Success? YES, please!

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”

Whether in business or life, we often walk a fine line between success and failure. The above quote from Booker T. Washington highlights the inevitability of challenges on the path to success.

In fact, I firmly believe success and failure go hand in hand.

If you’re hoping to succeed, you’ve got to fail, or learn from those who have, and find the strength to overcome that failure. No one has ever succeeded by giving up on something after failing his or her first attempt.

Success in Not a Birthright

Successful people aren’t just born – they don’t just happen – there’s a lot more that goes into the equation. Through my experience, I’ve found that the people who are highly successful have a lot more in common that we may think.

We all know that success in life depends on a combination of hard work and talent. There’s also no denying the “luck” factor – being in the right place at the right time, meeting the right people and so on.

With that said, there isn’t a “secret” to that kind of luck. It’s about doing things that put you in a position for that luck to happen. The trick is, those things aren’t always easy. I’m talking about the hard things.

19 Hard Things You Need To Do To Be Successful

The following list by Dan Waldschmidt consists of 19 Hard Things You Need To Do To Be Successful. But I’m warning you; they aren’t going to be a walk in the park. However, the results might amaze you!

You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.

You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.

You have to give more than you get in return right away.

You have to care more about others than they care about you.

You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.

You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.

You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.

You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.

You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.

You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.

You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.

You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.”

You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.

You have to try and fail and try again.

You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.

You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.

You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.

You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.

You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

You have to do the hard things. The things that no one else is doing. The things that scare you. The things that make you wonder how much longer you can hold on.

Those are the things that define you. Those are the things that make the difference between living a life of mediocrity or outrageous success.

The hard things are the easiest things to avoid. To excuse away. To pretend like they don’t apply to you.

The simple truth about how ordinary people accomplish outrageous feats of success is that they do the hard things that smarter, wealthier, more qualified people don’t have the courage — or desperation — to do.

Do the hard things. You might be surprised at how amazing you really are.

Alison Evans