Are there "rules" to success? It's fair to say that many thousands of books have been written on the subject, and I think it's equally fair to say that those books say more or less the same thing in thousands of different ways. Napoleon Hill's classic "Think and Grow Rich," published 50 years ago, still inspires me and teaches me. As a teenager, I was tremendously impacted when I read Dale Carnegie's timeless book "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Writing about success has somewhat exploded over the past 20 years. There's certainly lots to choose from! Jack Canfield, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Stephen Covey, Jim Rohn, Donald Trump, Mark Victor Hansen, James Ray, Phil McGraw, Brian Tracy...the list is endless.
From my point of view, all of these authors point to pretty much the same things - just in different ways. We are all unique individuals to be sure, each of us with our own particular interests and talents. There is one thing that most of us have in common however, and that's a desire to achieve success (whatever that term personally means to us). As I've read about and researched how others achieved their particular successes, I've come to firmly believe that there are 3 key "not so secret" laws of success that seem to be absolutely true for ALL people in ALL situations:
The way that you think always determines your results. This is the first item on this list for a reason. Bottom line - where you are in life right now is the sum of your thoughts, right up until this very moment! Think about that one. The beliefs that you carry about yourself, your goals, your ambitions and your dreams are the bedrock of your success (or failure). If you think that you can't, then you won't. It's really that simple. But if you have "unwavering faith" in the success of your chosen journey, then absolutely nothing will stop you from getting there. Replace self-talk like "I'd like to" or "I hope it works out"with "I am already there - I envision it, I feel it, I know it....now I'm just enjoying the journey there!" Let me add one more "word to the wise." The ideas and ambitions of the most daring, the most audacious, the boldest of men and women throughout history were almost always laughed at and mocked. Never be deterred by what others say or do. As Theodore Roosevelt so eloquently stated in his "Citizen in a Republic" speech at the Sorbonne in Paris, France in 1910:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
If you would like to go deep with the concept of creating your life with your thoughts & beliefs, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind (1962) by Dr. Joseph Murphy is an excellent way to start. To explore the quantum science that supports the entire concept, read "The Divine Matrix" by Gregg Braden.
Get clear about your goals, put them on the record - then MAP THEM! You've likely heard this one before, but do you actually do it? Your goals are new destinations. How many new destinations were ever reached without a map or by accident? Would a ship ever leave a port without a compass? Thousands of thoughts zoom in and out of your mind every single minute. When you write down your goals you have them "on the record" and you can put your energy into mapping your journey to that destination. There is rarely a journey without a map that isn't confused and/or short lived. Write your goals down....always. Be exceedingly clear and focused when you do it. Do not be vague with something like "I want to be happy" or "I don't want to be broke anymore." It should be more like "I will increase my income to $ (an exact number) per month within 12 months" or I will write and publish a book by the end of 2009." Then take those big goals and break them down into smaller goals (the map) that will get you there. By the way, writing in general is a very good habit to develop. Keep a journal of your inspired thoughts and you'll be amazed at the ideas you come up with!
Take action. Link activity to your map and the goals that it points to. You obviously won't get to any destination without first starting the journey, and then continually moving toward it. A proverb I like is "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now." Start now and keep moving. There is enormous power in momentum. Harness it by always linking at least some of your daily activities to the map that supports your goals. As mentioned, write it down. Record your progress. If you have an off day, shake it off and get back to it! Persevere.
Now this has been a basic thumbnail sketch of subjects that entire books have been written on. There is literally no end to the information that you can source on them. And you should explore more if you're curious about what others have to say, and you'd like to learn more. I love to learn more about the various philosophies and approaches of various authors, teachers and leaders, and I read all the time. However, I'll go out on a limb and say that any person who masters and practices these 3 simple steps will most certainly achieve every success they seek!