Copyright (c) 2012 Scott F Paradis
Have you been reduced to thinking "having it all" means you get the entire carton of ice cream? Is the highlight of your evening having control of the remote so you can revel in someone else's made up adventure? Are you putting more energy into the lives of fictional characters in television shows than you are into making your own life something unique and exciting?
To many, succeeding is just making it through another day. Life has become too complex, too challenging, too difficult to figure out. Success - health, wealth, love and recognition - seem another world away. After years of frustration, countless attempts and wasted effort many have lowered their sights along with their expectations.
Don't succumb to the notion, 'I just don't have what it takes.'
For you to be reading something like this, one thing is true - the ember of hope is not completely extinguished. You have taken a minor step. You have decided to check once more. Maybe an opportunity has been left for you. I can tell you for sure - it has!
Now I can't promise you are going to rocket to the top of your profession. That you are going to become fit and healthy, strong and sexy in an instant. That you are going to become wealthy, loved and celebrated overnight. What I can offer is a way forward, a path that will lead you away from the challenges you have, until now, accepted as your lot in life. You can change course, write a new script and start moving in a new direction. You just need to understand: succeeding is all about the fundamentals.
'Aha!' You say, 'Not so fast. If I've learned anything after years of searching, untold trials and painful attempts, it is that succeeding requires a complex and exacting balance of knowledge, skills and attributes I just don't have, and what's worse, just can't master.' To this I say: that while there are many routes to the summit, you only need apply a few fundamentals to eventually arrive.
So what are the fundamentals of success?
To get the most out of this adventure called life you must apply these fundamentals:
1. Work with life, not against it. Life intends to grow, which means life intends for you to grow. You are on a growth journey - stop resisting. Get moving and keep moving. The end will come soon enough. Don't waste the opportunity.
2. Focus on what you want - something worthwhile, something valuable. You move toward what you focus on and what you focus on moves toward you. Don't squander your thoughts and your energy focusing on obstacles and cultivating fear. Thoughts become things, so think great thoughts and create great things.
3. Nurture an attitude of expectancy and gratitude. All the world makes way for the person who knows where he or she is going. Be thankful for the opportunity, the risks and the rewards, the twists and the turns. Yours is a unique adventure - one only you can fulfill. Advance with an attitude that continues to take you to new heights.
4. Realize effort comes before reward. The only way to get the view from the top is by climbing to the peak. If you are satisfied taking someone else's word for it - that the view is awe-inspiring and spectacular at the top - and you are not willing to put forth the effort to climb, then come to terms with that now. Appreciate the view you have. Unless you are willing to give, to advance, to move forward, your perspective will not change.
To succeed, to make the most of life, focus on the fundamentals. Conform to the way life works. Don't worry about mastering a myriad of skills and developing a stable of stellar character traits. You don't need to become an expert in everything, you only need to focus on a few fundamentals. You possess all the skills you need to advance now. As you move forward you'll acquire everything else as you need it.
Go where life leads you, enthusiastically and gratefully. Accept that your life is an adventure. Set your sights on worthwhile goals and get moving. Every little step in the right direction is a step closer toward your goal. To succeed, focus on the fundamentals.
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Scott F. Paradis, author of "Success 101 How Life Works - Know the Rules, Play to Win" and "Warriors, Diplomats, Heroes, Why America's Army Succeeds - Lessons for Business and Life" focuses on the fundamental principles of leadership and success; http://Success101Workshop.com
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