It's really simple. If you want to be successful in business or in any other area of life, you must embrace the idea that “success is a mindset”, and cultivate a mindset that creates success.
If you don't, you and/or your business will stagnate or plateau at best.
Think about it.
Ever wondered what's the biggest difference between those who are super successful at what they do, and those who struggle to catch even a “sniff of success”?
Ever wondered what really got people like Mohamed Ali, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Usain Bolt (to name a few) the success they've achieved?
You're about to learn why “success is a mindset”, and how you can create a mindset of success for yourself.
What Is Success?
Before getting into why success is a mindset, let's first get on the same page as to what success means.
I previously wrote about what success is, in a post titled “How do you define success? Get it right or fail!“, where I expanded on the definition and meaning of success. That post (if you haven't read it yet) helps you clarify your “rules/criteria for success”.
But for simplicity sake, in this post, let's just narrow down the meaning of success to this – “success is achievement of a result greater than before”.
So basically, the process of achieving success involves the pursuit of something more or something greater.
Now, if you agree with that, let's cover the next part.
What Do You Believe Is Holding You Back From Your Desired Success?
First, answer this.
No matter what level of success you're at in any particular area of your life, why do you believe you're not at the level of success you want to be at yet?
Coaching clients (or people) who answer that question generally fall into one of two groups.
The first group of people believe that they lack either the resources (time, money, energy), the strategies, or the opportunities to achieve what they want.
The second group of people believe that there's something inside of them (fears, conflicting values, beliefs or rules), that's holding them back.
Here's why the second group of people statistically tend to be able to make progress and achieve what they want faster.
Success Is 80% Mindset And 20% Strategy
All my coaching clients come to me because they want greater levels of success.
Whether that means increased business profits, more money, a better job, an amazing intimate relationship, greater life balance, more time and freedom, or whatever else.
In a nutshell, they want more.
But here's the thing.
Majority of them believe that what is stopping or slowing them down from achieving the success they want, is the lack of resources or strategies.
They come to coaching seeking strategies, methods or even, that “one magic pill” that will give them what they want.
Of course, there are better strategies and steps to achieving your goals, and there are strategies that are not so good. But most people overly focus on strategy and only strategy.
Most of them also believe that it's some external factor like the government, the economy, or market conditions that is preventing them from getting to new heights in their business or life.
They come knocking and ask, “How do I…. (fill in the blanks)?”
It's obviously not wrong to ask that question, and in fact, it's necessary to use the right strategies in order to achieve what you want.
It is important to have the right tools and resources, but that's only a small part of the equation.
A more important question to ask first is, “Who do I need to be to achieve what I want?”
Let me explain why that's a more important question, and why “success is a mindset” more than anything else.
Why It's True That Success Is A Mindset
If it were true that in order to be successful you first must have more resources (time, money and energy), or the right strategies, then how is it some people who are “born into financial wealth” still don't end up successful, or sometimes even completely mess up their lives?
And on the flip side of the coin, how is it that some people who began from nothing or with very little, have ended up being some of the most successful people on Earth today?
Let's look at two examples.
Person AÂ has a million dollar opportunity in his hands, in the form of a business he could launch. It's even almost guaranteed that if he launches this business, it will be successful and give him a huge return on his investment.
The catch is, he needs $50,000 to get the business launched.
At the same time he's incredibly stuck in a mindset of scarcity, and keeps repeating over and over again, that he doesn't have the money to launch the business.
All he keeps focusing on is the fact that he doesn't have money, and on the risk of failure if he borrows the money for example.
He focuses on everything that could go wrong, and on how hard or long it could take to make his investment back, even if he could get the money together.
He has spent decades of his life focusing on problems rather than on finding solutions.
Person B, is offered the same opportunity, and technically, does not have $50,000 to get started either. But, instead of focusing on scarcity, he has spent the last many years building a mindset of abundance and possibility.
He has been building up his skills and mindset daily, in whatever way he can. He's been proactively searching for opportunities such as the one he's just been offered.
He focuses on the upside of any opportunity that comes his way, while adopting a “forward-thinking” way of evaluating the potential risks.
He has developed a mindset and habit of doing proper research, while tapping into every available resource he has, in order to find ways to minimize any possible risks.
Which of the two people do you think will succeed in business or even life in general?
Quality of Action Determines Your Level of Success
All that you have in your life today, is a result of all the action you've taken and not taken, wouldn't you agree?
Picking up the phone and calling at least 10 people every day to secure ‘that one investor' who absolutely loves your business idea, is an action.
On the flip side, sitting on the couch and watching tv is an action too.
How is it possible that two people who have the same “wish” of building a super successful business, take quite opposite actions and paths?
Because, action comes from emotion.
Emotion comes from the type of mindset you cultivate daily – how you choose to see the world around you and what you choose to focus on.
Focus mainly on problems and you generally create “fear based emotions”. Fear based emotions (you guessed it), leads to either non-action or low quality actions.
Focus on opportunities and solutions, and you generally create “empowering emotions”. Empowering emotions leads to intelligent, proactive, and high quality actions.
One of the best quality actions you can take is, to begin your pathway to achieving your goals and dreams with the right success framework. Read my 5 step guide to achieving your goals and dreams here.
Who Do You Need To Be To Reach The Heights You Desire And Keep Growing From There?
What do you need to believe about what is possible, and even about yourself, in order to succeed?
What emotions must you fill yourself up with, and live from, more often each day?
What success habits must you develop and do, every day, every week or every month?
Who must you surround yourself with?
We've all heard real life stories of people who've won tens of millions of dollars through the lottery, but ended up in debt again a few years later.
Why is that the case and how is that even possible?
I firmly believe it all boils down to them not having developed the mindset that's required to successfully manage that kind of money.
On the other hand, people who have to work their way up slowly and even painfully sometimes, are forced to not only develop the skills to get there, but more importantly, the mindset to succeed.
Are you buying the truth that “success is a mindset” yet?
If you are, here are 3 important points to be aware of.
3 Essential Ingredients Of A “Success Mindset”
Believe.
You must absolutely believe that you have what it takes, and that you will do whatever it takes, in order to achieve what you want.
You must believe that you will get to where you want to go, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
How do you create a mindset where you totally believe you will succeed at what you want?
You must condition your mind for success.
One strategy you can use is called “Incantations”. This is by far the most powerful way to condition your mindset for success.
If you'd like to learn more, click here – “Power of Incantations“.Â
In that post I explain “Incantations” in detail, and how to powerfully condition your mind for success using them.
Have A “Unshakeable” Burning Purpose.
Why do you really want what you want?
The strength of your purpose is going to be the single biggest factor in whether you keep going, or give up when the “going gets tough”.
You've got to make it a habit to reconnect to “your purpose” daily.
Envision yourself already living your purpose, and let that fuel your journey forward.
Put Time Into Building A Strong Mental, Emotional and Physical Foundation.
This is the one area so many people miss out on, or take for granted.
The tendency is for people to get so focused on building their business or career, that they don't prioritize their mental, emotional and physical strength.
The mind and body are connected in more ways than one.
When you strengthen your body, you strengthen your mind, and vice versa.
Invest a minimum of 30 mins every morning (preferably) to do some form of physical movement that gets your heart pumping and energy up.
You could also spend 5 to 10 minutes sitting in quiet meditation, or if prayer is a ritual of yours, that's great too.
I always remind my clients of this: “When everything else is falling apart around you, the only thing you can still directly control is your body and mind.”
But you've got to begin to conditioning them now, while things are still comfortable and good. It's far easier to get into a routine that way.
Something else you could do is, make it a habit to learn or read for a minimum of 10 to 30 minutes each day.
Anything that grows your body, mind and emotions, will benefit you in more ways than one.
Success Is A Mindset Summary
The effectiveness of your actions will only improve if you take the time to develop a stronger and more flexible mindset.
If you build a formidable mindset of success, I firmly believe that you can persevere through any “storm” in life.
If you're constantly expanding and strengthening your mindset, you'll find it far easier to find solutions to grow your business and life, even in the toughest of economic conditions.
It's the small things you do daily, which add up to create a mountain of abundance and wealth.
Please comment below or write in to me with your thoughts on this. And also share this post so that others may benefit too.