10 Success Tips That Scream Awesomeness

10 Success Tips That Scream Awesomeness

If you’re serious about creating lasting and significant change in your world this year – as opposed to merely thinking and talking about it for another year – there are a few things you might want to think about in order to help make those intentions a reality…I’m sharing these with you because I think you are awesome and these particular thoughts changed my life… Don’t take my word for it though, just food for thought.

1. Know what success is. If you don’t know what success is (for you), how can you possibly create it?

Success is different things for different people and one person’s success (a pregnancy for example) might be another person’s catastrophe. That’s because success (or failure) is not so much about the situation, circumstance, event or outcome as it is about what that “thing” means to the person in the middle of it. In order to create success, you must first define it – and far too many people haven’t. Be very clear about what you want and don’t want for your life. Clarity produces excitement. Excitement produces momentum. Momentum produces behavioral change. Behavioral change produces different results and eventually, the internal vision becomes an external reality. Yeah! Get Awesome in the house!

2. Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Some people will live a life of second-best, of compromise and of under-achievement simply because they are (1) controlled by fear (2) always looking for the magic pill or shortcut and (3) not prepared to do the tough stuff. People who always take the easy option are destined for mediocrity. At best. Constantly avoiding the discomfort means constantly avoiding the lessons and the personal growth. Pain could be a great teacher. Not always what we want, but sometimes what we need. I feel like the longer you hold on to some way of thinking that ultimately doesn’t work for you, eventually you are going to feel uncomfortable any way, so you might as well choose. Besides, it’s never as bad as we imagine.

3. Seek to be righteous, not right.

Just to be clear, my definition of righteous is to do what you believe is the right thing, for you, and NOT anyone else. The need to be “right” speaks of arrogance, insecurity, ego and stupidity. It’s also synonymous with failure. The person who constantly needs to be right will miss out on much of what life has to teach him and alienate himself from others. Arrogance repels, humility attracts. Chances are, if you are trying really hard to explain your reason or point of view to someone then you are in the midst of needing to be right. I believe there is no right or wrong, just opinions and perspective. Say what you gotta say, then listen, you may change your mind about what you think is right or you just wont agree. Either way, there is no point in trying to prove your point.

4. Seek respect, not popularity.

It’s been said that our nature is “who we are” and our reputation is who people think we are. When the two are synonymous, we’re usually on the right path. In fact, I would say just respect yourself. If you are wondering how other people feel about you, or whether or not they respect you, that is still trying to be popular in their eyes. This leads to a lot of people pleasing and worrying about your reputation. People are fickle and judge you based on how they feel about themselves at that moment. Doesn’t really have much to do with you, so you might as well just focus on respecting, loving and being your biggest cheerleader.

5. Embrace mess.

To embrace mess is to embrace life because life is messy, unpredictable, unfair, uncertain, lumpy and bumpy. So get used to a little chaos. Embrace it even. While others succumb to the messiness and unpredictability of the human experience, make a conscious choice to be the calm in the chaos. You can look around and realize how even though the chaos seems to have no rhyme or reason, everything in your existence will make sense on some level to you. It’s an opportunity to be introspective and take a look at what kind of things you may be focused on.

6. Don’t become your parents.

Or your boss. Or anyone but you. The enormity of conformity is a problem for the wanna-be success story. Sure, your parents are great and by all means respect them, love them and learn from them, but please don’t become them; that’s just plain ugly and a little bit tragic. Listen to, and learn from other people, but think, act and decide for yourself. And no, you don’t need anyone’s approval or permission; you’re a grown ass man or lady now. It’s okay.

7. Use more of what you already have.

Imagine what you could achieve if you took all the knowledge, intelligence, opportunities, time, skill and talent that you currently have and absolutely milked it. What if you already have more than enough talent to become wildly successful? Well, you do. There go the excuses. And that voice that’s telling (some of) you right now that you don’t have what it takes to become successful, that’s called fear. Not logic, fear. Not reality, fear. Unless of course, you allow that to become your reality. Be mindful that the voice in your head (the very loud, annoying and persistent one) is rarely a reflection of your potential and mostly a manifestation of your insecurity. And no, you’re not alone in your self-doubt; it’s a universal condition. Many people fail, not because they don’t have what it takes, but because they don’t use what they already have. Successful people typically don’t have more innate potential, luck, time or opportunity than the next person, but they consistently find a way to use much more of what they have at their disposal. While the majority are rationalizing their lack of decision making and action taking, these guys are finding a way to get the job done. The question is not “how much ability do you have, but how much will you use?”. Beside, you can never fail at anything as long as you don’t give up… And you won’t give up if you focus on what you have instead of what you don’t.

8. Be an innovator, not an imitator.

Not too many sheep succeed. Baaah. Sometimes it’s a good idea to build your own team rather than join someone else’s. Don’t let your fear stand in the way of your potential to create, innovate or lead. When I decided I was going to begin my art career (after a little persistent nudging from my wife) I was given all kinds of opportunities to be part of projects or dreams that weren’t mine. I realized that my focus would get mixed up and I would find myself frustrated with the situation. I also felt like I was being spread too thin and didn’t have time to work on my own projects. If you are going to focus on something, focus on your success and innovations. I’ve been more helpful to people around me in a focused and confident position than I ever was trying to follow another persons dream.

9. Do what most won’t.

If you want to achieve what most people won’t (happiness, joy, calm, wealth, optimal health, balance) then don’t do what they do. If you want to be like the majority, then do what they do. Producing different results comes from doing different things. Simple really. And effective. Most people won’t persevere, won’t finish what they start, won’t find the good, won’t do what it takes, won’t question their long-held beliefs, won’t be solution-focused, won’t do what scares them and won’t “be the change” they want to see in their world. Choose to be different. Choose to be weird… it’s awesome.

10. Be like water.

Powerful. Gentle. Adaptable. Ever-changing. Being static in a dynamic world – like the one you and I inhabit – is a recipe for disaster. If you can’t adapt, you can’t succeed. Our practical, three dimensional reality, and everything in it, is in a constant state of transition, while some of us are in a constant state of “same”. Statues don’t succeed, they just get crapped on. Every thing is in movement, everything is growing, changing, evolving. So be flexible, don’t hold on to things simply because they have always been there or you believe that’s just how things are. Be flexible, if not then watch out for the pigeons.