Simple Success Strategies

“Success requires enough optimism to provide hope and enough pessimism to prevent complacency.”

David G. Myers

I’ve been thinking . . . about the qualities of successful people.

On July 9, 2011 Derek Jeter smacked his 3000th career hit joining the small club of only 27 other major league baseball players to achieve this threshold. He has also had 6600 at bats without a hit. Jeter’s response to this achievement; ”…There is a lot of hard work, sacrifice and failure that goes along with it.”

Steve Jobs is considered a giant innovator in the technology world. He managed to merge creative genius with technology to create products we didn’t even know we needed. At the time of his death Steve Jobs had amassed 317 Apple patents ranging from computer cases to iPods and even packaging and retail store design.

Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She became an international legend advocating for the rights of the poor and helpless. In 1985 President Ronald Regan presented Mother Teresa with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At the time of her death in 1997, missionaries of charity had 610 missions in 123 countries.

People who achieve substantial success are often perceived as being big dreamers, creative thinkers, expert planners; and most of all consummate doers. There are some added simple principles critical for sustained success.

First, success comes from small efforts hammered out day by day. People often sabotage their success by believing some grandiose achievement is necessary to determine whether or not they are successful.

It’s imperative that you be happy right where you are with what you have while pursuing what you want. Then, success can follow.

Celebrate Now! The moment. The effort. Not . . . I’ll be successful when . . .

“I couldn’t wait for success,” declared Jonathan Winters “so I went on ahead without it.” So did Drew Carey.

Comedian Drew Carey certainly didn’t grow up in a culture that molded his sense of humor. Carey was only eight when his father died and a year later he was molested. Life didn’t get easier. As a college student at Kent State he attempted suicide at a fraternity party, struggled to achieve acceptable grades and ultimately left after five years without a degree.

Carey became drifter and once again attempted suicide. He then began reading, learning and applying principles for taking responsibility for his life. Then, a friend asked him to write jokes for a comedy show. Next thing you know he’s on stage at a comedy club. Star Search and The Tonight Show followed, after which his success snow balled.

Coping, drifting, irresponsibility, ‘settling’, compromise; these are not the steps to success. Begin conceptualizing and molding your success one small step at a time.

My second success observation - Pleasure precedes success.

That’s Right! Your chances for success in any undertaking can be measured by the degree of pleasure you feel in what you do.

If what you’re doing today is not satisfying, fulfilling, gratifying . . . you’re not successful. Make a change.

Marcus Buckingham, writing in his book, The One Thing You Need To Know, advises: “The one thing you need to know about sustained individual success: Discover what you don’t like doing and stop doing it.”

Interestingly enough, successful people are often quitters. They quit doing things they abhor to free up their time and talents to excel at something that engages and energizes them.

Best-selling author Michael Crichton certainly understands this success principle. Crichton graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the prestigious SALK Institute for Biological Studies; certainly guaranteeing him a successful and lucrative career as a doctor or as a medical researcher.

Understanding pleasure precedes success, Crichton traded a secure future for an unpredictable writing career. Crichton concluded he didn’t have the stomach for cutting people open or a passion for the medical field . . . regardless of the money, prestige, or perceived success it would bring.

Beware the tendency to underestimate your success because you are simply doing what you find pleasure in doing. Doing what you love to do is the epitome of success.

“To succeed,” suggested Tony Dorsett, “You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.”

Number three. Success breeds success. (Told you these were simple.)

Have you ever noticed how a little success fuels energies, arouses desire, increases motivation; which breeds more success, elevates drive, fuels ambition, creates more dreams and the success cycle continues.

The headline on the sports page on Saturday, April 17, 1999, read: Great Gretzky’s Career Ends.

Despite the encouragement from virtually everyone who knew him to give it one more year; the 38 year old Gretzky said his “Gut” told him it was time.

Gretzsky’s departure certainly left a significant gap in professional hockey. His hall of fame achievements began when he took the ice at the age of 3. He scored 104 goals in 62 games at age 8 and 378 goals in 82 games when he was the mature age of 10.

Success breeds success. Out of incredible commitment, unwavering determination, and hard work combined with God given ability success breeds success.

Wayne Gretzky owns roughly 60 records, is a 10-time scoring champion and a nine time MVP. “I was a boy that happened to love a game and got lucky,” said Gretzky in an interview, “and the good Lord gave me a passion for it.”

Think about it—focused effort, combined with the pleasure of doing what we do, creates success that tends to reproduce itself. Pretty simple – but powerful!

“Success is waking up in the morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, however old or young, and bounding out of bed because there’s something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that you’re good at-something that’s bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again today.”
Whit Hobbs