In life, we are told to do our best, to win, and to succeed. It is odd to me, then, that when people do just that, we often criticize them or find reasons why they shouldn’t be successful and relish in the level they have achieved. I’m not about losing nor am I about to apologize for becoming successful. In fact, I want others to be equally or even more successful than me. That is why I created Budgetdog – not to see others flounder and suffer but to help them create plans to allow them to win. So how? How do you win and achieve success?
For the three plus years of owning my own business and working with thousands of clients, there are a few things that I have learned about winning. I have broken them down into five main categories. If you follow these, I am confident that you, too, will see success.
The first part about winning is Commitment. I have discovered that people who commit to their goals win. This is not a huge revelation. It just is true. The difference between my clients who reach their goals and win, thus becoming successful, is that they are committed. They marry themselves to the idea of winning. It is important to keep the goal in mind and to stay true to that goal, never wavering and making changes but rather to live out the goal. They are steadfast and resolute, understanding the time to start is right then, not sometime in the future or when things will be easier or better or more convenient. If you really want to win, you will make the commitment and stay true to it, accepting nothing less and making no excuses.
The second key component to being successful is finding a Mentor. It is imperative to find someone who has done what you want to do. This person will be invaluable to you. Human-decision-making fascinates me. Why? Because it seems like it only makes sense to find a mentor, yet the average person is so desperate to want the quick and easy way to success, that this component never seems to enter into the picture. Moreover, instead of learning from a mentor who knows all of the pitfalls and difficulties, many people who just want the quick and easy way will fall prey to anyone who makes alluring false promises. Just like with setting goals, you need to find someone who actually is successful and learn from that person. Ask questions, seek help, have frequent conversations, learn how to win and be successful completely and truly, not just for the immediate, and, most importantly, make sure you have the right mentor. For example, from my experience, my clients fall into four different groups: those who want to get out of debt, those who want to become millionaires, those who want to build a business, and those who want to quit a nine to five job. I have done all of these things. Therefore, I can successfully be a mentor to someone who wants to achieve one or more of these goals. I have the blueprint and the experience to help guide in any of these areas, so my clients are able to win and be successful. However, if someone sought me out to be a mentor for trading, I would not be the right person to adequately help him or her since that is not my area. I only speak about what I know and about areas in which I am personally successful. But it is not always that way. Many contend they can give you all kinds of advice and can help you along your way to success, but they don’t actually have the background and the personal experience, so be wary of who you trust with your success.
Another key aspect of winning for success is Hunger. You have to REALLY want something with every fiber of your being in order to be truly successful – not kind of want it or want it a little – but really passionately be hungry for it. Tony Robbins, a leading author, speaker, philanthropist, and life and business strategist notes that there are many ingredients to success, but one key element that pushes you to achieve it is hunger. Robbins said, “Hunger will destroy that fear of failure. Hunger will drive you through it. Hunger will be your resolve. It is the force that locks you into a commitment, it fastens you to the outcome when you’ve decided upon a result and you won’t sleep at night until you achieve it. Hunger is irrepressible.” It is far greater than passion. Hunger fuels all of the other essential elements that you need to be successful including vision, discipline, consistency, relentlessness, curiosity, and courage. If you don’t have hunger, you will not win so don’t waste your time. You don’t really want it bad enough and are not committed enough to throw everything at your goals, your desires, your hopes, and your dreams if you aren’t passionately and fervently hungry.
To be successful and to win, you also have to dare to be Different. This is the fourth component to success. Dare to go against the norm, to break away from the mold, and to allow yourself not to be average. Self-awareness is key. Are you that person who is strong enough and self-assured enough to be different? Look around at the masses. Note what they do every day including for many of them living mundane lives in jobs they hate. Just because so many others live that way, does not mean it is right for you. Don’t settle. If you do what everyone else does and it is average, know that you will get the same results, and it will be just that – average.
The last component to success is Mental Toughness. Winning is not going to be easy, nor is success. It is going to be hard, and you are going to have to sacrifice in order to achieve your goals. That is why so many others fail. It is difficult to see past the easy and the immediate. If you want it now, want the easy way, you will lose – guaranteed. It is going to take hard work, sacrifice, time, commitment, passion, and a desire or hunger that goes beyond what most people are even capable of thinking, feeling, and doing. Sure, your skills and knowledge are important, but if you can’t work through adversity, you will never win. Know that your resolve is going to be tested, but you have to be willing to take the jeers and the jabs in order to be successful. And you have to keep getting up, bracing yourself for more, and taking all of the setbacks. With each setback, you can’t think of failure but rather of a learning experience.
I am happy to mentor you on your way to success, but you are the one who has to be hungry enough, passionately and thoroughly, to really want to make it happen. You have to have the strength, the desire, and the resiliency to be in for the long haul. Keep all of these components in mind and live them – fully and completely. I hope you dare to be different and to seek to win. Believe in yourself and dare. It is a great place when you get there, but it is not fast or easy. Reach out to me for help and guidance.