Recipe for Success (Apr 25, 2010)
Like many others, I have spent time thinking about factors that lead some people to be very successful in life and which of these factors are within one’s control. Successful people might be intelligent or they may be socially well connected or they may have good upbringings. They may be naturally energetic, open-minded and positive.
In my article last week, I quoted what Lion Sim Boon Chuan, the Immediate Past District Governor of Lions International of District 308-A2 once said in his speech at a Lions function, he said, “if a person has Accepted anything like study, career, religion, social and charity club or organization, Believe in what one has accepted, Committed to one’s believed dream, goal and belief, one will succeed in life. I believe that the “ABC” is a good set of recipe for success.” A is for Accept, B for Believe and C for Commit.
In life, everybody can lead a successful life; we have the opportunity every day to decide how we want to spend our time. We can make conscious choices to create the life we dream of. Every new day is a day for us to renew, revitalize, and restart any aspect of our career and life. All we have to do is changing our thinking and our way of doing things. Like cooking, if we have good recipes to follow, we will be able to cook delicious dishes.
The ingredients are as follows:
A - ACCEPT the task, challenge or work with positive attitude. Having a good attitude is the single most important key to success in anything. One of my favorite quotes is "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." We have to think like a winner to be a winner. This is because our attitude towards what we accept has profound and significant effects on things that we pursue.
Have you met someone with a bad attitude? Someone who constantly focuses on the 'problems' and poisons conversations with his or her negativity? Do you enjoy being around him or her? Do such people really go far in life? I believe life is what we make out of it. We create our own reality. Therefore we must learn to focus on the good things; focus on adding value; focus on creating success for ourselves and that is exactly what will happen.
B - BELIEVE in the challenge that we have accepted. Believe in ourselves and become our own biggest fan. In life, others see you as you see yourself. When we believe in ourselves and confidently express our unique "I" in the world, we can be sure that success is virtually guaranteed.
The people who do well in this world are great self-promoters. Think about the ways that successful individuals brand themselves. Donald Trump's brand is associated with luxury. Rachel Ray focuses on enjoying herself and savoring food while sharing her recipes (her LOVE) with the world. When we believe in what we do and when it is a reflection of 'who we are' inside, we become a magnet to attract exciting opportunities... and that makes us successful.
C- COMMIT to doing the best at what we do. The most successful among us are those who do what others cannot or would not do. They find that one trait about themselves: the intense passion burning within them which makes them commit to do their best to achieve excellence. There is only one Oprah Winfrey, or George Carlin, or Michael Jordan. These people EXCEL at what they do because of their commitment.
When we are excellent at what we do, we become indispensable until we stop believing it. Commitment to excellence breeds success and success comes while we are aspiring for the number one spot. Commitment is of utmost importance; we have to commit to what we do and commit ourselves 100% to it. That takes strength and determination.
I believe the “dishes” we cook will become tastier and the aroma will last longer if we add in 2 important ingredients: Sacrifice and Perseverance. As Charles O. Finley says, “Sweat plus sacrifice equals success.” We sweat when we persevere and continue to work hard. We sacrifice our time, money and forgo instant gratification. We have to sacrifice a lot of our “free time”. We will have to decline unnecessary invitations and avoid distractions. However, the good news is that if we are doing what we are good at and what we love, it would not feel like a sacrifice. We will happily forgo short-term gratification for long-tem gains.
There is a quote that says, “When the world says "Give up," Hope whispers "Try it one more time”." we have to keep on trying. Success comes to the last man or woman standing. Most people never become successful because they simply do not try hard enough. Whatever we do, we must not give up instead we must persevere. It seems it is much easier to give up when we have bills due or when no one else believes in you. Albert Einstein says, “It is not that I am so smart; it is just that I stay with problems longer.” That is precisely the moment when we should buckle down and work harder. If we give up, we surely fail... but if we keep on going, pushing ourselves past over our limits, we will ultimately taste success. It just works out that way. Remember that if we are being our best self and expressing our unique "I", we have much better chances to succeed in life’
We must realize that success comes to those who accept their challenges with positive attitude, believe in themselves, commit to what they are doing, and make sacrifice, persevere and work their tails off.
IF we already have and using the recipe, we must always remind ourselves, when we done well, we should set our sights on doing even better. If we have successfully reached high, reach even higher. Keep reminding ourselves; make it our goal to exceed our own best efforts. One of the very best things about success is that it serves as the basis for greater success. Do not let our success go to waste by simply sitting on it. Find a way to top ourselves. Believe in ourselves we have done great so far, and now we can do even better.
Esther Law is a director, consultant, trainer, Past Division Governor of Toastmasters International, President for Lions Club of Kuching Host (2009-2010). Esther is also the Overseas Director of Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou, China. If you have any comments about this article you can contact her at lawleepoh@gmail.com
