I’m not one for making resolutions. I prefer setting goals.
To me, the close of a year represents the end of a measurement period; it’s when we look back and track our successes – and our failures. The dawn of a new year starts off a new analysis cycle, where we can measure our achievements and our setbacks in a variety of ways.
During the past year, I have had several conversations with friends and colleagues regarding my own transition and the startup of a new company. During those discussions, one theme stood out:
There are no unicorns on this planet, no magic potions for success. Many times, we think there are.
Social media, influencers, celebrities, those with fame and fortune might tell us that there are fairy-tale solutions.
Truth be told: There are none.
We Are All the Same – But Different
I recognize that we all have our unique talents, skills, and abilities.
We all have different backgrounds, experiences, education, economic levels, cultural upbringings, and religions. But as humans, we are all created with the same operating system, just like a computer, called the human brain. And in this context, we are alike.
And it is how we utilize our operating system that gives birth to success – or brings on failure.
As an example, I have a friend who is extremely successful. She started a brand-new business in an industry that she was unfamiliar with, left her corporate career to reinvent herself in a new chapter and in an entirely new industry. She is incredibly driven, committed, resourceful and perseverant.
The other day her name came up. Someone said “She’s just incredibly special. She’s really unique. She’s amazing.”
In that moment I agreed. It was true.
But I was taken aback by that statement. I agree that she is unique. It definitely contributed to where she is today.
But I wondered why my friend didn’t feel that she, too, is special and unique. Was she saying that she couldn’t achieve the same success – or that most people couldn’t?
Don’t Look Outside Yourself: You Are the Answer
Over this past year, I shared my own plans with others. People gave me feedback such as: “You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if you weren’t creating something new and putting all of
your passion into it.”
I don’t think I’m more special or unique than any other person. I live my life in the belief that everyone can accomplish things, even big things if they so choose.
Everyone is and can be amazing. And I mean you.
No matter where you are in life right now, you can go higher. We all can.
I’ve heard others say that people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are superhuman. Truth? They are humans – just like the rest of us.
Does that mean we all could have created Tesla or Microsoft or the Warren Buffet empire? Not necessarily – and particularly not if you don’t have the passion to. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses.
But comparing those industry giants to ourselves can be an excuse not to pursue our own gifts;
it can deny us so much in our own lives.
They’ve failed more times than they’ve succeeded. They faced fear, criticism, and rejection. And they didn’t care about any of that once they made it. You won’t either. That’s the secret.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston S. Churchill
Yes, You Can Achieve Those Goals! Believe in Yourself.
I did not have the level or quality of education that many successful people have, nor financial and economic abilities. Many successful people in our world have come from similar backgrounds to our own…and even less.
Henry Ford said it best:
“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises,
is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
What is your excuse for not becoming? For not learning? For not growing?
Unhappiness and discontent shouldn’t be your motivation for accomplishment and growth. Let your inner passion lead you to grow or achieve. Embracing your passion lights an inner spark – a spark that creates fuel for the pursuit of your goals.
When I am considering new ideas or aspirations, I reflect on how grateful I am for what I have.
When I have new ideas, they truly come from a place of gratefulness, not dissatisfaction.
This is the key to success.
The process you take your mind through toward accomplishing things – overcoming and facing obstacles, learning and being willing to fail – builds strength in so many ways. The process itself helps us evolve into stronger, wiser, more mature human beings.
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
– Maya Angelou
Psst…You Are Your Only Competition
If you want to suggest that others are special and unique- consider that you are too.
- What are the things you want to do?
- What are your goals?
- What would you like to say you’ve done a year from now?
Get Clear on Your Goals with 5 Key Questions:
-Why do you want to accomplish it and how could you possibly meet your goal?
-What are the obstacles that would prevent it from happening – how would you handle them?
-What’s the fuel behind your why, your passion, your motivation?
-How about the things you need to do in order to get there?
-Are you willing to start living toward it right now? Every day?
“People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
-Tony Robbins