Introduction
Many people have several definitions for success. Success definitions vary across several climes depending on the perspective from which the concept is viewed. Some individuals define success in terms of power, others money, others still influence, some more as fame, popularity and physical power. However, one simple definition is this: success is the progressive achievement of worthwhile clearly defined, longed for and sought after goals. This tells us something very critical and important to our understanding of success. Success is, can be and should be progressive, which means success is a journey. No matter the heights attained in the quest for success there is something more to achieve. Someone very influential once said “failure is never final and success is never ending”. Success is attractive, it gives charisma, confers upon its owner an aura, and has a magnetizing effect. Success is so powerful that it translates mere mortals from the realms of mediocrity to the lofty heights of excellence. Living successful humans become living legends while still alive and even exert powerful influence even in death upon humanity. In the political space we have icons like Nelson Mandela, in the civil rights struggle we have Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and in science we have Einstein including a host of other giants who have left their footprints in the sands of time. However, what most people do not know is that it is possible to program your mind for success. The mind is a powerful tool and should be our greatest ally in our quest for success.
Success facts (Contd)
The very fact that the mind can be programmed for success is in itself a success fact. These are the next set of facts you as an individual must know in other to attain and retain success:
4- The power of burning desire: The greatest thoughts are emotionalized. Research and studies show that we either act or fail to act because of emotion or lack of emotion. Burning desire will propel you in the direction of your dreams. Success eventually comes to the man or woman who has a burning desire, who literally has fire in their bones. You will always move in the direction of your greatest desire. Emotion provides the fuel that propels us in a forward direction much like solid fuel propellant moves a rocket forward as it struggles to escape the pull of the earth’s gravity and thrusts into outer space. In the same way, you need the fuel of burning desire to enable you escape the gravitational pull of mediocrity and launch out into the upper reaches of the rarefied atmosphere of success.
5- The power of visualization: Your mind thinks in pictures, your mind generates mental pictures. Virtually everything we see around us today are the mental pictures of scientists, musicians, inventors, politicians, economists, and bankers etc which have today become reality. This tells us that visualization is no small thing indeed. How do you program your mind for success in this regard? You must start to think of your dream in clear mental pictures. Research reveals that these clear mental pictures activate the subconscious and super conscious mind of a person. Practice visualizing your dreams on a daily basis with clarity, intensity, emotion and passion. Play the success tape in your mind over and over again till it becomes an entrenched habit. Visualize your goal as a reality already attained, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
6- The power of goal setting: No matter how powerful your dreams of success are, nothing happens until you set a goal or a series of goals towards achieving it. The power of goal setting cannot be overemphasized, and is actually one of the key ways, if not the key way to program your mind for success. You must write down your goals, set a deadline and have an actionable plan. You must also be very clear in your mind about the goals you set, and you must set realistic reachable goals. Goals keep you on track in exactly the same way a guided intercontinental missile follows an unerring course to its target. Never forget that goals must follow the S.M.A.R.T. acronym namely Specific Measurable Agreed upon Realistic Time-based.
Specific: Your goals must be well defined, clear to anyone that has a basic knowledge of the task, project or undertaking
Measurable: You must know if the goal is obtainable and how far away completion is, you must also be able to find out when you have achieved your goal
Agreed upon: You must come into agreement with all the stakeholders what the goals should be
Realistic: Your goals must be within the reach of available resources, knowledge and time
Time based: You must plan enough time to achieve your goal, you must not approach this from the perspective of too much time because that can affect performance on the goal, objective, task or undertaking
In conclusion, these are the 2nd set of success facts namely the power of burning desire, visualization and goal setting.