How to Tell If You're Ready for Success
Wanda Thibodeaux
Author | Mental Health Advocate | Faith-Work Aligner; Host, Faithful on the Clock podcast (faithfulontheclock.captivate.fm)
Imagine that it happens.
You have more money than you ever could spend. You have influence. People respect you. By all accounts, you're successful. You can practically hear the applause of others and feel the warmth of stage lights as you sleep.
The only trouble is, you have no idea what to do.
Although some people slide into success with the ease and finesse of Frank Sinatra crooning into a mic, many others achieve success only to become a deer in headlights. They end up unhappy, desperate for privacy and people they can trust, or they get caught up in one kind of scandal or another, coping with their anxiety with drugs, spending, or other mechanisms. It's not unusual for them to crumble under the pressure to continue performing or to fear doing or saying the wrong thing out of ignorance.
How can you tell if you're capable of avoiding all that -- that is, that you're truly ready for success?
1. You don't worry about rank, title, or years.
People often get intimidated by others with seniority, lots of experience, or a fancy nameplate on their desk. But when you're ready for success, you realize that everybody can contribute and that who a person is as a human being matters far more than their resume. As a result, you can approach the people you meet without getting too nervous, focusing on the relationships you can build and the objectives at hand.
2. You look for the truth in what your critics say.
Some people are just jerks. There's no getting around that. But sometimes, the people who find fault with you have a point. If you're ready for success, you understand that you're not perfect and that your biases might blind you to problems. So, when you get some negative feedback, you always entertain the idea that perhaps the giver deserves some thanks for revealing where you could improve. At the same time, when you encounter true trolls who want only to irritate you, you can understand that you don't have to waste your energy internalizing their negativity.
3. You don't have a list of people to impress.
Success usually comes and is best maintained only when it's internally driven. If you're too focused on what other people think or want, then you likely won't be able to stop them from influencing your decisions. That spells trouble for controlling your power, money, fame, or other success benefits. When you strive based on your own values and vision, however, you easily can stay on track and compound your wins.
4. Others tell you you're ready.
It's not uncommon for people to suffer from imposter syndrome, especially if they've had a tough life. It's also common for people not to perceive how much they've learned or advanced. So, you might need other people to affirm how ready for success you are. If others around you keep trying to push you to the next level, that's a fantastic sign they think you can handle everything the climb brings with it.
5. You know exactly what you'll do.
If you get money, how will you spend it? If you gain sway, what will you use your influence for? If you can speak, what message will you deliver? People who are not ready for success usually are uncertain about those questions. They do not have a defined sense of purpose or a vision of how to apply the success they earn. Knowing the direction you'll take with what you gain allows you to move forward with confidence and to engage good accountability with those gains.
Success is something just about everyone desires, but it carries a significant weight. If you're not prepared to carry that weight, you quickly can lose what you worked for. If the points in the list above are true for you, however, you might be well-prepared for achievement. If you see some gaps, you still can take heart: By using each point as a checkpoint or target, you can challenge your mindset and ways of doing to become exactly who you want to be.
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