How to Be Successful in Life

How to be successful in life…

One of the things I have been focused on lately is moving forward. Growth. Becoming the best version of myself and doing the things I want to do well.

What I have discovered is that how to be successful in life begins with one thing. It works in practically every area of life. It doesn’t have to require a lot of money. It is something that anyone can do.

But there is a catch.

You have to keep doing it. You cannot do it for a while and then stop. It will quit working if you do.

The secret to how to be successful in life is that we must be continually learning and growing.

I read something recently in No Excuses by Brian Tracy that was quite significant. I do not know the exact quote, but here is my version of it…

When we are not actively learning, growing and moving forward, we have a habit of operating in an autopilot mode which reverts back to old ways and natural tendencies that generally mean lazy and unproductive ways. To be the best version of yourself, there must always be learning, growth, and forward momentum.

This book went on to talk about how we must continually learn our craft. He likened it to bathing every day to stay clean or exercising every day to stay physically fit. How true is this of every area of our lives.

We have a tendency to back off, relax, get complacent, and stop doing the work. When we do this with physical fitness, we quickly get out of shape. If we do this with our business skills, quit learning our craft and keeping up with where our industry is going, we fall behind. We become stagnant and stale.  We do not ever really arrive where we do not have to do the work. We must keep learning and growing. When we are not purposefully learning and practicing to be a better (insert your word of choice…wife, mother, friend, neighbor, etc.), we may slip into old and unproductive ways, or at the very least not reach our full potential.

As I thought about this in my own life and in the lives of others, I realized how true it was. We will suffer a loss or go through a difficult time that will force us to get help. We learn and grow. It’s a new day.  But then….we begin to feel OK again. Life is good. We stop learning and growing, and the next thing you know we are right back where we were before.

It can also be said that feeling too safe can keep us from being the best version of ourselves if it causes us to stop doing the work. Is it work to continually learn and grow? Yes. But there really are not any shortcuts. As much as I love a good shortcut, I am pretty sure I would have found it by now. There just is not another way.

We come into this world knowing nothing. We have to be taught everything. If we want to be successful, that never really stops.

Whatever we want to be good at, we must continually grow in that area to keep moving forward. Not only does this ongoing education make you better at your craft, but it keeps you focused on what you really want.

What you immerse yourself in over time will seep into your very pores, and you will become it. When we are continually learning and growing, we will be and do more than we had ever dreamed possible.

What continually goes in is what will continually come out. It is a law that we we cannot escape. Let’s make it work for us.

How to Be Successful in Life by Continually Learning and Growing

• Make a list of what you want to be really good at…list it all.
• Prioritize this list.
• Spend a day putting together a resources/wish list for books, courses, webinars, etc.
• Then do something each month or week from your list.
• Keep doing this. Let it be part of your New Year tradition where you make a list of 12+ resources to add to your list for that year.
• Learn from others. Sometimes through a blog or forum, we will meet someone who inspires us and shows us how to shine or to be better at what we want in life.
• Do a 30 day challenge. They are fantastic for creating momentum. Click here for free, printable 30 day challenges. Or use the blank printable to make your own.

There is no excuse for anyone. Money is no excuse. There are libraries, free books online, webinars, and even whole blogs devoted to niche subjects. Lack of time is no excuse. We can all squeeze in a few minutes here or there. It adds up more than you think. Even stealing a few minutes here or there will get you through at least one book a month.

There are so many amazing and life-changing books and other resources available. We have never lived in a time with so much information readily available. We can learn and do anything we want. Go forth and fly, my butterfly.

The secret to how to be successful in life is to start learning and growing…and never stop. It does not matter where we came from or what is in our past. It only matters what we feed our minds every day, what we are learning and doing today.

It’s not what we do once in a while. It’s what we do every day that determine our life.

So this has been what’s been on my mind lately. The more I learn and grow, the more motivated I get, and the more I believe things are possible.  I want to write a book. I want to have a successful blog that encourages and helps others, that INSPIRES others to live a beautiful life. It feels weird to even say that, to admit that I want that, as if there is something wrong with wanting that, but I do want that. I am wildly passionate about not wasting our lives, about writing on the wall of life, about making a dent in the universe. I want that for us all. My poor family…it’s like living with a motivational speaker 24/7.  I am reading and writing every day and keeping an eye out for great webinars. And as I do these things, I find myself learning more of what I need to do to achieve my goals. But it all starts with continuing to learn and grow.

What are you going to do with your one and amazing life? What are you going to learn? How do you want to grow?

Writing on the wall of life,
~Topaz