People often search for both an easy definition of success — and an easy way to achieve success.
What I like about today’s quote is it’s an easy definition of success — and a reality check on how you become successful.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned along the writing road — and believe me, I’ve learned a lot more than one thing! — I know there’s no such thing as an overnight success. Or easy success. Or instant success. If anyone ever tells you that he knows the secret formula for any one of those things, ignore him. All he’s peddling is good, old-fashioned snake oil.
You need a certain amount of ability — and everyone has a different amount of that. Don’t waste your time playing a game of “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” comparison. Just concentrate on leveraging your God-given ability.
Yes, you need breaks — those unexpected moments when the door swings wide open and you didn’t have to knock. Maybe someone did you a favor and arranged a meeting or a phone call or sent an email on your behalf. It often is who you know and it often is those coincidences — or God-incidences — that make all the difference.
But the truth is, you can have ability and breaks and get no where if you let fear hold you back. Courage is a must-have component of success. And if you don’t feel brave, you have to fake it. Yep — pretend your way past the fear until you’re doing the very thing you didn’t think you could accomplish.
In Your Words: What do you think it takes to be successful? If you could add a letter of the alphabet to the definiton of success, what letter would you add?
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Comments 8
I would follow your A B C with D for Drive. You have to have the “want to” for success.
Great post, Beth. I had a D word too—Determination. But you could also add I for Intentional in our efforts toward achieving success. And that faking it past the fear? Yeah, I’m learning how to do that. 🙂
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Yes!! Determination and Intentional — both good words!
I’m jumping ahead to the letter P. If you don’t have PERSISTENCE you may never accomplish what you want to do. This applies to all of us!
Thanks for a great post!
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Love it, Connie!!!
I honestly don’t know what I want in terms of success in my writing pursuits. The work of it is hard, the honesty, even harder. But today’s brave meant clicking Publish on my blog one more time.
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Sounds like your “C” might be “Consistent,” Bernadette. 🙂
Beth, lovely article, as always. I’d add the letter G. God is the most important ingredient to success for me. If I’m outside His will, it doesn’t matter how “successful” I am; I’d still fall short of His goals for me. Keeping Him at the top of my list is the only way I find success in anything I attempt to do.
Blessings,
Andrea