How to succeed - For REAL!
Often I am asked about how I became successful, how I built my business?
There are 4 things to remember when you think about building anything. Wether it’s a business, podcast, non-profit group, planning a dance or running a fundraiser.
These four things are transferable to almost every large sized goal you want to accomplish. I looked at my 26 years of business experience, my successful school leadership career and I condensed dozens of ideas and lessons into these 4 key traits. There is NO way around them for anyone that succeeds. I touched on it on my
Instagram recently.
Passion - You must have a real, genuine passion for whatever it is you want to do. It must truly excite you. There are a couple of ways to know if this is the case:
- You wake up in the morning with a desire to “get to it”
- You fall asleep thinking of your goal, your mission, your idea
- You wake up jumping out of bed, sometimes literally to get back at it
Another way is to simply ask yourself if the task or project is worth your time and energy? If your answer is “Hell yah” then you’re onto something. If it isn’t, then you will struggle to succeed.
Purpose - Does what you’re doing have a larger purpose? I speak often on my podcast
The Authentic Entrepreneurs about putting PURPOSE before PROFIT. If you are thinking about how you make ‘money’ at something rather than how you can make a positive difference, you will almost always fail. At best, you may come up short of what you thought you would accomplish. Your purpose has to be something that serves something bigger. It should help others, build something, make life better somehow for others and not just yours.
Hustle - This is a HUGE one. Be prepared to WORK for your dream, your goal, your
FLAG. Get up early, work late, sacrifice your time. You will have to say no to social opportunities sometimes and watch less garbage on YouTube or Netflix. Stop scrolling on your phone and start working. EVERY SINGLE DAY. Some may argue with me but hustle is how I got to where I am now; I put my nose to the grindstone for 15 years after my first marriage fell apart and just worked my butt off. I still do. I sometimes fall off the hustle train but when I do I know that I have to get right back on.
Patience - Forget the instant gratification that everyone and their Aunt is touting these days. To be a real success with long lasting results you must be willing to work at it through the ups and the downs. It took me 26 years to become an overnight success. If you are building a business or want to be an entrepreneur prepare yourself to work at it for 3 to 5 years before you really know that it’s working. I would suggest 5 years as the key length of time for knowing if you are on to something.
I strongly encourage you to surround yourself with people who will push, challenge and support you too.
You are who you have coffee with. Never stop learning.
Here’s to your success!
In leadership and gratitude,
