You are trying to have success with something (or maybe even many things) right now aren’t you? There is something you are trying to do or accomplish?
How do I know?
Because that’s the way we are wired. No one wants to move through life, going from one experience to the next without learning and or accomplishing something. What on earth would be the point of that?
I know I am working to learn and accomplish things and so are you. They may be really big things or they may be small and simple.
Maybe you are trying to get a new job, a promotion, grow your business, earn more money, or change careers. Or, it could have absolutely nothing to do with your profession and be something more personal. Maybe you want to lose weight, get into shape, improve your mindset, run a marathon, grow your blog, win your next tournament.
It could be a myriad of things … but it is definitely something.
Now, I also know that ideally you would like to have things fall into place. We all want a formula for success we can rely on. We get it that we have to put in some hard work, but there really is no need to waste time doing things that aren’t really going to help us in the long run.
Yes, we are interested in learning as much as we can, but let’s be honest, no one wants to waste their time doing zillions of things and just hope they are choosing to do the right things.
We want to do those things that have the best return on investment and that are guaranteed to set us up for success.
So, what’s the best formula for success? Well, believe it or not, you already know it.
Think about something big or amazing you have already accomplished. We all have had a big success at some point in our lives. If nothing comes to mind, then think again, you have to be overlooking something.
Did you get into the school of your dreams? Did you win a big tournament? Did you get the promotion you always wanted? Did you create a business that grew amazingly and took off in the right direction? Did you improve your mindset and outlook on life?
I don’t care who you are or where you are in your life, you have had at least one amazing success.
This amazing success you had in the past needs to serve as the basis for your formula for creating success again right now in your life.
You already have all the answers. You just need to think through everything you did and focus on what worked.
• How was your mindset at the time? I bet it was pretty positive. How did you push through any fears? What about your feelings? Were you confident?
• How hard were you working? How many hours a day did you put in? How often were you thinking about whatever it was you accomplished?
• Who was helping you? Who was guiding you? Who was supporting you? Who did you look to for advice?
• How did you stay inspired and motivated to keep going forward? What did you do when you hit a roadblock?
• What types of decisions were you making in your personal life? How were you living? Was there anything specific you were doing? Was there anything you were not doing?
All you need to do is tweak your current plan and what you are doing now so that it closely resembles everything you did when you had this amazing success.
You already tasted amazing success and tapped into a winning formula. Now all you have to do is match that formula of your biggest success and recreate the same conditions in your life right now.
I get it that the situation has changed and you are probably trying to accomplish something different. I get it that your most amazing success may have been many years ago and things are just different now. Yes, you’re older, more risk averse, have more responsibilities, blah, blah, blah…
It really just doesn’t matter.
There is an underlying formula for success and you figured it out before and should definitely use it again and again.
things that definitely need to be a part of your formula:
• You must have the right mindset
• You must surround yourself by the right type of people
• You must have the right motivation and purpose
• You must make good decision after good decision
• You must apply the right amount of effort (not too much; not too little)
• You must be doing things right in your personal life (you can’t be a jerk)
And, you can also figure out what else specifically needs to be done just by focusing and thinking about what really worked in the past. There is no need to change a winning formula. All you have to do is figure out your most direct route and then take it.
It is easy to overlook what worked and then end up making mistakes in the future because you weren’t paying attention. You were so focused on success and what you were trying to accomplish that you forgot to notice the ultimate lessons you were supposed to learn and take with you for use in the future.
Always remember that life is about living and learning and figuring out what is working and of course what is not. However, once you have had some great success, you need to figure out what you did well and then make sure the lesson sticks with you for life.
Observe.
Live and learn.
Apply the lessons over and over again.
Be patient.
Be confident.
And, there is no way you will not succeed.
Live Today Better than Yesterday.
So, what’s on your mind? What can I help with? What did you think about this post?
I’m here to help. Questions? Comments? Just want to say hello? Leave a comment below, hit me on Twitter, send me an e-mail. It is always great to hear from you.
Hi Sibyl!
I really appreciate this article because you clearly articulate the fact that success can be replicated. In fact, almost all successful people will admit to that. Sometimes we make things much more difficult for ourselves than need be. When we start to look at what we are capable of, what we have accomplished, and what opportunities already exist we set ourselves up for a much greater likelihood of success.
Thanks for the comment Marlee and it is so true … why recreate the wheel? When things are working for us, we need to realize it and then just keep them working for us over and over again. So often we fall into the trap of doing things differently or we don’t realize what really worked and then end up wondering why we are struggling to create continual success. Thanks again for the comment.
Hi Sybil,
What an excellent post. It really got me thinking about past successes. And what I’ve realized is that every time I’ve had phenomenal success that couldn’t be explained as just a result of hard work, the one thing that set me apart was that I had convinced myself that I would succeed. Often, paradoxically, it was as a reaction to intense fear – the fear was so great, I couldn’t deal with it and just went with the opposite – absolute confidence. And it totally worked!
Hugs,
Melody
Melody: Thanks for the comment and I think that is a great observation and makes perfect sense. It is not surprising to me at all that you had phenomenal success when your fear wasn’t so great and you went with absolute confidence. efinitely sounds like something you are going to want to use and repeat over and over again. Fear really is one of those things that works so much against us and holds us back. Thanks again for the comment and sharing your observation.
Hi Sibyl,
Our very own ‘Personal Power’ is there, be aware that you have it & tap in. It’s amazing what we can do with a positive attitude & mindset. This attitude will create a flow on, questions will be asked & answered.
Thank you.
be good to yourself
David
Hey David. Thanks for the comment and you are so right that it is amazing what we can do with a positive attitude and mindset. It just opens us up to do great things and keeps all the positive energy flowing. Thanks again for the comment and stopping by.
Hi Sibyl,
Very nice post! Our attitude and mentality plays a huge part in achieving success. If our mentality says we will not succeed, then we won’t. We have got to change our mentality and change from within before we can reach success. As they says, “As within, so without.” Also, applying what we learn is crucial as you mention. Thanks for sharing my friend
Hey Dia. Thanks for the comment. It really is about living and learning and doing things that are working for us. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and leave your thoughts.
Thanks for the post, Sybil!
I have to say, I have mixed feelings about your post, though. I agree that there are many essential principles common to all success – in fact, that’s the foundation of my blog! Right mindset, great focus, and using your environment for support are all definitely keys to success.
On the other hand, I remember seeing an interview with Peter Frampton a few years back, where he talked about the day he wrote his two biggest hits. After describing the afternoon – the beach, the drinks, his journey – he looked wistfully in to the distance and said, “I’ve tried to recreate that day many times. Many times.”
We are always growing, developing individuals. It is a maxim of success that each step is different from the last – or else we wouldn’t be making progress. If we truly want to achieve success, it is important to understand not just what worked before, but why it worked. Then, base your success plan on the principle, not the previous action itself.
What do you think?
Hey Barry: Thanks for the comment. I understand what you are saying and perhaps that didn’t come across well in my post
I do agree with you that we live and learn and we have to integrate the lessons we have learned. I think though as you mentioned, there are certain principles that must be a part of any plan for success. To your point, It is important to not oversimplify things and you really need to understand what specifically worked from a principle standpoint so that you can base your success on that overriding principle not just specific tactics. I appreciate you taking the time to respond so thoughtfully and pointing out that we are living and learning as we move through life.
Hey Sibyl, outstanding tips for success! Thank you–and very meaty and substantive indeed. I love the idea of focusing on what worked. So often we focus on what didn’t DIDN’T work. Great tip. Also, glad you mentioned the importance of other people. Too many of us like to go-it-alone. Thanks for the reminder. And I appreciate your overall positivity Sibyl.
Sean: Thanks so much for the comment and I am glad that you liked the tips for success. You are right that too often we focus on what isn’t working and end up not doing the things we should. If we can just focus on doing what makes sense and what we know works, we can really know for sure we are moving in the right direction. Thanks again for the comment.
Sibyl,
Great post!
You addressed all the important aspects of success. Reflecting what you have already achieved contains the necessary ingredients for success.
What is also great is that once you realize the steps you took, you are able to see the points that could be improved for the next time and because of that, you can achieve something much faster.
Timo: Thanks so much for the comment and I am glad that you thought I touched on all the important aspects. I do think what you pointed out is important because if you do stick to the formula and execute it well, you probably can achieve things quicker. At the very least, you will not fall into the same potholes that you did before
Thanks so much for the comment.
this post is life defining. I am so appreciative that you wrote this. I’ve been a long time quiet subscriber but when this post hit my email I couldn’t be quiet about how much it touched me. I will be forwarding this to all of my friends! Thank you!
Keyara: I am so glad that you are no longer a quite subscriber
It is great to hear your thoughts and it means so much to me that you took the time to comment. I really do appreciate the feedback and thank yo uso much for forwarding the post. I am so glad that it was helpful to you. Life defining definitely works for me 
Thanks again for the kind words.
Great advice, and what I especially love about your message is the empowering validation that we already have what we need to succeed. Assuring your readers that they have already experienced success and asking them to reflect on it is such an effective way to “imprint” that success as a model for future success. Brilliant! A very “successful” post indeed!
Thanks Galen for the comment and I am so that that you liked the message. I really do believe that we all hold our own keys to success, it is just about realizing it. Thanks again for the comment and stopping by. It is always great to hear your thoughts.
Hello Sibyl!
Within the formula you shared you, you mentioned something that I think is ultra important (actually all of them are, but the this particular has been the subject of my “preaching” to my siblings. SURROUND YOURSELF AROUND THE RIGHT PEOPLE. It’s such a point of importance because we’re guilty by association…that goes for the bad, and the good!
Thanks Sibyl!
J.K. It is so true. It really does matter who you surround yourself by and who you decide to have as a part of your team. If we have the wrong people around us, then we can end up being weighed down by other people and ultimately are held back from what we are really capable of. I think that is some very good advice you give your siblings:) Thanks so much for the comment.
Sibyl,
Thanks for the inspiring post! My formula for success has always included hard work and persistence. I believe if were willing to simply try, learn from our mistakes, and stick with it we have a good chance of accomplishing our goals. I have also learned that within all the deternination and persistence we can still embrace the present and not worry about the outcome. This helps make the process easier.
Joe: I think those are 2 great things to have in a formula for success. You are so right that if we are willing to learn from our mistakes and be persistent, we do have a good chance of accomplishing our goals. I think when we do these 2 things, we just really set ourselves in the right direction to succeed. Thanks for sharing the secrets to your formula
Powerful formula, Sibyl. We must find a way to focus our mental energy so we are thinking single-pointedly. With the right formula we withdraw our permission for hampering opinions to discourage us. Be clear about your aspirations and aims — clarity is power.
Rob: I think that says it all. Clarity really is power. When you know the formula you want to follow, it then just becomes a matter of doing it and putting it to use. That really is so true. Thanks for sharing your wisdom here.
Sibyl,
You have been killing it on your posts recently. I am impressed by the quality of your work. When you blow up please don’t forget about little ole me. The formula is extremely important and I have found for me I get the most motivation from purpose. Each person is different as they are moved by different things but you have given people so much to choose from. This was outstanding. Great job!
Thanks Frank for the amazingly kind words. Your check is in the mail
I really do appreciate the feedback and am glad that you have been liking the posts lately. Thank you so much for letting me know. I love that purpose is a major part of your formula. I think that is one of the most important things to have right. If you are doing things for the right purpose, then usually everything else kind of falls in line with that and moves you in the right direction. Thanks again for the comment.
Thank you for the post, Sybil. I like your blog because you always focus your attention to the right things, what can we do to improve our lives. It’s important to be empowered and not feel like a victim, and part of it is always reflecting on what we do and keep moving forward (having learned our lessons) with the right attitude.
Omar: Thank you so much for the kind words and the comment. I really appreciate it and appreciate the feedback. It is always good to know what is working and also what is not
I really do believe that life is about taking advantage of the things we can learn and taking every chance we get to improve ourselves. Thanks again for the comment.
This is a great post. There are many things we can’t control in life, but surely everyone can control at least 1 aspect of our life, whether it’s financial, health, personal, etc… we just have to control what we can, and dun worry about what we can’t.
Thanks Henway for the comment and I am so glad that you liked the post. I really appreciate it and it is so true that we need to work on controlling those things we can. Sometimes we need to figure out what we can and can’t control, but once we have our answers, we should take advantage and do everything we can to control the things we can.
hi sibyl
amazing post because I always ask myself what do you need to be a successful man
this question I have already the answer I realize
So glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
You have remarked very interesting points ! ps nice site. “By their own follies they perished, the fools.” by Homer.
so glad you liked the list Homer. Thanks for the kind words about the site.