“Decide what you want, decide what
you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to
work.” -H. L. Hunt
During an interview, when asked what his secret
to success was, Mr. Hunt answered, “It’s really quite simple: Decide what you
want. Decide.”
As human beings, we have a tendency to
complicate things. It is very hard for most people to imagine success could be
so simple, yet here was this incredibly successful man declaring just how
simple his formula for success was.
Mr. Hunt didn’t say think about what you want
and think about what you are willing to exchange for it. No, he said “decide.”
This one word holds all the power. When we decide, we are, in that moment, also
making a commitment to developing a specific course of action forward in the
direction of the decision. We are committing. We are creating purpose and
intention.
The act of deciding cuts off any possible
outcome other than success as long as the decision is backed up with work and
persistence. Initial failure is just a signal to begin again in a new direction
with the same level of commitment because the action supports the decision.
When we decide, we also set into motion our faith and our belief in ourselves
and our abilities. Decide! Be intent.
“For an athlete to function
properly, he must be intent. There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you
are to progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren’t
able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at
the moment.” -John Wooden
Intention and purpose are foundational concepts
for any of us to function properly. When we decide on a definite purpose and
create a goal equally challenging to that stated purpose, we become driven. To
be driven means to move in a specific direction with intent and purpose. When
moving in a specific direction, we are much less likely to be derailed from our
stated purpose by all of the distractions almost guaranteed to appear while
moving in the direction of our stated goal.
Doing what appears to be more fun in the moment
might look like an attractive option if our eyes are not steadily fixed upon
the horizon of our intended outcome. While training for the PMC, there were
many things I had to say no to that sounded like way more fun than a long
sweaty training ride, like breakfast with friends at a restaurant, an early
morning round of golf, or just about anything you can think of other than what
I actually needed to be focused on, which was training.
However, we can easily resist the temptation of the moment when we absolutely believe in and are completely clear about what we really want. We must remember our “why.” We must decide, commit, be intentional, set lofty goals, prepare, practice, achieve, and enthusiastically succeed!
“For true success, ask yourself these four questions:
Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?” -James Allen
One of the most powerful abilities we have as human beings
is the ability to think and reason. This one ability is what separates mankind
from all the other species on the planet. Our ability to communicate with both
ourselves and others through the power of questions is the element which gives
us the unique opportunity to do, be, or become whatever we choose.
“Why” is the real question we need to answer. If
our why is big enough, the how will always show up. Whatever it is we desire,
we must first become crystal clear on why it’s important to us. Our why will
pull us in the direction of our desired outcome. “Why not” is the
question addressing our beliefs about what’s possible. “Why not me”
makes the question personal. ‘Why not now’ helps us wrestle with the idea of
fitting whatever we are considering into our current life plan and motivates us
to take action.
Either identify or create your own compelling why. It’s the most important element. It will eliminate all the reasons you can think of for why not and will carry you over, around, or through any obstacles you encounter on your way to success. Your why creates both the belief in what’s possible, and more importantly, what’s possible for you.
“The man who succeeds above his fellows is the one
who, early in life, clearly discerns his object, and towards that object
habitually directs his powers. Even genius itself is but fine observation
strengthened by fixity of purpose. Every man who observes vigilantly and
resolves steadfastly grows unconsciously into genius.” -Edward G.
Bulwer-Lytton
The journey, dedication, persistence, and plain hard work
are so often overlooked by the uninformed. No one really ever becomes an
overnight success. Someone may one day wake up and find themself successful and
perhaps even a celebrity, but the reason it’s a surprise is because they had
their head buried in their work and only realized where they were because they came
up for a breath of air.
Napoleon Hill suggested a burning desire was required.
Henry ford said if you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right. Hill
also said, whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.
Is it then belief coupled with a steadfast singleness of purpose that overcomes
all challenges and obstacles? According to Earl Nightingale, we literally
become what we think about most of the time. A great question for each of us to
consider then might be: What am I becoming? Persistence, drive, energy, and
effort are the real secrets of success.
“Success is neither magical or mysterious. Success is
the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”
-Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn was an Idaho farm boy who one day found himself in
Beverly Hills. Mr. Rohn, if asked, would simply tell you he was fortunate
enough to meet a man who took the time to teach him some basic fundamentals
that completely changed his life. The same good fortune Jim Rohn found when he
met Mr. Shoaff is available to all of us because even though Jim Rohn is gone
from this world, his messages have been captured for all eternity in his
writings, teaching, and speeches. The key to results, he would say, is
understanding you must apply what you learn.
One of his most profound teachings is also incredibly simple and focuses on fundamentals: “Failure is nothing more than a few errors in judgement repeated every day.” Once failure is recognized and studied, corrections must be applied: “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.”
“Every great achievement in this world was first
carefully thought out…Think – but to a purpose. Think constructively. […]
Think to rise and improve your place in life. There can be no advancement or
success without serious thought.” -George Matthew Adams
You Can: A collection of Brief Talks on the Most Important
Topic in the World – Your Success, a book
by George Matthew Adams, has been selected as being a culturally important book
by scholars. The book is now considered to be a part of the knowledge base of
civilization as we know it.
Everything begins in thought. “All things are created
twice, first in thought, then in action.” Nothing, literally nothing,
has ever been created that didn’t first begin as a thought or an idea.
If we are to achieve and accomplish all that we attempt, we
must carefully consider the thoughts we focus on. Constructive thinking is what
allows us to overcome challenges and create solutions. Our creative capacity
develops as a direct result of us utilizing our ability to think and
reason.
There is no challenge too great or obstacle too big that
cannot be overcome by creatively seeking a solution. The challenge for most of
us is that we don’t spend a lot of time thinking. We have become accustomed to
a quick fix or an easy solution, and most of the time these methods only create
temporary results.
In order to get to where we want to go, or to achieve what
we want to accomplish, we need a plan. One of the easiest examples to
illustrate this point that most everyone can relate to is the blueprint the
architect creates before any building is ever erected. Before any work is ever
done, before the ground is made ready, before a single nail is ever driven, the
desired outcome is captured in full detail, in the plan.
We can apply this same logic to the challenges of life.
Create a detailed plan, be prepared to make revisions, adapt to changing
conditions, and stay focused on the desired result. And soon, often before we
even realize it, we have achieved or accomplished what was originally just an
idea.
For whatever reason, we have become a society focused on
having everything figured out before we begin. It is impossible to know all
that needs to be known to be successful before beginning a project. Success
generally develops as we move through the process. So create your blueprint,
create your plan, then take action, engage in thought as you move forward,
study conditions as they develop, and adjust accordingly. Believe in your
ability to adjust on the fly, dare to make mistakes along the way, and achieve
whatever it is you desire.
“People are paid, ambition is achieved, success comes only in the measure that a man thinks. Think. All great doers were and are great thinkers. Think. […] Be your own silent partner. Think. Be responsible to your own intellectual force. Think.” -George Matthew Adams
“There is always a best way of doing everything.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
If there is indeed always a best way of doing everything,
how do we go about discovering the “best” way? We may not initially know the
best way, but with so many resources available at our disposal today, we can
evaluate several different options and then try our best to choose the best one
available to us at that moment in time.
How was Thomas Edison able to discover the best way to
create an incandescent light bulb? The simple answer is he found thousands of
ways that were not the best way. If we are willing to try different approaches
and keep our minds open to all available options, eventually we will discover
the best way for the task at hand in those circumstances. The best way is ever
evolving, constantly improving, making room for the next best way. We are still
figuring out the best way, all these years later, to create the best lighting
solution possible. Sometimes the best way is only slightly different than what
the best way was the day before.
Writing is a lot like this. When I first started writing,
many of my messages were rudimentary. As I practiced my craft, I learned
different ways of expressing my ideas and gained a better command of language,
expression, and description. I also developed my style. The more I practiced,
the better I got. And the more I practice, the better I will get. Excellence
eventually becomes a habit.
Excellence is the evolution of ideas and the understanding
that our world is in perpetual motion, movement, and advancement, which allows
us to individually do our best in any given situation or circumstance. Our
willingness and openness to evaluate new information and ideas is what gives us
the opportunity to do our best work. Collectively, we rely on one another and
on the sharing of ideas and information to discover the next best way of doing
things. The best practices of today only provide a bridge to the best practices
of tomorrow. The cycle repeats itself with each new day and once again gives us
the opportunity to do our best because our individual best is the “best” way of
doing everything.
