6 Elements of Success
What makes up success?
First, a goal. A clear and ambitious goal. Self-explanatory.
Second, powerful passion and determination.
What makes up passion?
Something that you love to do. Something that you will be extremely and extraordinarily happy to do.
But what kinds of things give you those feelings?
a) Money. Doing that something will bring you money. Because it is the fundamental survival needs under Maslow.
b) Learning. Doing that something brings you huge learning, it can be a larger happiness than money.
c) Impact. Doing that something means you are bringing impact, contributing towards something bigger than yourself, changing something.
And the magnitude of these three elements must be larger or at least equivalent to your capability or the amount of effort that you are putting it. Or else the non-equivalence will only cause sorrow and disappointment.
However, at the end of the day it's your choice. You can 'create' passion and even 'magnify' passion. Because they are your choices. Passion made up from what you think and how you think. If you choose to love it, then you will love it.
"Nothing is good or bad, but what you think makes it so." According to the Bard.
Evidence: The passion and determination that I had when I wanted to change course in UM. It was super huge passion where nothing can beat me even the sky falls.
Third, hope and belief. Strong one.
Any doubts or single thought of "Can I do it" will ruin your passion.
But what makes up belief? What gives you hope?
a) Accept yourself for who you are (a.k.a. Self-esteem, self-confidence, self-appreciation, self-recognition)
All of these similar words. If you truly know yourself (Self-awareness), if you truly accept who you are [Know your strengths, accept what you are sucked at (Your weaknesses)], you will always be proud of your strengths, and believing that they are going to help you to achieve your goals, they give you hope. And you will never frown upon your weaknesses, because you know they are just part of you, they don't define you, they are not gonna kill you. On your hands there are always different chess, they are strong and powerful one, they are also some mediocre and weak one. It depends on whether you can use the strong one to the maximum, and cover/minimise the weak one.
b) Evidence (Real evidence that make you believe that you can achieve the goal)
Far-fetched stuff will only give fluffiness and confusion, and then doubts come in. Human needs real evidence to convince himself. But how do you convince yourself that you can achieve the goals? They seem big and hard!
The only way to convince yourself that you can achieve something is to achieve something.
It doesn't make much sense right.
Evidence: In 5 days time I almost completed the president application. It seemed almost impossible in the first place, but everyday as I made slight progress, I started to appreciate and believe that I can do more, step by step. And I achieved 70% at the end.
Just take an analogy, to convince yourself that you can finish a marathon of 10km. You must first complete the first 500m, the next 500m, then 1km, 2km, 4km, 8km and finally...10km. Imagine in the first few minute of running, you already keep thinking about the goal of 10km, how difficult it can be?
"10km is such a long distance, it seems so hard." "10km? I am not even at 1km yet, how can I do it? It seems a long way to go" "I am so tired, 10km, is that possible?"
All of these doubts will come across your mind if you are keep aiming towards the end goal of 10km (If you are just a normal man but not an athletic runner)
To remove all the self-doubts, to really make yourself believe that you can do it, is to aim really really small goal, achieve it slowly. Once you achieve the first small goal, you gained confidence. You got REAL EVIDENCE that you can do it and you can aim higher and do more now. Aim to complete the first 500m, then put your goal in the next 500m, then you can add your goal's magnitude to 2km, to 4km to 8km and finally you achieve it!
c) Powerful experience and personal values
This is a long-term solution, an element that requires long time to build up slowly. A person with a lot of intensive experience (No matter the ending was good or bad) that challenged him a lot is a person that have a lot of grit. The moment you see and interact with such a person, you can feel his boldness and his 'resume' (You can feel that he has gone through a lot). He has very strong personal value and belief system. His past experience told him that nothing cannot be achieved and he can do wonders.
In front of the hardest task, you might not be able to have real evidence to convince yourself. Your strengths might not be great enough to support you too. At such crucial moment, it is your past experience and personal values that hold you firm and strong to achieve your goals.
"I believe we can make it out from here. I believe it because I choose to believe it."
Quoted from the main character in the movie "The 33", Mario. He was the leader of the other 32 men and he brought them to go through the survival challenge during the mining accident in Chile.
Fourth, a back up plan that gives you a sense of safety.
Sometimes failing can be really really scary. Thinking about failing can be the scariest thing in earth. This kind of fear will stop you from doing the things and striving for your goals because you are so afraid to fail.
But having a back up plan, a plan of "What if I failed, I still can XXX". Of course, the consequence of failing will only close the door of success and you can only opt for a secondary alternative which is most of the time mediocre and lesser in values. However, knowing that you will not die and at least you have an alternative (though mediocre) giving you courage to move on, because the worst is not fatal but just mediocre. And you can always restart and improve from mediocrity again.
However, do not hold this fourth element strongly, because keep thinking about backup plan will make you lose focus towards your current ambitious goal. If you keep thinking about it, you will tend to be satisfied with your backup plan which is mediocre.
This fourth element is only intended to be a mechanism to conquer your fear in the extreme circumstance (When you are really really so afraid of failing and the fear is so overwhelming).
Evidence: During my process in fighting to change course, I always have the thought of "Even if I can't change it now, I can study Engineering for one year first then I apply to change to Law again. I don't mind wasting one year." This backup plan gives me a sense of safety that even the worst come to the worst the only thing I need to sacrifice is to lose one year. I have nothing much to lose. At the same time this backup plan didn't make me idle, because I was still super firm with my determination to change course (Element No.2 above)
Fifth: Never stop adding values to youself
Sixth and the last one, be simple, be happy.
This is the most fluffy, abstract and non-scientific element.
But it is the most practical one. Alot of times we get too obsessed with thoughts about the goals, the challenges, the fear of failing and the joy of success, we forgot our fundamentals as human being, which is to be really simple and be happy, like a kid.
Happiness boost productivity. If you learned how to be happy and put up a smile at 24/7 regardless of what is the outcome or what's happening, you will just do better in your work. Because you know you have nothing to lose, no matter what happened, life is good, life is great, life is happy.
Please believe that, everything happens for a good reason. A damn good reason. Sometimes they looked really good, sometimes they are blessing in disguise, but they are always good and great.
First, a goal. A clear and ambitious goal. Self-explanatory.
Second, powerful passion and determination.
What makes up passion?
Something that you love to do. Something that you will be extremely and extraordinarily happy to do.
But what kinds of things give you those feelings?
a) Money. Doing that something will bring you money. Because it is the fundamental survival needs under Maslow.
b) Learning. Doing that something brings you huge learning, it can be a larger happiness than money.
c) Impact. Doing that something means you are bringing impact, contributing towards something bigger than yourself, changing something.
And the magnitude of these three elements must be larger or at least equivalent to your capability or the amount of effort that you are putting it. Or else the non-equivalence will only cause sorrow and disappointment.
However, at the end of the day it's your choice. You can 'create' passion and even 'magnify' passion. Because they are your choices. Passion made up from what you think and how you think. If you choose to love it, then you will love it.
"Nothing is good or bad, but what you think makes it so." According to the Bard.
Evidence: The passion and determination that I had when I wanted to change course in UM. It was super huge passion where nothing can beat me even the sky falls.
Third, hope and belief. Strong one.
Any doubts or single thought of "Can I do it" will ruin your passion.
But what makes up belief? What gives you hope?
a) Accept yourself for who you are (a.k.a. Self-esteem, self-confidence, self-appreciation, self-recognition)
All of these similar words. If you truly know yourself (Self-awareness), if you truly accept who you are [Know your strengths, accept what you are sucked at (Your weaknesses)], you will always be proud of your strengths, and believing that they are going to help you to achieve your goals, they give you hope. And you will never frown upon your weaknesses, because you know they are just part of you, they don't define you, they are not gonna kill you. On your hands there are always different chess, they are strong and powerful one, they are also some mediocre and weak one. It depends on whether you can use the strong one to the maximum, and cover/minimise the weak one.
b) Evidence (Real evidence that make you believe that you can achieve the goal)
Far-fetched stuff will only give fluffiness and confusion, and then doubts come in. Human needs real evidence to convince himself. But how do you convince yourself that you can achieve the goals? They seem big and hard!
The only way to convince yourself that you can achieve something is to achieve something.
It doesn't make much sense right.
Evidence: In 5 days time I almost completed the president application. It seemed almost impossible in the first place, but everyday as I made slight progress, I started to appreciate and believe that I can do more, step by step. And I achieved 70% at the end.
Just take an analogy, to convince yourself that you can finish a marathon of 10km. You must first complete the first 500m, the next 500m, then 1km, 2km, 4km, 8km and finally...10km. Imagine in the first few minute of running, you already keep thinking about the goal of 10km, how difficult it can be?
"10km is such a long distance, it seems so hard." "10km? I am not even at 1km yet, how can I do it? It seems a long way to go" "I am so tired, 10km, is that possible?"
All of these doubts will come across your mind if you are keep aiming towards the end goal of 10km (If you are just a normal man but not an athletic runner)
To remove all the self-doubts, to really make yourself believe that you can do it, is to aim really really small goal, achieve it slowly. Once you achieve the first small goal, you gained confidence. You got REAL EVIDENCE that you can do it and you can aim higher and do more now. Aim to complete the first 500m, then put your goal in the next 500m, then you can add your goal's magnitude to 2km, to 4km to 8km and finally you achieve it!
c) Powerful experience and personal values
This is a long-term solution, an element that requires long time to build up slowly. A person with a lot of intensive experience (No matter the ending was good or bad) that challenged him a lot is a person that have a lot of grit. The moment you see and interact with such a person, you can feel his boldness and his 'resume' (You can feel that he has gone through a lot). He has very strong personal value and belief system. His past experience told him that nothing cannot be achieved and he can do wonders.
In front of the hardest task, you might not be able to have real evidence to convince yourself. Your strengths might not be great enough to support you too. At such crucial moment, it is your past experience and personal values that hold you firm and strong to achieve your goals.
"I believe we can make it out from here. I believe it because I choose to believe it."
Quoted from the main character in the movie "The 33", Mario. He was the leader of the other 32 men and he brought them to go through the survival challenge during the mining accident in Chile.
Fourth, a back up plan that gives you a sense of safety.
Sometimes failing can be really really scary. Thinking about failing can be the scariest thing in earth. This kind of fear will stop you from doing the things and striving for your goals because you are so afraid to fail.
But having a back up plan, a plan of "What if I failed, I still can XXX". Of course, the consequence of failing will only close the door of success and you can only opt for a secondary alternative which is most of the time mediocre and lesser in values. However, knowing that you will not die and at least you have an alternative (though mediocre) giving you courage to move on, because the worst is not fatal but just mediocre. And you can always restart and improve from mediocrity again.
However, do not hold this fourth element strongly, because keep thinking about backup plan will make you lose focus towards your current ambitious goal. If you keep thinking about it, you will tend to be satisfied with your backup plan which is mediocre.
This fourth element is only intended to be a mechanism to conquer your fear in the extreme circumstance (When you are really really so afraid of failing and the fear is so overwhelming).
Evidence: During my process in fighting to change course, I always have the thought of "Even if I can't change it now, I can study Engineering for one year first then I apply to change to Law again. I don't mind wasting one year." This backup plan gives me a sense of safety that even the worst come to the worst the only thing I need to sacrifice is to lose one year. I have nothing much to lose. At the same time this backup plan didn't make me idle, because I was still super firm with my determination to change course (Element No.2 above)
Fifth: Never stop adding values to youself
Read books and articles. Volunteer and do good deeds. Share your stories to people, no matter good or bad. Mix and mingle with great people, nice people, good people.
Sixth and the last one, be simple, be happy.
This is the most fluffy, abstract and non-scientific element.
But it is the most practical one. Alot of times we get too obsessed with thoughts about the goals, the challenges, the fear of failing and the joy of success, we forgot our fundamentals as human being, which is to be really simple and be happy, like a kid.
Happiness boost productivity. If you learned how to be happy and put up a smile at 24/7 regardless of what is the outcome or what's happening, you will just do better in your work. Because you know you have nothing to lose, no matter what happened, life is good, life is great, life is happy.
Please believe that, everything happens for a good reason. A damn good reason. Sometimes they looked really good, sometimes they are blessing in disguise, but they are always good and great.
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