Have you ever looked at someone else’s life and thought, “I would LOVE to be where they are / have what they have / do what they do?”
Here’s some great news: if you’ve found an example of the kind of success you want to achieve, there is a SUPER-SIMPLE process you can follow to reach that level yourself!
All you have to do is find and apply the answers to the four questions below.
// 4 QUESTIONS TO “KICK-START” YOUR NEXT LEVEL OF SUCCESS //
Look at someone who is NOW where you want to be NEXT, and ask yourself:
- How do they THINK?
- What HABITS have they developed?
- How do they handle CHALLENGES?
- Which things do they continually IMPROVE?
Let’s unpack that briefly.
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First, THINKING is the foundation for all significant action.
I know, I know, we all have reflexes and automatic responses hardwired into our brains, and those are great for keeping us from getting hit in the face by flying objects without having to think about it.
But consider how an accomplished athlete responds when something comes hurtling at their head.
Because they’ve chosen to embrace a new way of thinking, they respond differently to flying objects than most people do.
An athlete’s goal isn’t just to avoid getting hit in the face. It’s also to do something meaningful with the projectile that will take them closer to their goal.
People who are successful tend to see the world differently than people who are not. They tend to frame problems, seek solutions, and hold opinions and beliefs that stand out from the norm.
If you want to reach your next level of success, consider how successful people THINK.
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Second, HABITS maintain consistency.
Again, consider the sports analogy.
Anyone who plays a sport consistently has learned to think differently about flying objects than your average non-player does.
But truly great athletes have also developed habits that make the right responses automatic.
When flying objects come their way, accomplished players don’t have to dig back into their training and think, “Okay, what was I supposed to do here?” No, they “just do it.”
Through the diligent development of healthy habits, we build on the foundation of right thinking and add to it the power of instinctive right action over time.
Successful people don’t have to keep going back and remembering what they are supposed to be doing to make progress. They just do it, because they’ve turned it into a habit.
If you want to reach your next level of success, consider what HABITS successful people have developed.
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Third, CHALLENGES can develop us or destroy us.
When an average player strikes out, misses a shot, gets injured or faces any other difficulty, how do they respond?
Maybe they wilt and withdraw or explode and lash out. Maybe they blame others too much or take all the blame themselves in unhealthy ways.
However, great athletes know how to take the challenges they face, deal with them intentionally and constructively, and then press on.
They learn the lessons they can, make the most of the opportunities they have, and keep moving forward.
Successful people know that no mountain worth climbing has a pitfall-free path. However, when the stumbles inevitably come, they don’t let the setback make them turn back.
They embrace it as an opportunity for a comeback.
If you want to reach your next level of success, consider how successful people handle the CHALLENGES that come their way.
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Fourth, the RIGHT kind of IMPROVEMENT is a requirement for growth.
Nobody becomes “great” or successful at something just because they want to. It takes work, usually LOTS of work, and a commitment to improve that doesn’t die out when things get hard.
Here’s the thing, though. It’s not enough to just want to improve in general.
A great athlete will want to improve in the elements of the game that make the most sense for them, according to what sport they are playing and what position they hold.
If someone is a goalie, speeding up their blocking reflexes matters more than improving their shooting accuracy.
If a player is a pitcher, they should devote more time to improving their throw than their swing.
Successful people know that WHAT you improve matters just as much as THAT you improve. They know how to focus and prioritize improving in the areas that will bring them the most “bang for their buck,” and they double-down on those.
If you want to reach your next level of success, consider WHICH things successful people continually improve.
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So, there you have it: a simple process to “kick-start” your next level of success.
All you have to do is find the answers to those four questions for a successful person you want to emulate, and then apply the answers in your own life!
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Of course, as you probably know, just because something is simple doesn’t make it easy, and that’s why some people are successful, and other people aren’t.
In fact, there’s also a question that should be asked about what TRUE Success really is…but that’s a question for another day.
The bottom line is this: if you’re willing to do the work, you’re worthy to reap the reward, and by taking regular steps in the right direction, you’re guaranteed to reach your goal.
–pg
