Desire To Succeed ( Series 2)

To become successful in what we do is one aspiration everybody intends to achieve in their lifetime. The good part is that it is possible and the sad part is that we won’t all be successful. This is one part as a result of our lack of desire to succeed. Wow! That’s it? Yes. Our daily actions and inactions take us to either the path of success or failure. We constantly build our lives on a daily basis. If you want to be healthy you need to start becoming health conscious. Start observing simple hygienic behaviors. Go for regular checkups. Eat healthy foods, exercise your body and your chances of becoming healthy will be increased. If you want to increase your sales, start copying the experts, read more books on sales, customer service, marketing etc. Open your eyes for opportunities to ask for sales, referrals and go all out and bring businesses. You can succeed if you desire to and work at succeeding. It takes a single decision at times to turn your life around. Move away from your comfort zone. Do not be satisfied with average performance. It’s mediocre. “At least I am average” is a bad way to think. It keeps you comfortable for a while and then reality sets in. Most people look at their lives as half empty while a few look at theirs as half full. When you see your life as half empty you might tend to be content that at least something is still there for you. But when you look at your life as half full you will be encouraged to fill the remaining half up and that is when you will move towards your goal.

You cannot move on to success if you don’t not desire and work at it. Your desire is the first step and that is the acknowledgement of your present place and an indication to change course. In the first article I wrote on “Desire to Succeed”, I mentioned the six principles of crystallizing your desires by Napoleon Hill. In this continuation I shall give you my personal approach towards desiring and achieving success.  For some of us we are motivated by fear while some of us are motivated by lack and some are motivated by passion or belief.  This means that we can be motivated by fear, lack and passion.  Permit me to explain. If you meet your sales target because you do not want to lose your job it can be said that you are motivated by fear. On the other hand if you meet your sales target so you can afford to buy that car it can be said that you are motivated by lack. Ultimately if you meet your sales target just because you know you can, it is the awareness that you are capable and that you know that you can that drives you. It is the conviction that creates the passion. You have to be passionate to succeed in life. There are limits to which fear and lack can drive you. While fear and lack can make you get what you want, they are destructive drugs that if you constantly depend on will mar your success.

Yes we know there is recession. Yes we know there are job losses; yes we know employers have more power. But the power to choose has always been in you. Choose to be passionate. Do not let fear or lack motivate you. For some of us we resent fear. Staying constantly afraid can be become counterproductive in the long run so decide what you want to rule you. To lack should not make you greedy. If all that drives you is that you want to acquire more it will eventually make you a greedy person. Greed is dangerous. Our attitude to success is crucial to its attainment. For the purpose of this article these are my tips to achieving success.

·         Define what success means to you: To some of us staying at a job for 35 years means success while to some working for 35 years means success, it just depends on how you see it. Staying on a job and working on different jobs for 35 years are two different things.  We live in the twenty first century and I sincerely doubt the life span of many businesses to reach 50 years. This is the age of mergers and acquisitions, hyper competition and relapsing recession. It is the age of customers and not jobs.  Even if you are at a job change your perception to that you are rendering service to customers and not doing a job. Without a customer there is no job. You need to determine the state at which you can call yourself successful. Its more about a change in attitude

·         Picture the benefits of your accomplishment:  Learn to see the after effects of your positive actions before you get there. It is important that you see the outcome of anything you do or intend to do before embarking on them. We are blessed with the ability to think into the future even though they might not come as you thought them. We are also blessed with believing that we can attain them and that’s when motivation comes in. We must constantly plan our outcome. It puts us on the right track. When you picture success chances are that you will get there.

·         Look for reference points: History is replete with men and women who have changed their world irrespective of their background or status. When you have seen somebody succeeding it is an assurance that yours cannot be different. This also increases your confidence and gives you the will to move on. For most of us we are constantly guided consciously or unconsciously by role models and mentors.

·         Don’t look back: This is the real deal. Your plans will be laughed at. You dreams will be scorned at. Friends will desert you. People will question your intentions. Men will mock you but don’t look back. You can pause for a while but don’t stop. DO NOT STOP! Keep moving towards your goals. Document your plans, constantly check them for corrections and keep moving on. A dumb plan today might be a great plan tomorrow. Remember there is so much space for the birds to fly in the sky.

I am constantly moving towards my goals and sometimes I break to sharpen my saw. Lack of money, time, setbacks and challenges are bumps that we meet on our daily drive towards success. The only killer is the lack of desire; the drive to succeed that can make us a failure. While failing could occur once in a while failure occurs when we give up. You are not a failure if you move on. You are just going to get it right this time so keep desiring and working towards your success. See you on top of your riches

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348097705804 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.