Success means different things to different people but whatever your definition of success is, it will require some form of hard work and effort to tick your checklist of successful endeavours, but how do you get there?
First, you need to understand the importance of success. According to Nicole Martins Ferreira, success is a goal we should have in order to strive for more, and achieve more and we cannot be so laidback that we do not have any ambition of any sort. If you are not career-driven or money-minded, you should still be focusing on a goal to help others or make others happy or just being content with yourself but be content with more.
There are 8 ways to be successful in life and they are:
- Stop looking for the silver bullet
All of us want to win the lottery at some point in our lives. And even though there are winners, the probability of being one is very low. Instead of looking for shortcuts, we have to face reality and know that nothing is really within our grasp until we work hard for it, sweat for it, lose sleep over it and go out of our comfort zone for it. If we can continuously strive for it, we can reach our goal and destination with our heads held high and our chests beaming with pride.
- Start creating better goals
Usually, we have vague ideas of what our future would look like but to take control of our destiny, we need a clearer vision. If your mission is to lose weight, you have to make the conscious decision to eat less and exercise more but that is not enough. You need a detailed plan from the number of hours you will spend in the gym to the number of calories you are going to eat. At the end of the day, once you reach the goal, you will be so satisfied with yourself that you will create other goals with the same conviction and plan meticulously for a better and more enjoyable life.
- Stop looking for validation
As human beings, we do need a group of people to keep us grounded. However, they should not be the reason that our individuality is drowning or our creativity is stunted. Sometimes, even the people closest to us do not understand our vision but that is okay. Go forward with your plans unhindered because you do not know where they might take you. No matter what anyone says, you do what you feel is right and let them watch as you prosper and grow into a better you.
- Start living your dreams
If working 9-5 is stopping you, do take note that many have a side hustle to fulfil their dreams. So, don’t wait until it is convenient to start but start as soon as possible. The thing which stops a lot of people from trying is fear. If you are scared about turning your dreams into reality, try to start small and take one step at a time. Gradually, you will find your footing and stop swaying from side to side, instead, you will be placing your feet firmly on the tightrope.
- Stop looking for a mentor
You can be your own mentor because only you know yourself best. Whatever weakness that you have must be curbed by you. People can advise you but it is still up to you to change, to try new things, to mould yourself in the way that you want to be shaped and it is your decision to keep trying even without a leader. As Mariah Carey once said, the hero lies in you. Thus, a leader can also be found in you. Therefore, any success that comes your way belongs to you and you cannot blame anyone else if you were to fail. Taking ownership of your achievement and losses is a quality that successful people must have.
- Start building your expertise
Gain knowledge bit by bit and you will find yourself in the presence of a mountain of knowledge soon enough. Gain skills that can help you learn better, function better and improve as a whole. Whatever the field of interest is, there will be many books to gain understanding from and many experiments to try to prove a theory, embrace all of them and entertain anything that might pique your curiosity because only by finding answers to your queries can you become an expert yourself.
- Stop blocking yourself
We are our own worst critics. Writing a book, for example, is a challenging task. But do not let something such as writer’s block stop you. Go outside, find more inspiration and write a new chapter every time the previous one is not working. Taking breaks is fine but always get back to it after and try to arrange the words such that the writing flows. This works for anything else that you try to do, be it coding or sports or your mathematics homework.
- Start Doing
The hardest thing to do is to begin and the second toughest thing to do is to continue. Take the first step and the second and the third slowly. Do not leap from the first step to the hundredth step as that will only make you panic and your heart race. Instead, finish one thing after the other in an orderly and systematic way. The plan will unfold itself if you are on the right path. So, start immediately and do not wait for things to fall into place. They will fall into place when you direct them to the right location and only then, will you be able to be successful in your own right.
Our Learning Lodge is a PSLE tuition centre that caters to students from different schools, backgrounds and standards. We are situated at Block 813 Jurong West Street 81 #B1-184 Singapore 640813 and you can contact us via WhatsApp (+65 9727 2203), Facebook or Instagram if you are looking for a tuition centre for your Secondary 1 and Primary school child.