You might read the title and blow it off. I mean come on, one secret! One secret to a successful life! There’s no way or is there?
Here’s what I know for sure:
While there are no easy ways to success, there is a simple way. And it’s one thing you can do now that will help you down the road to success.
In the almost year long path that I’ve been on my own pursuit of happiness, I’ve learned a few things.
- You can’t trust everybody. I had enough deadbeat clients to learn that the hard way. But it also taught me my next lesson.
- I’m responsible for my life. This means that I need to be selective about the people I interact with and invite into both my personal and professional life. Which also leads to #3 and what I consider to be the #1 secret for a successful life.
- Confidence! If you don’t feel it, feign it. Why? Because over the last year I realized that you get what you think you deserve. If you feel unworthy of success, of good friendships, a happy marriage, even a working car, then you’ll get exactly what you think you’re worth.
The big ‘aha’ moment for me came when I dug in deep and discovered that what was really holding me back was me. There was a voice that said that I was not good enough as a writer to do it for a living.
The thing that got it from boisterous betrayer to wimpy whisper is understanding that I was creating my destiny. I was tripping over my own path because I believed that I wasn’t good enough to deserve better.
What got me over the hurdle was building up my own sense of self-worth. Reminding myself of how far I’ve come personally and professionally and silencing the inner critic with a larger than life ally.
The difference has been profound.
Just thinking that I deserve everything I desire has gotten me better clients, better pay (in one case, almost 7x’s what I was making at the start) and more opportunities. The best indicator of the change is my writing. Just like the way people can perceive in your body language how you feel about yourself, I think you wear your writing on your sleeve.
One of my friends kept telling me my writing has gotten better recently. While I pondered what changed, I suddenly got it! It was my perception of myself and my abilities that had affected my writing.
While I’m still a work-in-progress, I definitely think that confidence has helped me go from, “I think I’m a writer,” to “Yes I can and Yes I am a writer!” And this single secret to success, I believe can also help you on your own endeavors. Try on a bit of confidence, wear Oprah’s or a mentor, someone you idolize, and see if that doesn’t get you one step closer to your dreams!
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