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The 2 MOST IMPORTANT Things You Need If You Really, Really Want To Succeed By Tatiana Velitchkov © 2002 Now I know today's title sounds very much like a get-rich- quick scheme, or at least an incredibly hyped infomercial. But there really are JUST TWO all-important things you need to succeed... ...and I'm going to tell you all about them as soon as I tell you these 2 stories. Story #1 Once there was a young man who wanted to be wise, so he went to see Socrates to ask how he could gain wisdom. Socrates told the young man to come with him, and together they walked towards a nearby lake. When they reached the part of the lake where the water was about four feet deep, Socrates suddenly grabbed the young man -- and held his head underwater! At first the young man thought it was a joke, so he didn't do anything. But as he was held underwater for longer and longer, his lungs began to burn, and he started to struggle. Soon his struggling became desperate -- he feared for his life, and he was using all his strength in putting up a fight. At that very moment Socrates let him up. The young man turned to Socrates coughing, sputtering, and gasping for air. But before he could say a word Socrates spoke, and proclaimed a truth he will never forget: "When you desire wisdom with the same intensity that you desire to breathe... then nothing will stop you from getting it." Story #2 Once upon a time in ancient Greece, there was a traveler whose goal was to reach Mount Olympus. As he was walking down one of the roads he met an old man, who later turned out to be Socrates (yes, him again -- although the traveler didn't know it). The traveler stopped the old man and asked him how he could get to Mount Olympus. After a brief moment of thought Socrates looked at the man, and with all earnestness answered: "Just make sure that every step you take is in that direction." So What's The Point of These 2 Stories? ...Aside from the fact that they both feature Socrates? And more importantly, how could you use these stories to change your life, and lead you on the road towards success? Lesson Number One: You need to have a goal. And not just any goal, either. It has to be something so powerful, so personal, and so compelling, that you will naturally want to achieve it as badly as you would want to breathe. Some people call this goal a "mission statement," others call it "life purpose," and still others like Jim Rohn simply call it "reasons." Rohn -- who is a personal development teacher and has mentored many now-successful people -- firmly believes that all of us need a powerful "reason" before we are compelled to do anything, especially if it's for an extended period of time. "If the promise is clear we will pay the price." guarantees Rohn. "Without a promise (for the future), life becomes uninteresting." Napoleon Hill, author of the phenomenal book "Think & Grow Rich," agrees that people need a clear and definite purpose in order to succeed. "What a different story people will have to tell," says Hill, "If they would only adopt a definite purpose & stand by that purpose until it had time to become an all consuming obsession." And when our mission / life purpose / central reason for being becomes an "all-consuming obsession," we will find that the thing that fulfills us most will be the thing that we'll keep on doing for the rest of our happy & successful lives. Which now brings us to: Lesson Number Two: Focus only on achieving your mission. Some people might find that -- even after defining their mission & discovering the real purpose of their lives -- they sometimes still get sidetracked and settle for something "less." "You could get rich if someone gave you a dollar for every English professor, ad agency copywriter, newspaper reporter, editor, or literary critic whose real dream is to be a full-time novelist, playwright, or a screenwriter." says Laurie Beth Jones, in her book 'The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement For Work & For Life.' "I know (this)," stresses Jones, "because I was one of them." Jones even recalls her own frustration when she used to run a successful ad agency but felt angry inside, because a part of her knew she was simply living in the shadow of her real dream. After giving up her agency to focus on writing her books (which later became national bestsellers!), Jones not only felt completely happy and fulfilled -- she also grew to become successful in ways she never anticipated. Her advice? "Look carefully to see if you are taking a job that runs parallel to your true heart's desire and mission -- but is not actually IT. Go for what you want DIRECTLY." As Socrates says, "Make sure that EVERY step you take is in THAT direction." Roles Change, But Missions Remain If you would notice, the great thing about these 2 lessons I just shared is the fact that they don't simply teach us how to be successful, but also how to be HAPPY. Most people who experience long-term depression are the ones who have no clear mission, and simply associate their entire identity & self esteem with the "roles" that they play. Some mothers, for example, make it their mission to "love and raise happy children," and end up feeling utterly useless once their kids grow up and leave the house. They believed their "role" was their "mission," and felt cheated when their roles had to change. On the other hand, one of my OWN roles is as the founder and owner of my service website, "Guaranteed-Hits.Com." Although I love my role of providing "guaranteed traffic" to increase the profitability of other people's websites, I know that if this role should change (i.e., I get a manager to run my business) I wouldn't feel threatened or diminished because my mission will still be there. And MY mission is "to give consistent help, information and encouragement to people doing business on the web." I know my heart's deepest desire is to help people, and I find the most fulfillment whenever I do this for Internet business owners. This is why all my roles and websites (Guaranteed-Hits.Com, TheFortunesEzine.Com) are focused on my most basic life mission -- and why any other role I may take on in the future will never change the Tatiana you already know and love. I'll always be here to help you, and encourage you to find your own brand of success. Because THAT is what I'm here for, and together we can succeed at becoming the people we were meant to be. © Tatiana Velitchkov About the Author: Tatiana is the publisher of: http://www.TheFortunesEzine.com, the FortunesEzineWeekly at http://www.TakeYourFortune.com, and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising sites http://www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and http://www.Guaranteed-Hits.net |