Soupornuts’ short list of 7 rules for success
1. Decide what success means to you.
My definition of success and your definition of success are, most likely, different. You may find that my definition (or anyone else’s for that matter) is too limiting or too broad. My definition is unimportant and doesn’t matter, because you will only fight, tooth and nail, for what is yours – what you believe in, what you have dreamed and what you have designed!
Define what success is to you and then work toward it.
2. Make a commitment to yourself.
Your journey from where you are to where you want to be (your definition of success) begins when you commit yourself to doing whatever is necessary to achieve your dreams. This commitment is a promise to yourself to use all of your skills, abilities and contacts for the purpose of attaining your definition of success.
Don’t try to fool yourself, if you are not committed in the beginning, then you won’t have the staying power to complete your journey and you will quit when difficulties arise. And difficulties always arise.
We value others by their level of commitment to us. Those that we feel are the most committed to us are the ones that we hold dear. They are the friends that will never let us down.
Without personal integrity and commitment, a life a mediocrity awaits. The pull of the status quo is powerful, but if you wanted to be like everyone else, then you wouldn’t be contemplating committing yourself to the achievement of your dreams, would you?
If you choose to give up and take the easy road to middle class status quo, then for the rest of your life you will be forced to wonder what your life could have been.
Create the life you want and you won’t wonder what could have been.
3. Think on paper.
Or use a PDA. In order to move toward your goal, you need a plan. If you don’t know how to make a plan, then make a list. Make lots of lists.
- Who can help you?
- What skills do you need?
- What knowledge do you need?
- What steps must be taken?
Once you have a list, then you need to prioritize it. What is the most important thing that you need to do? Do that first. What’s next? Do it!
By making lists and prioritizing them, you begin to form a rough outline which you can condense into a logical and formidable plan to achieve your goals. Never underestimate the power of a list.
4. Read, read and read.
Books, magazines, blogs and online articles provide the means to increase your knowledge. If there is a subject that you need to know about, then someone, somewhere has written about it.
You must commit yourself to a regimen of lifelong learning. Set aside a specified amount of time each and every day to be devoted to reading about any subject that you want to become proficient in. A little time devoted each day adds up to a tremendous accumulation of information that you can call upon to make educated decisions.
All successful people understand that if you want to make excellent decisions, then you must have valid, current information at you disposal.
5. Develop your “people” skills.
People do business with people they like. That’s a fact. In 1986, my father and I went into business together and bought a service/gas station. I felt like it was tremendously undervalued and we got an excellent deal. The business was located on a major thoroughfare and in relatively good condition.
The problem was that the previous owner had almost no customers, other than a few that kept coming back because they could have work done on credit. The reason that they had no customers was that the people running the business were a couple of rude and crotchety old men who didn’t give a damn about customer service.
If you don’t care about people, then they certainly will not care about you. Excellent customer service is not just about the person that you are dealing with right now, but also about every person that your customer knows as well.
- always try to address people first
- lose your attitude
- look people in the eye – it’s all about honesty
- give them your full attention – they deserve your respect
- smile – it disarms and welcomes
- listen to their problems – shows that you care
- don’t interrupt – let them blow off some steam if that is the case
- ask questions – clarify the problem, again, shows that you care
- respect their opinions
- offer a solution to their problem
- do what you say you will do – people that don’t, piss me off
- follow up – it’s the little things that make a difference
6. Do one thing each day that moves you closer to your dream.
Keep a journal. Nothing fancy, just a notebook that you can record your efforts of the day. If you will make it a rule to do at least one thing each day that helps you in the attainment of your dream, then you will eventually achieve the results you want.
- call at least one contact
- email at least one contact
- read one article
- file one piece of paper
- make some notes
- revise your plan
- do a web search about something related to your dream
- meditate
- visualize your dream
- encourage someone in their pursuit
- mentor someone
The practice of “doing” something, becomes a life-altering habit, if it is performed everyday. Create for yourself a “daily checklist” where you can catalogue your efforts of each day. This will remind you that the journey to your goals/dreams is really only a series of “baby” steps. Though these steps seem to be small and insignificant when looked at singly, collectively they deliver us to our destination.
7. Never quit and never give up
You learned to do everything that you presently know how to do because you did not quit along the way. Stop just a minute and consider that statement. You were born without the knowledge to do anything. You learned everything along the way by trial and error.
What is the implication? You can learn anything if you don’t give up. It may take a little while, but you never fail as long as you keep trying. Consider these examples:
- 13 British colonies, without the necessary funding, without a central government and without a trained army or navy defeated the most powerful nation in the world to become independent.
- Abraham Lincoln was unsuccessful in numerous attempts to reach political office prior to becoming the President.
- Colonel Sanders was turned down over 9000+ times before selling his recipe and business concept.
- Edison, with 3 months of formal schooling succeeded in creating the first successful light bulb after 10,000 previously unsuccessful attempts. By the way, he did in three years, what the best scientists of that time had been trying to do for over 50 years.
- No one believed that a national service for overnight package delivery was necessary. No one, except Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx, who did not give up in spite of a poor initial start.
We love the stories of the underdog who overcomes long odds to succeed. The Rocky’s and the Rudy’s. You can make your life a story that inspires others to believe that anything is possible - if you will never give up!
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3 Responses to “Soupornuts’ short list of 7 rules for success”
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I was going to comment about how #1 is probably the most important of these aspects until I actually started reading the other ones and saw how each was just as equally important as the other. I dont think that any of these 7 could be neglected. I also think that each handily compliments the next.
Very fine blog post with valuable information! The commentary on each is top notch as well. Ill be returning to see what other information you may have.
Regards.
Not to much to say, but RIGHT ON! Your article and thoughts on success are so simple and true. Keep up the amazing post.
Thanks for the encouragement. It means a lot to know to realize that you are reaching someone.