Steps to success

Have a reason.

Why is this important to you? Why do you want to succeed? How will this bring joy and help others? The better you can answer these questions, the more motivated you will be when the time comes to put in the work.

Learn from others.

Whether they’re stories from people with similar goals, or success stories in general, or even tales of failure, there is always something to be learned from everyone. From things you can improve on to hard lessons learned the easy way, stories from others can help you forge ahead and avoid pitfalls on the way.

Plan it out.

When people think of plans, they often imagine long, boring lists and timetables with tasks listed out like parts in an assembly manual. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Far from making work seem dull and unappealing, a good, well-designed roadmap will help you visualize the future and inspire you to build your own destiny.

Put the boots on the ground.

People often assume that through a mixture of “good planning” and “working smart, not hard,” they can achieve the impossible with fantastical ease and little effort. Again, this is a myth. A real plan should not be to help you slack off, or to miraculously dispel all of your problems. Few good things come easy, and you will inevitable have to put in work to achieve your goals. But work doesn’t always have to be something miserable. When you are striving for yourself, for others, for something worthwhile, to give your life meaning, the only thing more pleasurable than working is the success that will spring from it.

Reflect.

It is often important to take a little break sometimes and look again at the bigger picture. Analyze your progress, your little victories, your little failures. Draw lessons and recalibrate your plans and your goals.

Repeat.

Whether you’ve achieved your goals and are now setting your sights on something else or redrawing your action plans after reflecting on your journey, there’s always something else to be done, another roadmark to reach, another star to reach out and touch. Go ahead.

You can do it.

What are you waiting for?