Everybody wants to succeed in life like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and who else? Kylie Jenner, maybe. The question is — how do you become successful?
Before knowing how, let’s define success first:
Cambridge Dictionary defines success as “the achieving of the results wanted or hoped for.”
The definition is crystal clear–success is what you want or hope for. The people above may have once dreamt of having lots of money, and now that they have it, they’re described as successful.
Success Is How You Define It
Fame and wealth have become the measurement of success in this day and age, but one can be successful without having either. You may already be successful without you knowing it.
Consider these three cases:
Jenna comes from a poor family. Her life goal is to finish university and provide for her family. Nothing is special about her, she’s not an exemplary student, but she was able to finish her studies. After graduating, she applied for a job that paid just right and got accepted. Now that she’s working, she’s able to provide for her family’s needs (and at times, even wants).
Now, we have Dan. Dan works at one of the top 20 companies in his country and he earns a lot. He actually earns twice more than his friends. He can buy anything he wants. Although, what he really wants is to settle down and have his own family. The problem is he wooes ladies thus attracting “short-term” dates only.
The last person is Chloe. As a kid, she told her parents she wanted to be a writer, but she was discouraged because of the stereotype “writers don’t get rich.” Now, she works as a PR manager and earns enough to buy her needs and a few nice things. However, she still wants to be a published writer. She wrote a book and sent it to publishers, but they all rejected her work. Not wanting to give up, she self-published her book on Amazon.
The question: Who among the three succeeded? In my mind Jenna and Chloe succeeded because they were achieved what they want in life. But some of you may think that Chloe did not succeed because she only self-published her book, so she’s not a legitimate author. There’s no right or wrong answer. What I’m trying to say here is that your answer depends on how you define success. Success can’t be defined by anyone for you. Only you can define what success is.
Now, off to the meat of the article, since this is the reason you’re here.
How to Become Successful
Know what you want
What do you really want? Don’t base your success on another person’s (or maybe the society’s) definition of success. If society defines having lots of money as a success and that is what you truly want, then go ahead.
Work Hard, Work Smart
Ever seen a lazy person who became successful? I’m guessing you haven’t seen a couch potato succeed. Because success requires work. We often hear “work smarter, not harder”, but you need both. Working hard involves putting time and effort in doing something, while working smart is knowing and doing the essential things that can get you closer to your goal.
Here’s a cliché from the web: “Success is not made overnight.” You have to put in the work every damn day. You can’t expect to lose weight if you only train once a month. Becoming successful is like building a house, you have to stack bricks every day to see results.
From time to time, don’t forget to celebrate small wins. If success for you means having one million in the bank, but right now you just have 350,000 may seem like a failure but it’s a small success already, if you consider where you started. You may have started with just having 20,000 and now, look how much you have.
Surround Yourself With People Who Support You
Success may be impossible to achieve if you’re surrounded by people who pull you down. Sad to say, there are people who do these. They criticize people who work hard. Don’t let yourself be a victim of this, so be deliberate with who you choose to surround you.
What comes after success?
Having achieved what you want doesn’t mean you should stop. Challenge yourself further and go to the next level. If you succeeded in losing 10 pounds, go to the next level and join a marathon; or if you succeeded in having one million in the bank, go further and start investing in the stock market or increase your next savings goal.
When you know what you want, do valuable activities to be successful (as fvck) in life.