Did you know that no matter what you want to have, be or do in life that it is more likely to happen if you simply follow a proven formula for success? That’s right, success is a learned behavior and not just something that ‘brainy’ or ‘lucky’ people seem to have.
The Cycle Of Success
Now I have to admit that this is not my success formula. In fact, it doesn’t belong to anyone, but as you will see in a moment the four distinct steps to success never change. This is why it’s so easy to predict if you will succeed at anything. You just need to identify what step you are weakest in and then fix it – then success is inevitable.
Step 1 – Become a Powerful Decision Maker
This is as easy as it sounds. You either know what you want or you don’t. Successful people are good decision makers and they are able to make fast decisions when required. They do not procrastinate or avoid making tough decisions when the necessity arises.
Another way to look at decision making is to call it goal setting. Really, whenever you make a decision about something you are setting a goal. Whether it’s to quit your job, lose weight, get fit or find the love of your life – decisions and goals are one and the same.
By getting good at setting goals (making decisions) you will develop the mental muscle of goal setting as a habit. Once that is done, then you will have it as a skill for life. If you fail to master this vital step in the cycle of success, then success will forever elude you.
Step 2 – Become a Powerful action Taker
Once you become a master decision maker, then the next skill to conquer is to become a master action taker. Some people are great decision makers but then they procrastinate about taking action so nothing ever changes or gets done.
People that are super successful in life ALWAYS follow through with their decisions / goals – it’s that simple. If you find that you set a goal and then take no action towards making it happen, then get rid of it and move onto something else because you’re kidding yourself that it’s important to you.
Step yourself up for success by only setting goals that are important to you and that you have an unwavering commitment to see through to the end. To help with this simply add a deadline to all your decisions as that makes it all the more realistic and doable.
Step 3 – Become Results Orientated
As you can already see that if you are not good at either step one or two then you’ll never even make it to step 3. That’s why success is so predictable. You either have these qualities or you don’t. The awesome news is that you CAN develop these skills over time and the best way to do that is to set goals and take action towards achieving them.
With this step what you are looking to do is look at the results you achieve from doing step one and two. Let’s say your goal is to lose 20kg in weight in 3 months and at the end of the 3 months you have only lost 10kg, then this is where you review your results.
If you have achieved your goal, then obviously you have succeeded and there’s nothing more to do towards it. If you haven’t achieved your desired outcome, as in this case, then you will need to look at the actions you are taking and see if there is anything else you could be doing to make it happen faster.
This may mean asking for help or getting professional advice. Nonetheless, it means reviewing what you have achieved and then coming up with a new action plan to move forward with. In reality you are going back to step 1 and step 2 again as you are making new decisions around taking new actions.
Step 4 – Acknowledge What You Have Acheived
This is the most undervalued step in the cycle of success. Even the smallest of wins towards your goals is still a win. No matter how small your personal or professional victory is – it’s still a victory, so give yourself a pat on the back, treat yourself to something special or feel good about it.
The worst thing you can do is focus on what you ‘didn’t’ achieve and beat yourself up for it. Psychologically that will build barriers to success because a part of you will want to avoid the pain that comes from self criticism, so it’s just easier to not go there.
By celebrating your wins, you are sending a powerful message to your subconscious mind that you are a winner. There is a saying that, “Nothing breeds success like success”, and never a truer statement has been made.
Mastering The Cycle Of Success
There are some people who will be stronger in 1 or more areas of the cycle of success than others. Your challenge is to pick the step that you are currently the weakest in and turn it into a strength. If you start working on it today, then the sooner you will be living the life you always knew you could have.
Remember, you can’t fail. There’s no such thing as failure, only failure to take action. Take action today and I’ll see you on the other side of success tomorrow!
