Keys to Success for Every Age

On my GCTV network I host a show called Power Players where I interview CEOs, best selling authors, motivators, entrepreneurs, marketers, real estate moguls, and others who are making the big moves and the big plays in their industries.

I've interviewed and coached Caleb Maddix. If you haven’t heard the name yet, Caleb is a 14 year old author, a public speaker, and founder of Kids with a Mission, Caleb is already doing big things in 2016. Caleb has written Keys to Success for Kids, but the same keys that work for children apply to us adults.Some of the things Caleb has been teaching his young audience are the same things I have been shouting from the rooftops:

1. No Excuses: You can’t do something positive when you are spending time making excuses. I didn’t grow up in a privileged household with connections to the “right” people. I was given no money to start my companies and I wasn’t more “gifted” than the next person. Yet I was able to accumulate success that is far beyond anything most people ever thought I could. I never let my situation be an excuse. I took massive action to change my situation.

People not taking action make excuses for their condition. Countless people share the same excuses for why it is “not a good time” to take action and start doing something.

The bottom line is that you must take responsibility for everything in life.

2. Set Goals: To go somewhere you need a road map. If you have nothing to aim for, what are you shooting at? Many people that do make goals shoot for the wrong target by setting goals so low that they aren’t even motivating. Others set goals underestimating what it will take in terms of actions, resources, money, and energy to accomplish the target.

Understand that the bigger and more unrealistic your goals are—and the more they’re aligned to your purpose and duty—the more they’ll energize and fuel your actions. Write down some goals, and make them big, giant goals that get you excited.

The higher you aim the more action you will start taking.

3. Personal Growth: If you get a no in life it’s because you don’t know something. There may or may not be shortages of water and oil on this planet, but I assure you there are vast shortages of highly committed people who are looking to continuously learn and educate themselves. While there are hundreds of millions of people who call themselves professsionals, there are only a handful who are really “the greats.”

The difference between average and greatness lies in being committed and being consumed by the desire to be great and the dedication to learn how to be great. Many people read just one book a year. Successful CEO’s read 60. Everyone has time to invest in themselves and learn, but few value personal growth enough to actually spend the time doing it.

Caleb Maddix is a young teenager who doesn’t make excuses, sets big goals, and is committed to personal growth. I’d encourage you, no matter what stage of life you are in, to do the same.

Be great,

Grant Cardone