Paul Brian
Think of the word success. What comes to mind for you?
It could be wealth, love, inner peace, a beautiful home or landscape. It could be a strong mission in life where you are serving others and improving their lives.
It could be a state of spiritual bliss or strong friendships and connections with the people around you.
It may well be all of these things!
But how do you get there?
How do you attract success in your life like metal shavings drawn irresistibly to a magnet?
Let’s find out. Here’s a no-bullsh*t guide for how to bring success your way.
1) They network
The first secret of attracting success in life is networking.
Without this, all the other tips in this article become much weaker and less effective.
Networking means connecting to other people online, offline and everywhere in between.
It means introducing themselves, talking about who they are and staying in touch with people.
Networking means any kind of connections the successful person builds and maintains in life, not only for self-interest, but because they genuinely want to be a person who is connected to others and has a social, connected life.
2) They pay it forward
Confident people are big fans of paying it forward.
They have a growth mindset, which means they like helping and boosting others.
They see success and life as a win-win scenario in most cases, which is often honestly true.
Instead of “I have to defeat you to win,” they see it as “maybe I can do much better by aligning my goals with yours.”
This is the truly successful mindset…
3) They aren’t afraid to start small
Successful people aren’t afraid to start small.
They know that getting one area of your life really organized and improved will inevitably lead to more improvements in other areas of your life.
As such, they avoid the mentality of doing everything at once or having to be perfect.
There won’t ever be a perfect time, so they don’t wait to the new year to start setting goals and improving. They start small if necessary and they commit fully.
4) They double down on self-awareness
Successful folks understand just how true the words were of the Greek Oracle at Delphi:
“Know thyself.”
This is so crucial to succeed in life, and folks who end up self-actualizing in powerful ways have fully internalized this lesson.
They learn their own strengths and weaknesses and get clear on what they’re looking for in life.
They find out what people bring out the best in them and which people end up dragging them down.
Then they move forward accordingly.
Which brings me to the next point…
5) They get clear on what makes them tick
Successful people don’t get that way by accident. They get that way through networking, self-awareness and commitment.
They take the time and energy (and sometimes confronting trauma) to find out what really motivates them.
What do they want to do in this life?
What would they do if they had all the money in the world but still wanted to work?
Then they put that passion into action.
6) They face problems instead of avoiding them
There’s a lot of advice out there about thinking positive and “high vibrations.”
To be sure, a positive mindset can be extremely helpful, and it’s good to frame life in terms of opportunities rather than drawbacks.
That said, problems and obstacles are a key part of success.
Successful people know that progress and growth come from pain and struggle, not fields of lilies and roses.
You don’t resolve a problem for yourself or others by pretending it doesn’t exist. In fact that makes the problem much worse.
You face the problem and then see if you not only can solve it but if you can perhaps benefit from the difficulty it’s causing you as well.
7) They constantly upgrade their skills and talent
Successful individuals don’t seek a plateau where they can rest and put their feet up.
They keep working, keep hustling, keep learning.
They are endlessly curious and hungry for knowledge, and they want to upgrade their skills and talents whenever possible.
Why not?
Life gets pretty dull just sticking with what you already know and calling it a day, after all!
Successful people have an insatiable appetite to keep improving and learning, even when it’s not tied to any clear self-gain or self-interest.
8) They surround themselves with hustlers and winners
If you’re playing hockey on a team of guys who are negative and low energy, you’re likely going to be disappointed and not very motivated even if you’re an amazing player.
The same goes for life, and successful folks know this.
Accordingly, they surround themselves with hustlers and winners, people who want to succeed, do more, earn more, love more, discover more.
As business coach and world-renowned speaker Brad Sugars puts it:
“Surround yourself in a positive environment with people who uplift you and push you towards achieving your goals and dreams.”
9) They don’t let somebody else write their rulebook
Successful folks respect competence and rightful authority, but they’re not automatic rule followers.
They know that many of the top innovators and success stories of history are those who saw rules and said: “so what?”
That’s because sometimes the rules are there to protect and guide, and sometimes they’re just there to hold you back.
Successful people are willing to challenge and act when they know rules are deceptive or lack meaning. They want to push the boundary and discover more.
10) They know that life’s too short to make everyone happy
Successful people don’t focus on making everybody else happy.
They know that life’s too short for that, and they also know that centering happiness outside of yourself is a recipe for disaster.
You can’t make everybody happy, nor should you try.
The opinions of others matter, sure, and their advice can be taken into account.
But successful people always remember that pleasing and accommodating to others should never be a major factor in our lives if we want to achieve our potential.
11) They find a partner they can truly love and rely on
There is no perfect match out there, but I do believe love exists and that romantic fulfillment is possible.
The successful person takes the time and braves the heartbreak to find a partner who is truly reliable and true of heart.
They don’t settle in relationships and they keep their standards solid.
They’re true to themselves as well, and make sure that their relationship is built on authenticity rather than people pleasing or outer appearances.
12) They express gratitude and thanks to those around them
Gratitude is a crucial emotion, but it has to be natural.
You can’t force yourself to feel grateful, but you can open yourself to it.
Successful people breed more success by attuning themselves to the contributions of people around them.
They genuinely notice the great efforts and input of people in their circle and they give thanks for that, creating a circle of mutual empowerment.
13) They know when to burn their boats
There comes a time when you have to either act or give up.
There comes a time when there is no in between:
You either start the new project or don’t. You either get married or you don’t. You either move or you stay where you are.
When that time comes, the confident person makes a choice and finds a way to make it happen no matter what.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psGNdh7UPB4
“The ultimate resources are emotional states,” Robbins notes. “When you engage these resources you can get any other resource on earth…”
When you want it bad enough and there is absolutely no option B, you will succeed eventually, somehow, no matter what.
“If you want to take the f*cking island, burn the f*cking boats.”
