The Secret To Amazing Success
In our attempt to get ahead, be successful, or climb the corporate ladder we’re always on the lookout for shortcuts.
We’re always looking for those secret portals to the finish line, the point at which we can say “Yay! I win.”
A lot of time we are so focused on finding the shortcuts that we miss so much of what’s going on around us. We miss the subtleties of the journey.
The lie of get rich quick
You’ve heard it all before “instant success”, “triple your income by the end of the week”, “retire in six months flat”. There are entire industries built around getting rich quick, around selling the promise that success is only a click, phone call or “four easy payments” away.
Take for example someone who offers a course on how to make money in real estate. They are a self professed real estate guru. They promise to teach you how to make thousands, if not millions, through buying and selling homes. Of course they will charge you for access to their secrets. Is it $500? $1000? or $20 000? If it’s the former, at $500 a person and they allow 1000 people access at a time, that’s half a million dollars. At one time, for one course.
Similarly, why would you spend $200 on a book that “guarantees” freedom from your 9 to 5 job when the person is still working 9 to 5 but only now it’s for themselves selling you the promise of freedom?
This begs the question: Is this “guru”, the person with the secret to overnight success, wealthy because of his or her knowledge and skill in real estate, selling cars, playing the stock market, etc … ? Or is he or she really good at generating hype and selling a promise that you can make millions or achieve freedom doing x, y, or z? More often than not it’s the later.
Where the temptation really comes in to play is when we read those testimonials. Real people’s accounts of great success through participating in the course, reading the book or buying time with the guru. We must keep in mind that, out of the 1000 participants, we read about the 3 people who have succeeded. We never hear from the other 997 people for whom these “secrets” didn’t work. 997 – that’s a lot of people.
There are no shortcuts
There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going. – Beverly Sills
In this quote, Beverly Sills eloquently states how there are no shortcuts in life. I entirely agree. Look at those around you. Who do you see that, in your mind, has reached the finish line? Who has it made? Who has been able to escape the “cubical jail” or flee the “rat race” for good?
It’s likely that these people haven’t found a secret portal or magic door that promptly whisked them to the finish line. I suspect, more often than not, there has been a large amount of determination, drive, persistence, ambition and just plain old hard work behind this perceived success. I say perceived success because what you see as successful may not be what defines success for them.
Of course for every rule there are about a thousand exceptions. There are people who inherit success, who are born into a situation that sets them up from day one, but this is certainly not the rule. In general, life is not handed to you.
Timing is everything
Many people achieve great success simply by being in the right place at the right time, jumping in at the perfect moment, and knowing the right people. For some the more hard work you put in towards your dreams, towards being successful the more likely you are to achieve it.
Success isn’t linear. When we’re first starting out down a path towards what we consider great success it’s tough, it’s slow like walking through a tar pit and quite often it’s really demoralizing. But as you keep going and you start to gain momentum there seems to be a chain reaction that results in more success and greater exposure at a more rapid rate than ever before. There seems to be a tipping point at which you don’t have to work as hard as you did initially. Near the end success and opportunities actually find you.
So yes, success breeds success.
There are few, if any, legitimate get rich quick opportunities. It usually comes back to the old saying “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. A few thoughts to keep in mind next time you are tempted to part with your money or invest time in someone’s promise to make you wealthy or successful.
- Do you know anything about this person?
- Are they actually wealthy or successful?
- How did they accumulate their wealth or achieve their success? Was it persistence in a particular niche or teaching how to succeed in a particular niche? I personally have a hard time taking advice on a subject from someone who hasn’t been successful at it themselves.
- You will still be required to work. A lot. Often a lot longer and harder than on anything else you’ve ever worked on.
- You will have a greater chance at success if you are at least interested in what you are pursuing. You’ll be even more likely to succeed if you are passionate about it.
- Have you missed the boat?
Listen to your gut. There really are no shortcuts to life. It would be pretty boring if there were. Invest your time, sweat, tears, frustration, joy, passion, intelligence, skills and talents into something that gets you going, something you look forward to doing every single day.
So what is the secret to amazing success? YOU.
See also:
Motivation Handbook To Help Get You Back On Course
How To Choose Goals And Ensure Success
Getting Things Done – Keeping It Short And Sweet
Photo courtesy of: lorypc
14 Responses to “The Secret To Amazing Success”
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Your Life | Live it. Love it. is a book designed to encourage you to examine where you are right now and inspire you to get to where you ultimately want to be.
Ya,it is pretty simple actually. Set goal. Decide next step. Do it. No excuses =).
Scientific Living´s last blog ..Bhartrihari’s Verses on Renunciation
love it, love it, love it. great post, sherri!
Positively Present´s last blog ..get happier (.com)!
It’s so easy to fall for the stories and then feel bad about yourself when you do “all the right things” but don’t experience instant success.
Thanks for this clear-eyed look!
Hi Sherri
Fast food, fast health, fast wealth, everything is advertised as fast and easy and no wonder we fall for it, even if we deep down might doubt if it is really that easy.
We have accepted inauthenticity and being out of integrity as an acceptable state and got an unaccpetable situation as a result.
We get what we accept.
For me it is about unlearning all these bad mental and practical habits and going back to living an honest life with accountable doings and an authentic being.
Now I can become successful on my terms after finding out what succesful really means to ME.
This post is a great antidote to all the nonsense we are being offered. Way to go, Sherri.
Love Wilma
Wilma Ham´s last blog ..When the heart guides the mind, the dance can begin.
It seems to me that the only fast money making programs online are how to teach others to make money quickly.
I’ve yet to see a niche site have the same kind of “instant” success.
I know that it will take five to ten years to build my business up to a comfortable level. It doesn’t matter how impatient I get – that’s the reality and if I want to work for myself I have to accept that and keep working at slow progress (and remind myself to be patient).
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog ..What Carries You Through The Tough Times?
Very true slow and steady wins the race every time – as long as you set goals and keep going you will get there. You’d be amazed how many successful people put very little effort into being successful just by being lucky and in the right place at the right time they made a killing
Faramarz – Anxious Candy´s last blog ..Hyperventilation and Successful Breathing
@Scientific living – Persistence usually wins out in the end. And yes, just do it with no excuses.
@ Positively Present – Thank you I’m glad you enjoyed it!
@ Barbra McMahon – Exactly! It’s those you don’t hear from that you really need to hear from. I’m really glad you enjoyed it.
@ Wilma – Thank you Wilma that’s really sweet. In our attempt to make everything “quick and easy” including wealth and success I think we sell ourselves short. There is an immense amount of pride and satisfaction that comes with hard work and perseverance. Taking shortcuts all but destroys that, unless of course you’re only concerned about getting to the finish line and not about learning or growing as a person. Thank you for your thoughtful comment!
@ Alex – Exactly! It’s easy to get distracted and even down on yourself when things aren’t progressing at the speed you would like them to. Patience is so important and if you have the determination and keep showing up you’ll get there. It’s good that you’re realistic about the time it will take to build your business to where you want it.
@ Faramarz – Persistence is key. Keep showing up, think long term and work hard. Being in the right place at the right time is often what launches some people or ideas but it’s hard work maintaining that and expanding it from there.
Success is a concept that motivates people for different reasons. As you realize you are successful where you are, doing what you already do, this empowers you to reframe the meaning of living in the present and appreciating where you are.
Liara Covert´s last blog ..How to detach from it all
Your totally right , there is no shortcuts to success. It about staying in for the ling haul no matter what. I guess winner never quit and quitter never win right?
Sweet post
@ Liara Covert – Exactly what defines success for you doesn’t necessarily mean that is what success is for me. Appreciating where you are and celebrating your successes as you achieve them is what matters.
@ Jonathan Figaro – Persistence is key I totally agree
Sherri, I am just now reading this. You are so right! This is why I was secretly happy when a friend didn’t return my copy of The Secret. I watched that movie about 7 times. Once would have been enough.
I was too carried away with the whole thing. Oh, I do believe in the law of attraction. I have actually seen it work.
I have also seen it work in the negative. Ouch! Probably why I, who am organizationally challenged, ended up with my MIL’s clutter to deal with as well as my own. You’ll be happy to know that I am working my way through it. I have already had a fairly good estate sale. However, because it rained so much, I need to do it again. I’m selling some stuff on craigslist, too, and I will soon start on ebay.
What they don’t tell you in The Secret is that it requires work. It’s not just going to fall into your lap. Oh, I’m sure in rare cases it might, but that is sort of like winning the lottery. The law of attraction requires work.
Hugs to you and your wonderful blog!
@ Mary – FANTASTIC! I am so happy for you that you’re getting through all your stuff. You’re exactly right that getting ahead and getting what you want takes work. That’s the part no one really tells you about. Setting realistic expectations and working away at it slowly but surely we all get there.
Best wishes to you with your estate sales and getting the rest of your stuff moved out of your home.
Just keep picturing what it will look like when it’s all done!