together is – consistency. Doing both 1 & 2 while maintaining consistent action is the most productive method of seeing those gains.
Remember, it’s a compound affect. If you work on your own business idea for 1 hour each day without changing direction, over a period of time you will make immense improvements in your knowledge, skills, understanding and more.
Take the gym, golf, football, writing or anything else you can think of and imagine taking consistent action time and time again. The results can be incredible.
So when you’re coming home and the first thing you do is watch TV or flick through Facebook, think about consistently spending that time working productively.
Just as a quick example; take something your good at or passionate about; surfing, chess, Spanish, cooking etc. Now try and break down just how much time you have spent doing this activity and it’s easy to see how your results have been a success! Apply that to your newest venture!
Thanks for reading folks and leave a comment below on any new path you’re taking and tell us about your 3 top tips. Remember, any goal you set yourself is brilliant and only leads to bigger and bigger gains!
- Set time aside
- Stick to this path and trust the system will reap results
- Above all - be consistent!