We can agree on one thing: there is no finite, absolute definition of success that encapsulates everyone’s dreams and aspirations. And many failures in life come as the consequence of not defining your goal in the first place.
Instead of being guided by vague ideas of “financial stability” or “a fulfilling career”, take the notion apart by putting its pieces back together, because in terms of success, the devil truly is in the details. While one person’s ideal career means teaching philosophy, another would rather be the first person to land on Jupiter. Simply put, once you have dealt with your devilish details, you can build your own road to success.
Think Small
As each journey begins with a single step, your achievements will be the result of infinitesimally small decisions and actions. If one aspect of your success is writing a compelling presentation for your patent, it will come down to every bullet-point you choose to put on your slides, or whether or not to use slides at all.
Divide your success into achievable goals, and you’ll have an action plan on your hands that will serve you as a flexible, manageable guide. Thinking and taking action in smaller chunks while keeping in mind the “big picture” will allow you to have a way to measure and monitor your success, and the freedom to make changes when needed.
Shape your Thoughts
The basis of your inner strength and self-confidence is that fundamental belief in yourself and your capabilities, which is in turn based on your perception of your inherent worth. It all boils down to how you think about yourself. The detrimental effects of negative self-talk has been known for years now, but there’s no “switch off” button, so you need to work on creating a healthy self-image through positive thinking.
Whether you do this by incorporating meditation into your daily life, using visualisation to encourage inner-positivity or reigniting your enthusiasm with affirmations, or by mixing and matching any of these methods, there are numerous ways to reshape your thinking to affect and improve your confidence and motivate you to take more action. Keep in mind that you are in control of your thoughts and emotions, not the other way around.
Seek Advice
The world is teeming with experts whose help can make a difference on your road to success. All your positive thinking, mistakes and goal-setting aside, there will always be moments of doubt when you’ll question your ability to surpass your current limitations. Profound revelations and renewed faith in yourself don’t happen overnight, and they require time, patience, and sometimes professional guidance.
Continuous professional counselling, seeking advice or simply discussing your issues with a professional from practices such as the Heath Group Practice can make all the difference in regaining control of your path to success. Since stress and frustration can often wreak havoc on your otherwise sound judgement, a constructive conversation with an unbiased expert can become a vital part of achieving your goals.
Embrace Failure
Perhaps the most challenging mindset to achieve is the one of accepting failure without letting it affect your self-confidence or your belief in your goals. To achieve this, some have even set themselves up for failure on purpose time and time again, just to get used to the feeling and stop avoiding it in real-life situations with the inevitable possibility to genuinely and colossally mess up.
You can try as hard as you want to minimize the likelihood of failing, but if you deliberately avoid failure on your road to success, you’re preventing yourself from taking bold action. Mistakes are an essential part of learning, and staying pigheadedly within the cushiony walls of your comfort zone will only deprive you of an invaluable chance to grow.
Success is often a volatile, multi-faced creature. Firmly believing in yourself and your cause throughout all the changes you are bound to experience will determine the true value of your achievements. Take control of your success one step at a time, and most importantly, don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the process.