Success is complicated - but it’s not hard

August 29, 2007 · Posted in Change, Entrepreneurship, Negativity, Success 

I consider myself to be successful. I have:

  • a very nice, custom home
  • a medium sized horse farm
  • a loving and supportive wife
  • two daughters who adore their daddy
  • a couple of rapidly growing businesses

What makes my level of success extraordinary? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! As I look back at the steps I’ve taken to arrive at my current position, I’ve come to realize that everything that I’ve done, could have been done by anyone.

Why then have I been able to reach this current level of success while others who are fully capable of enjoying the same success, have not? This bothers me, so I’ve been analyzing the reasons that produce the difference.

What I’ve come to understand is that the difference in success and mediocrity is due to the complications involved. Enjoying a successful life is complicated – not difficult. This is an important difference.

For example, suppose that you have a “great” idea (regular people like you and I have “great” ideas all the time) – what do you do next? Instead of diving right in and doing some research to gage the viability of their “great” idea, most people will:

  • think of all the reasons that it won’t work.
  • “I just don’t know where to start” – It doesn’t matter where you start, just start. Get on the internet or go to the local library and find out if there is something similar that is available. If there is, then determine how it is different than your idea. What can you do to make it better? Doing is better than not doing – DO SOMETHING!
  • “I just don’t have the time” – Why not? Think of how silly that sounds, “I just don’t have the time to be successful”. What you really mean is that you won’t make the time to DO the things that are necessary for your idea to become a reality.
  • “I’m not sure that I can do it” – Here’s a clue, no one is absolutely sure of anything, except death. Do you want to still be wondering “if you could have done it” on your death bed? I can’t think of anything more depressing.
  • discount their own ability to achieve their dreams and possibilities.
    • “I don’t have the skills needed” – If you are “smart” enough to have a great idea, then you are fully qualified to develop your great idea and make it a reality.
    • “I’m just not the business type” – So what. You can become whatever it is that you need to be. The problem is that the need has never been so great as to force you to become what you can be. YOU must rise to the occasion. YOU must get out of your comfort zone. YOU must do something differently is you want to achieve different results.
  • are overwhelmed by the enormity of beginning.
    • “What do I do first?” – Anything but not everything. Break your dream down into steps or processes, then break these down even further. You don’t have to do everything today – but you do need to do something each day that contributes to the achievement of your dream. When you sit down to eat, you don’t say, “There’s no way that I can fit all that food in my mouth at one time.” You begin to eat by taking one bite at a time. Over the course of your meal, you will consume what you need to sustain your body. Just concentrate on “one bite at a time”.
  • quit because the project and process are too complicated.
    • translated, this means that it is easier to do nothing and be average than to do a little more and enjoy an extraordinary life.
    • nothing about success is hard when you break it down into logical steps and processes. If you don’t do this, then it looks like an un-doable mountain, that is just too big and difficult for “little ole me” to attempt.

    Okay, I think I’ve gotten it figured out:

    1. It’s complicated to become successful (ie – there are a lot of steps that must be take) but not hard ( doing the individual steps are not difficult).
    2. Being successful requires “doing”.
    3. It’s easier to do nothing and be average.

    MEDIOCRITY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!

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    One Response to “Success is complicated - but it’s not hard”

    1. A Long Long Road » Recommended Reads for 27 Dec 2007 on December 27th, 2007 2:49 am

      [...] Success Is Complicated, But It’s Not Hard - This article is basically meant to dispel the myth that being successful is difficult. Chris says when we look at the entirety of the project, we become overwhelmed. The individual steps are doable and often easy, but we must be able to “break down” our goal into small, manageable “bites” and then attack them one at a time. Every project begins with a decision and a plan. Take small steps and you will arrive at your destination just as you will if you are running. (This article is contributed by Chris Melton of Soupornuts.com. Chris believes and advocate that we are responsible for our own success and to be the best that we can be.) [...]

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