The Holy Grail of Success!

There is no single definition of what it means to succeed. The definition of success is highly subjective and can be rationalized depending on the individual. For some, it's becoming a millionaire by a certain age. For others, it is completing a certain degree. For yet others, it could be buying their dream home or taking a company public. When the word success is mentioned, it evokes a feeling of accomplishment in some ways to people. What all these goals and aspirations have in common is not about the destination. It is about the person you have to become to be called successful. The goal is of secondary importance. The reason is that by nature we are not wired to be content with whatever we achieve. There is always another goal, always another level of accomplishment that we will desire. Therefore , the goal of success is a moving target.

Irrespective of what we aspire to achieve, the critical component that will determine if we? succeed at it or not is a series of habits. It is the self-imposed constant application of ourselves on specific tasks towards a self-selected goal that determines whether we succeed or not. The problem here is that it is not easy to form and maintain the set of actions that are essential for success. So we do what most people do…procrastinate. Procrastination is the art of putting off what is important and high value, for what is urgent and low-value. Procrastination pushes us away from doing the things that are critical to our success. Through procrastination, we become our own self-saboteurs. We become our own best enemies. The dreams, the goals, the aspirations, and hopes…then atrophy. From simple habits like hitting the snooze button, to putting off the exercise routine until tomorrow, we become who we do not want to become.

The key ingredient of success

In the ultimate sense, only one thing is essential for success. And that is a well known word. It is called discipline. Discipline is doing what is required for achieving whatever goal you set for yourself without bothering whether you feel like it or not. Discipline is what keeps us on the treadmill instead of on the bed. It doesn't really matter what the goal is; whether it is making a million, developing a set of unique skills, or adopting healthier lifestyles in general, discipline is what makes us take the daily actions that will make our dreams come true. Why is discipline necessary? For two reasons. The first reason is that whenever we set out to achieve a goal, something called the resistance sets in. The aim of the resistance is to derail us, and sabotage our dreams and goals.?

It is the resistance that suggests doing it tomorrow will make it easier and feel better. It is just that tomorrow never comes. Life happens in the moment. Today is all we have. Tomorrow is unsure. Greatness is achieved one day at a time. The second reason that necessitates the habit of self-discipline is that it is the key ingredient of self-confidence. Self-confidence is the feeling of knowledge in our ability to do something. It is knowing that we can. Without self-discipline, we cannot be confident that we can set a goal and accomplish it, because we know that we will falter when it comes to doing the daily routines that are instrumental to achieving our goals. Therefore, the holy grail of success is self-discipline!

Alex James

May 03, 2022