Success is not something that happens to you, it is something you create

We live in a society that romanticizes the idea of success.

From the moment you were born, expectations around your success path were laid out for you. Perhaps your parents mapped out a strict path for you to get accepted into a certain prep school, determined what score you needed to get on your SATs or already decided that you are going to be a doctor or lawyer when you grow up.

This approach is designed to set you up for failure even before you started. Why? Because it is all externally focused. It factors what needs to be achieved without considering the pillars needed to make it happen: beliefs, potential and energy. These are all internal factors and factors over which you have control.

We have noticed that there are five things our best performing clients always do to fast-track their success. When these steps are followed you will significantly shorten the timeline to building a successful career.

1. Get clear on what success really means to you

Spend time thinking about what success means to you. Generally, you will start with some external metrics – things like how much money you want to make, the type of house you want to buy or where you want to go in your career. Understand, however, that these things are only strategies to get you to a feeling or status you want to have. Therefore, go two or three layers deeper by asking Why do I really want this? or Will this make me happy? Only stop when you get a feeling that lights you up and make you feel excited. That is your true goal.

2.  Pick a success outcome you want to achieve

The next step is to clearly define the outcome you want to achieve. With your career specify the job you want, how much this career typically pays, the types of people you’d be working with and why you want this career. Get crystal clear on all the details of the outcome you want to achieve including developing a timeline and resources needed to get you there. If you do not do this, then it’s almost like you are hiking in the Amazon basin without a map.  

3.  Condition the mindset that will get you to that outcome

This is where most people miss out on achieving success. They know what they want but they do not have the belief system and mindset to take them there. Usually, it boils down to one universal fear, that you are not good enough. Instead, pick an empowering belief that motivates you to achieve your outcome. After choosing the belief, look for external references from the past that support that belief. The fact is that your beliefs drive your potential.

To see this in action; let’s imagine that you want to get in a sales career that pays you a $150,000 or more per year, but right now you are making $50,000. This is obviously a big leap from where you are. So, a new belief could be: I am very hardworking and resourceful at getting what I want. Then look for evidence in the past where you worked hard and found a way to get something that was very important to you. This is about conditioning the belief so that it sticks and charges your potential.

4.  Experience the energy of success by acting as if you already have your outcome

Jack Canfield – author of The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be – talks a great deal about going about life as if you are living your outcome right now. This means doing things like dressing the way a $150,000-earning salesperson would dress, talking the way someone in that position would speak and intentionally feeling as if you already have this goal. This is about experiencing the energy of success.

The underlining premise is that your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between what is real and what you are intentionally creating in your mind. Therefore, it will find a way to make it all true.

5.  Take inspired and intelligent actions towards your outcome

After following the above outlined steps, every day take purposeful action toward your career goals. Intelligent action is about following best practices and a process that you know works. This involves things like seeking out mentors and coaches; having conversations that open doors for your career and getting the right type of training that moves you closer to your goals. Inspired actions are taking steps based on what you hear from your inner wisdom. This requires a degree of faith, self-trust, and listening to yourself.

Success is not something that happens to you, it is something that you intentionally choose. It starts with getting clear on what success looks and feels like for you; conditioning a mindset that gets you there, and then taking purposeful actions to make it happen.