The word success is often used as an objective truth in the media. But what really is success? In our opinion, it’s a highly subjective and personal thing – success is what you consider it to be. Here we bring you our top tips on how to achieve success in life and live exactly the life you want to live.
Success is often associated with money and fame. Yet there are many people who are both rich and famous, but deeply unhappy at the same time. So you need to clarify for yourself what your goals in life are and what makes you happy. No one can deny that money is not important in this context. Money gives you the freedom to control your own time and makes you more independent of others. At the same time, money should not be an end in itself. Money always comes like a letter in the post if you focus on doing the right things on the road to success.
Take responsibility for all aspects of your life
One of the most common problems in today’s society is that we would rather complain about existence than take charge of our lives. Everyone is better off than you. We blame successful entrepreneurs for paying too little and we whine about how tough things are in our lives. But what are you actually doing to improve your life?
We’re all tired. After a long day, few people have the energy to sit down and make plans for the future. But if you want to change your life for the better, only you can do it. There is no one else who can put themselves in your shoes and know exactly how you want your life to be. If you don’t plan and strategise your life yourself, you will always be dependent on others.
Get started!
However, it is not enough to just plan. You also need to make sure you get started immediately and put your plans into action. Not tomorrow and not in a month, but now! Get into the habit of doing a little every day. Are you a morning person? Then be sure to set aside some time each morning for your own dreams right after you eat breakfast. If you’re a night owl, then evening time is when you should make sure to work on your dreams.
The point here is that you should always make sure to work on your future dreams when you have the most energy.
Never give up
No matter how well planned everything is and how motivated you are, there will always be setbacks. It is these situations that often determine how successful you will be. Many people lose enthusiasm at the first setback, which is perfectly understandable. It can be overwhelming with all the new things you need to learn when starting up a new business.
However, if you have the attitude that setbacks are an important lesson on the road to success, you will gain a lot. What feels difficult will eventually become your mastery – if you make a habit of meeting difficult challenges with open arms rather than running away from them.
Motivation is overrated
Most of us are looking for motivation and inspiration to get started. Who wouldn’t rather relax and spend their evenings in front of Netflix than sit and work on a difficult project that is currently generating zero income? However, if you really want to be successful, you can’t wait for motivation and inspiration to present itself.
Make it a habit to always sit and file your ideas and work whether you have motivation or not. Hard work is a surprisingly large part of the creative process and your brain will work even if you are seemingly out of ideas. Take inspiration from things that inspire you and always have a notebook with you for sudden flashes of inspiration.
Routines are key
Following on from the previous point – how you live your days is absolutely crucial to your future. If you let spontaneity rule your life too much, you will never achieve your goals. You need to have a clear structure for how you spend your days most of the week. Otherwise, you will always be ruled by the temporary needs that always arise during the day.
You simply have to take charge of your own life and be proactive!
Don’t take jobs for money
We all want the best pay possible, but that shouldn’t be your focus. Instead, we challenge you to think in terms of interest and what you learn rather than money. Take a job in a field you’re really passionate about instead of thinking about money and status. Study in detail the business model of the company you work for. How do they make their money?
Make it a habit to always think about how things could be done better. Not only will this be appreciated by your employer, it will also set you up for a successful business career in the future.
Start a business on the side
You don’t have to quit your job immediately if you’re thinking of starting your own business. Start small and work purposefully towards your goals as an entrepreneur. If you are persistent, you will soon find that your entrepreneurial income will exceed that of your ‘real’ job. That’s when you can start thinking about moving to full-time self-employment.
In this digital age, there are an enormous number of opportunities to start up different types of business online. To start with, you can try out many different models and test how they work.
Don’t criticise others
The attitude you have towards others has a big part to play in how well you will succeed. If you look around online and in the community around you, you will see a pattern. No successful person spends time and energy criticizing others or gossiping about other people. They are busy developing their ideas and don’t have time to think about how others live their lives.
Encourage everyone who tries and help make suggestions for improvement. We all started somewhere and everything is a learning process. As well as the good feeling you get from helping others, you will also gain extended insights into common pitfalls and learn a lot yourself along the way.
Don’t worry about what others think
A common problem for many people starting something new is the fear of what others will think. You’re also likely to encounter plenty of ridicule from people around you when you start something new. However, it’s important to remember that, as we mentioned earlier, these are comments from people who never take charge of their own lives.
No one worth listening to will ever speak negatively about your ideas. The people who are worth listening to will take the time to consider your ideas and, at best, make their own suggestions for improvement.
Upgrade your environment
A popular expression is that you become who you surround yourself with. It is said that we become like the five closest people we associate with. If you find that those closest to you are not supporting your dreams or encouraging you to test your limits, it’s time to seek out a new circle of friends. This is true whether it’s a partner, your childhood friends or family members.
Learn to listen
Many of us like to talk about our own interests. But to improve both in your professional life and as a person, you also need to learn to listen to others. That’s how you learn new things and get new ideas. You already know your own ideas and don’t need to flaunt them left and right. Instead, learn to be generous in discussions and show genuine interest in what your interlocutor has to say. Ask questions and consider their views.
You will both be liked and learn a lot of new things by applying this strategy.
It’s all about passive income streams
As a business owner, you should always aim to get things automated and bring in passive income streams as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you’re just creating another 9-to-5 job for yourself. This is especially true if you plan to run your job as a sole trader. By the time you get to a point where you have significant income even when you’re not actively working, you’re well on your way. Learn to outsource functions that can be more efficiently handled elsewhere and strive to make life easier.
It usually takes hard work to get everything up and running. But once you’re well on your way, aim to work smarter rather than harder.
Surround yourself with quality
Learn to appreciate quality. Quality costs, and that applies to everything from clothes to good service – including what’s offered to your business. Learn not to chase the cheapest price, but the best your money can buy. By applying these principles, you will also exercise your “income muscles” and learn to be more demanding yourself about what you offer and what you expect from others.
Finally – Have a clear vision
An extremely important part of the goal setting process is also your vision of the future. If you have clear goals, you will find that it immediately energises your life. The vision of a desired scenario will help you to more easily overcome any temporary obstacles you may have along the way and will act as a strong source of motivation in your everyday life.
We are often asked to tell you how we see ourselves 5 years from now. But also be sure to break it down into shorter time periods. We often overestimate how much we can accomplish in a week, but underestimate how much we can actually change in a year.
You need to clarify what you want out of life to have an easier time navigating life.
