So you want to be the next Elon Musk? You want to take the world by storm and leave a trail of successful dust wherever you go. Or maybe you just want to take your business to the next level? What if I told you that you have all the potential to go beyond the limits of your wildest most ambitious imagination, but all you need is a little push in the right direction.
Do I have your attention?
No, I am not selling you a secret to success formula that has been advertised so much that one can only wonder, if it should still be called a secret. I’m simply highlighting basic life skills that we often deem too simple to move you in any kind of direction, yet have been used by the most thriving entrepreneurs to build flourishing empires.
Not yet convinced? Well, if you give me a few minutes of your time, perhaps I can save you time from binge watching endless Ted Talk videos and reading countless How To be successful literature.
- Overnight success is nothing but a fairy-tale
In recent times, we have become obsessed with making a lot of money in the shortest time possible. “Earn 100,000$ in less than a month, I’ll teach you how”, is the latest motto. But to be truly honest, this leaves room for a lot of reckless spending and investment of resources that could have been better spent elsewhere. Sure, some of those tips could work, but it is a difficult lifestyle to keep up. Success is nothing more than a sum of small efforts repeated day in, day out. Don’t be in a rush.
- Learn to take 100% responsibility
Our greatest weakness as mankind is playing the blame game any time things do not go our way. Whether it is blaming the economy or a lazy business partner, the very last person we ever attribute our failure to is ourselves. However, smart entrepreneurs spend less time crying over what went wrong and more time figuring out how to do better next time.
- You can never know enough
Our world is rapidly and constantly evolving, out with the old, in with the new, and the only way to stay relevant is to also keep learning and improving. Taking stock of what worked in the past as well as what is currently trending and finding a nice balance. Skills are your greatest asset in any business arena. Ones that can never depreciate or be taken away from you. So read books, listen to podcasts, take on more online classes. Commit to constant improvement.
- The road to success is paved with others who have also been on the same journey
Seek mentorship is not merely a suggestion for great success. A mentor is the only person who can honestly tell you how fruitless your efforts are, because they have been there, done that and can advise you on how to take better paths. They are the perfect sounding boards for those big brilliant ideas you have. So find someone who is willing to invest not only in your business, but also in you personally.
- Know your price
There’s a misconception that getting rich means being able to do whatever you want, however you want, whenever you want. But that is not true. The most successful individuals are driven by discipline and sacrifice. They understand that there is always a trade-off. So you also need to sit down and figure out, what exactly do you want to do or become? What are you willing to give up or become to get there? Are you giving up sleep, comfort, a thriving social life? Are you willing to fail and be humiliated time and time again in pursuit of your goals? The road to success is never pretty and only the brave and disciplined ever make it to the other side. Bruised and battered, but never giving up.
- You can do more by doing less
Most businesses fail because they tried to cater to all the needs of all their clients. Instead, focus and deliver value on a specific niche. Explore every possible angle, including different ways to do that specific thing. This way you will not be overstretched and struggling in an over saturated market, allowing you to put in all the effort and resources to grow and expand in that niche. It may be discouraging at first, with the assumption that the client pool will be narrower, but over time, you will realize that it will be easier to become a leading expert in the field in such a way that even your level of clientele will be of a more sophisticated and well paying variety.
- Just do it
Whatever you’re thinking of doing or starting, take Nike’s advice and just do it! It could fail, it could be the most brilliant thing, but you will never know until you give it a go. “Success is about going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm” - Winston Churchill. So don’t wait until the conditions are right, don’t worry about there being others who may be better and well known. Fear only freezes you and keeps you from moving forward, and sometimes camouflages itself as extra caution.
These tips may not necessarily help you earn your first million in less than six months, but they will keep you going and help you focus as you strive to get there. So why not give it a go, you will not regret it!
