Becoming Successful

No matter how you define “success” the key to becoming successful (defined in your terms, not mine) is simple: Do what you say you are going to do. Period.

I won’t even begin to try and explain to you how I define success because it doesn’t matter.  Everyone's “success” looks different.  But I am here to tell you that whatever “success” looks like to you – you will absolutely achieve it as long as you do what you say you are going to do.  Now… make sure you go back and reread that.  I didn’t say 'PLAN to do what you say' or 'WISH to do things differently' or 'TRY and schedule' whatever it is in your calendar.  You actually have to DO what you say you are going to do.  That wasn’t past tense either.  It’s not a one-time thing.  You can’t say to me “I did XYZ two years ago and it didn’t make me successful so I stopped.” You HAVE TO continuing doing what you say you are going to do.  Success isn’t a one-time deal.  Michael Jordin didn’t have one successful game and sit back and say, “I did it.  Bring on the success” and never pick up a basketball again.  He continued to DO.

So why do I bring this up?  Because too often I hear people say they want success but I don't see them do any of the things that they say they are going to do.

If you want to save money – DO IT!  Don’t want until your next paycheck, or when the (insert bill or loan here) is paid off.  Set up your direct deposit or bank to move $10 a paycheck into a different account and don’t touch it.  When that bill is finally paid change the amount you save to $20 a pay period.  And keep it going.  Jason and I move 10% of our paychecks into a savings account every pay period.  At first, it was hard to remember and it was the last thing I wanted to do. It was a difficult habit to start since it was something I never did in the past.  But here we are four years later and now it’s second nature for me to move that money when I get paid.  And our savings has grown so much that we don’t even want to touch it now.  It is very comforting knowing that if something significant should happen to our finances – we have a savings to protect us.

If you want to read more – DO IT!  Put the book by your bed.  Schedule it in your routine to read 15 minutes or 10 pages a day.  Set a reminder in your phone to tell you to do it.  I promise Facebook and TikTok will be there when you get done reading.

If you want to lose weight or build muscle or get healthier – DO IT!  Stop buying ice cream or other comfort foods you know are keeping you from making healthy choices.  Schedule your workouts and don’t miss them.  Go for a walk every day.  Do something active.  Count your macros or reach out to someone who can help you (hint hint…. If you are reading this – you’ve got immediate access to me and I am more than happy to set you up on the right path or be your accountability partner). 

If you want to learn a new skill –DO IT!  My son Landon is a perfect example of this.  He wanted to learn to play guitar.  He asked for a guitar for Christmas without knowing how to play.  He is self-taught.  He took time and practiced.  He found apps for teaching.  He used the internet.  It’s been 6 months since he got his guitar and his band has already had a live gig in Milwaukee.  There are so many FREE resources on the internet to learn anything!  Literally anything!  So just do it already.  Stop waiting. 

The list goes on and on.  But the key take-away here is:  if you say you are going to do something but then you don’t follow through and actually do it…. It will not happen.  And if you won’t do the simple things you said you were going to, then what do you think the likely hood is of you becoming successful (remember, you define your success so only you know what actions are required of you to meet your success)?  It’s the same as hoping to win the lottery but never buying a ticket. 

With that in mind, what is something you keep saying you are going to do… but haven’t done yet?  Lucky for you, tomorrow is a new day and you just read my blog and are now re-motivated to get it done.  So what are you waiting for?  DO IT!