1. Find your passions.
Sometimes we fall in and out of things that we enjoy. But are these hobbies truly our passions? A passion is something that gives you a strong feeling or desire. Finding something that you love doing is essential to success, especially in business, because you want to create an environment that is enjoyable in your life. Find a niche of things you are passionate about, and don't do things just because others think you should. Be yourself!
2. Understand your abilities.
Understand what you are good at doing. Just because you may like basketball, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to make the NBA. If you are good at computer programming, then go and become a computer programmer. If you are good at writing, then become a writer. The point is, although it would be nice to do a little bit of everything, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can.
3. Read!
I cannot drill this enough. I know that the percentage of those who read has declined in the recent years, but that should not stop you. Reading is a great opportunity to expand your horizons, to gain new ideas, and to gain much-needed knowledge in certain fields of study. Whether it is a novel, an article, an essay, a resource paper, or even your Grandma’s Facebook post about a cute little kitten, reading can open new windows of ideas. Warren Buffet, after he launched his $37 billion aerospace firm, said, “I didn’t have any knowledge of how aerospace engineering worked, but I did know how to read.”
4. Do heavy lifting.
If one wants to succeed, they need to take on as much as possible. A scenario of this would be to think of bodybuilding. Two people of the same size are in a gym, and both want to compete in a bodybuilding competition one day. One guy decides that he is just going to do lighter weight at a steady and comfortable pace. The other decides that he is going to lift as much weight as possible and exceed his limits. Which one do you think will have better results more quickly? The same applies to anything else. If you want to become more knowledgeable about a topic, then read a book, take a class, or find a mentor. Don’t just take on what you are given. Going to class and “chilling” gets you nowhere, so use your time wisely. Start reading a book a week. Learn a new language. Get creative in finding ways to learn more about your topic. Exceed in whatever you want to do — and I promise you will one day be successful.
5. Don't do the false hustle.
The false hustle is a little tricky. A good definition of this would be to have something needing to be done first, but starting other things before that one thing is finished. An example of this would be if I were to tell you to clean your room, but you went and started to wash your car, make dinner, and watch a movie, but you didn’t complete any of these. You would then have 20 percent of this done, 20 percent of this other thing done, and 20 percent of this last thing done. Now, what do you have? You still do not have your room cleaned, and now you have three other things started that now have to be finished. What I am getting at with this is to start something and excel in that one thing. Then, after you finish it or maintain it, expand your outreach.
6. Establish a strategy.
Now that you know your passions, your capabilities, and what it takes to excel in them, you need to establish a strategy. If you are going to devote their time to a project, then you need to be able to go all in, not to waste energy figuring things out as you go. A strategic plan can help you determine how you will manage your time, money, and other resources in hopes to benefit your project.
7. Stay determined.
Many people fail, especially in business. Only 50 percent of small businesses have a five-year lifespan. The reason is because of a lack of determination. These people are scared of failure. Normally, the ones who fail are the ones who are not passionate about what they are doing. Steve Jobs said, “You have to have a lot of passion for what you are doing, because it is so hard. If you don’t, any rational person would give up.”
8. Consider luck.
Many may say that they are not lucky persons, so they would never be able to do succeed. Yes, luck does have some play in life, but it is not entirely necessary to succeed. Through hard work, willingness to give up what is comfortable, and passion for doing something, you become successful, and luck becomes just a figure of speech.
9. Have faith.
If you want to know how to have a relationship with knowledge, time, and peace, then cultivate your relationship with God. God is the all-knowing Father and can control all of these things. Allow Him to enter your life and to guide you through the things that it takes to live a full and happy life. John 16: 33 says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
10. Execute.
Finally, you must execute your dreams. Don’t be scared; be passionate and strive for greatness in whatever your field may be. Don’t accept failure, but embrace it, learn from it, and try again. Make your dreams a reality. Like Tony Gaskins said, “If you don’t build your dreams, someone will hire you to help build theirs.”
