For most of my life success has mostly come naturally to me. Whether it was school, business, money, sports, relationships, or just about anything else; I’ve always been successful. Of course, I had some failures (nobody is perfect) but was always able to come out on top in the end. So, my self-confidence level was always off the charts. I always felt I was destined to do great things in business and in life. Somehow I just knew it was inevitable.
Well, I did make it happen, I became an online millionaire, and then I gave it back. I don’t say I “lost it” because I know where it went. And it was not due to any recession or the fault of anyone but me. These days, I describe myself as a recovering self-made millionaire. That’s not a bad thing. It just is what it is. My confidence has been shaken but it is not gone. I’m writing this post as much for myself as for anyone else. It is the overview on how I built my business success and how I’m going to rebuild it again. I know how to become successful and this formula can be used by you too.
The last few years for me have been just one big upside down inside out roller coaster ride. I kept slipping and sliding and wasn’t able to hold on to the ball and run like I did so many times in the past. I made small strides but big success was elusive. Then, I got pissed. I’d had enough. I was mad at the world. Was my golden journey over? Was I just supposed to go off into the proverbial sunset and disappear? After months of talking to myself, beating myself up, soul searching and living in an emotional tsunami the answers started to show themselves. I realized that the person to be mad at was me! Every success and failure in my life was my own. It was nobody else’s fault. I then moved to a forgiveness mode and started to treat everyone, including myself, with a lot more respect.
I started to write down the answers and information that started to flow. I have not stopped writing and updating, and months later what you see below is how I became successful.
I realized that what I thought was natural, intangible and random achievements were actually blueprints for success that my subconscious mind had developed, built and stored for me over the years. I always trusted and respected my subconscious mind and my intuition and now I know that they feel the same about me. I really felt relieved and hopeful knowing now that I could get it down on paper, have a plan to follow, and achieve my goals. This formula, now tangible and clear to me, has worked for me over and over and over again. There was a definite pattern and yes, there was a method to my madness.
There are a lot more things to distract us today than ever before. There are a lot more things you need to know today. You must live in two worlds today – virtual and real. Having it on paper has kept me focused.
After getting it down on paper I saw where I went off my success path way too many times. I was not doing the things that I always did to keep me on the path to the successes I wanted, no matter what it was I was after.
What you will read below is a simple guide that I used to develop, in my opinion, a great success track record. It took years to develop and now I want to share it with you. Please join me on my new journey to get back, and keep, what I feel I deserve in life and what I feel YOU deserve in life. I want to share the journey with you. I will give you the good, the bad and the ugly as the saying goes.
Remember, It’s never too late to develop personal growth at any age or at any level of experience for business, life, or relationships.
1) You Must NEED It
You have to decide what you really need. Success will not happen if you just “want” it or wish it would happen. True success calls for a need so intense that you cannot be satisfied until you reach the goal. It’s a burning desire! You must absolutely totally be committed to this need. There is no turning back. You have done the dreaming and the research and now there is no doubt about the vision. You’re going for it! You need it! You’re not going to let anyone or anything stop you!
2) Become an Action Taker
You are willing to take extraordinary action. You don’t care how many hours in a day you have to work, you don’t care what tasks you have to do, you don’t care how much you have to travel. You will do whatever you have to do to succeed. Anything!
3) Stay Vigilant
You must be constantly be aware as to what is working and what is not. Always keep your eyes wide open. You should quietly and calmly review your findings on a daily basis. You should keep a journal on everything you see, think, feel and even suspect. A pattern will emerge if you remain open minded. Expect failure, learn from it, and then fight like a mad person to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I call this my preventative attitude. It keeps you sharp and prepared.
4) Decide What Is Real and What Isn’t
Reality dictates that you must always stay nimble and flexible. Reality is a fluid concept. Get to the reality of any situation no matter how much it pains you. Finding the reality of a situation will eventually put you in a position to always move forward. Questions will shine a light on the reality of your situation: Who, what, where, when, why and how. Ask, Ask, Ask.
Find out what people love or hate about you and your product or service. If people working with you are a wrong fit do them a favor, and yourself, and help them leave and find a job that’s right for them. Be human but don’t fall in love with anything or anyone. Be ready mentally to change course if you have to.
Mentally try to put yourself out of business before someone else or some other thing does. Be paranoid about your success every day. Question everything. You want daily reality checks with you and your staff. It’s an attitude that is good for everyone.
5) Remember Change is Good
You must continue to change your approach and evolve your business, based on all the information you have accumulated, until you achieve your goals. If you have to change to a less glamorous course of action after hearing the reality of the situation so be it. Keep moving forward. Do not fall in love with today because change is coming! You will always have to “start all over again” tomorrow. Nothing stays the same forever. Get used to it. In the end you will see that change is good (and certain).
6) Get Support
To succeed you must have at least one person in your life that will be there to support you. They will be there to listen to you without judging and give their opinion when asked. You need that person to whisper in your ear “you can do it” when you are afraid and feeling insecure. They must also be able to tell you when you are heading down the wrong path. Brutal honesty is key here. You want them them cheer you on but also keep you in check. You must truly trust that this person cares about you and your well being. A good accountant and a lawyer are also critical to serve as business advisers.
If you are going into your own business, partners could be very beneficial but they also could be a major detriment. Move slowly and use extreme caution when heading into a partnership. I’ve had great success with partners in the past but also major issues. Below is my story and it’s not really a very pretty testament to the concept of partnerships. My story should serve only as a warning sign to you and that’s it. I think partnerships can be a great thing but certainly not always. Do it if it’s truly good for you and your business, but beware!
I know I’m a good partner, and I’ve had some good partnerships, but they are hard to find. I will give an overview here and then try to cover partnerships more deeply in future posts.
Here is where it gets sticky for me. The weakest element for me in my formula has always been support. I’m not going to reveal the raw details just yet but I will give you the main theme. To summarize: I tried to revive my business multiple times with different partners and none of it worked. You’re probably thinking, “Maybe something is wrong with you!” And I don’t blame you for thinking that. Trust me, I thought the same thing and I went through that mind game with myself. But I had many major past successes that helped me hold on to my confidence. I knew that it wasn’t me. I know I must take some of the blame, obviously, but in the grand scheme of things it was not my fault that these partners did not work out. Someday I may reveal all the stories, but not now.
Some of the assorted reasons for these situations not working were…
- I did my part but they couldn’t deliver on their end
- Dealing with their other partners and/or family and not one specific decision maker
- Greed
- Deceit and dishonesty
- Betrayal by close “friends”
- Too many ideas without taking action on them
I hope you forgive me for not giving specifics but I don’t like to name and shame. This should be sufficient enough to help serve you on your own journey. I just want to share the lessons I have learned for now.
The major lessons to take with you today on the subject of partnering:
- With partners, money and success can breed greed and jealously. Be aware. Friendships mean nothing when it comes to partnerships and money. Keep your eyes and ears open.
- Don’t be open and reveal your secrets or feelings. They can be used against you. Talk only to your parents, spouse, therapist, or trusted advisor about these things. Not to your business partners.
- Don’t trust anybody but the people listed above and even then be careful.
- Use your own money and be in control.
- A better option may be to “buy” support. Hire what you need rather than have partners. Over pay them if you have to. Hire people smarter and better than you to help build your business. You can’t do it all on your own.
Finally, the biggest lesson I have ever learned for being successful at business or life in general is to NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, GIVE UP! It’s impossible, I repeat, it’s impossible to fail if you adamantly refuse to give up, give in or go home. You can retreat and regroup though. You enable yourself and organization to rest. You plan your next move, you review all the steps above and then launch your offensive. Just keep going!
On another related note, you might be also be interested in my 20 rules for success at making money online or what I feel are 5 very important work at home success traits to keep on this theme of becoming successful.
Good Luck to you, my friend!
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