What is holding you back from achieving great success? 
It’s often said that success is counted sweetest by those who never succeed.
But what makes other people successful and others less successful?
This question has been asked millions of times and one wonders if there is a definite answer for it.
In his book “Outliers: The Story of Success”, Malcolm Gladwell describes the best minds, the most popular and the most successful people in our times.
The book seeks to identify the things that make high-achievers different. According to the book, the sum characteristics of an individual including environment and culture have an overall contribution to success.
While it’s not possible for everyone to revolutionize business, create opportunities and change the way people think, the knowledge of how the achievers do it is important for anyone who wants to succeed in their own little ways.
There are many people who, for one reason or another, cannot attain their goals and this even includes people who are considered brilliant. The perception that you are not talented enough only accounts for a tiny percentage of failure.
Studies have shown that most successful people don’t succeed because of their brilliance but because of their actions. What is it that they do differently?
This article summarizes all the things one is required to undertake in order to succeed in whatever they are pursuing.
Power of the mind
Many people are aware that the mind plays a role in any success. You have to tune your mind for success but when you fail to do so the mind tunes itself for failure.
It’s the mind that tells someone that something cannot be achieved even before the set out to try it. The worst comes when one develops a mental predisposition that always says “this cannot be done.”
The best way to get your mind out of your way to success is to plan realistically while believing in your abilities.
You have to remain positive throughout the plan. Even the best plan will not succeed if your mind refuses to acknowledge its achieve-ability.
Basic factors:
Aside from environmental, cultural and any other advantages an individual might enjoy, there are a number of things that must be religiously adhered to for success to be realized.
People who achieved great success in history have followed the basic rules to the latter. Anyone willing to succeed should clearly identify their goals and stay focused on them. Staying focused is not easy as the word sounds, it requires an effort.
You have to start by being clear on what you want to achieve. If you force yourself in an area you don’t like then chances are that you won’t put in the right effort.
There is an organized way of going about this. Here are the basic things you need to do to train your mind to focus on your undertakings.
1. Learn to concentrate on what you are doing
Not being able to concentrate on your undertakings is one sure way to fail.
You may not be able to concentrate because of anxiety, stress or any other psychological conditions. If that’s the case then you need to seek medical attention.
However, many people have trouble concentrating because they try to focus on many different goals. It’s advisable for one to pick a maximum of three goals that have the best reflection of what they want in life and put their entire mind into that.
You must fight the urge to do other things until you achieve your primary goals. Concentrating on a few activities at a time will help you to gather and utilize all the necessary resources and increase your chances of succeeding.
2. Make a vision board it will help you
There are some of us who identify the priority goals, collect all the necessary information, and then leave it at that.
If you have trouble sticking to activities you need to undertake to achieve your goals, then you really need to come up with a vision board.
Creating a vision board is simply is simply creating a collage of pictures that represent your goals and dreams.
A vision board acts as a constant reminder of your end goals and inevitably motivates you to stay in action. The best place to put the collage is in front of your private desk or somewhere in your bedroom. This is one of the best tools for people who have trouble concentrating.
3. Milestones
Sometimes you might be required to do many different things over a very long period for you to achieve your dream.
If you are not organized enough then you might get discouraged along the way.
The worst scenario is when you begin to procrastinate on the things you need to undertake to realize your goals.
It’s wise to break your goal into smaller goals that can be achieved in the short-run. This will reduce the heavy load on your mind and help you concentrate better.
4. Learn to stand your ground
There are a lot of temptations that will come your way when are trying to concentrate or achieve. It is in your best interest to say no.
In most cases distractions come in form of other people seeking help from you in a manner that you are required to put your goals on hold.
It’s not wrong to give assistance a few times but when you find yourself in a habit of doing that at the expense of your goals, then something is terribly wrong.
There are so many kind people out there who often find themselves helping others more than they help themselves.
If you are trapped in this behavior, then you need to find help. There are a number of articles prepared to help you say no including a wikihow entry.
What else to do:
Putting yourself in the right mind and setting up the basic structures required to achieve your dream is sometimes not enough.
This begs the question “What else should one do?” At times you are working on goals that are not achievable or you are not sure of the specific activities you need to undertake. Such things are a recipe for failure even when other factors are constant.
1. Seizing the opportunity
You must make sure that it’s the best opportune time for the kind of activity you are undertaking. Have a full grasp of all that goes on in your area and watch out for opportunities.
For instance, you might loose on a million dollar contract just because you weren’t in the office to pick a phone call.
You should understand that achieving your goals includes preparing yourself to grab all opportunities that come your way.
2. Be realistic and remain optimistic
It’s very important to be realistic when you are identifying and planning for your goals. Being positive about your abilities to succeed goes a long way to keep you motivated.
But never ever underestimate the range of activities you are required to undertake before you achieve your goals.
Effort and persistence will only bear fruit if your goals are realistic. Therefore, the evaluation of whether your goals are achievable or not should be actively undertaken at the planning stage.
3. Focus on improving your capacity to deliver
Having a belief that you have what it takes to accomplish your goals is very important but believing you can improve on your skills or capacity is good.
Believing you have what it takes predisposes you to a risk of trying to prove yourself. Capacity building is particularly required should the project run into challenges you hadn’t thought of.
h3>5. Evaluate and consider options
It’s very important to track what has been achieved in the important points on way to achieve your goals.
Don’t lock yourself up and assume everything is working right. There are a number of performance metrics you can use to know if you are on track or whether you need to consider other options.
Let’s wrap it up
You should keep it in your mind that it doesn’t take a miracle or extreme intelligence for anyone to achieve their dreams. Achieving your dreams is a factor of planning, effort and positive mental inclination.
History shows us that people who achieved big did so by being extremely thorough and committed to their courses.
Unfortunately, there is no simpler way to go about it.
Focus on taking a holistic approach as described in this article and you will surely increase the chances of succeeding in all your undertakings.
About the Author – Eric Pangburn is a highly experienced freelance writer from SnitchIM.com. He regularly offers quality content for small business owners, start up businesses, and individuals. If you are looking to expand your business and attract more customers but don’t have the means to generate your own content, contact Eric today and he will be glad to help!