The 5 Essential Forces of Success
What a crazy couple of months it’s been for me! I’ve taken on summer classes and a more demanding role at work, all while continuing to serve in my church’s music ministry, staying committed to working out, keeping up with this blog, and trying to find a bit of personal time to myself–a delicate balancing act, let me tell you.
However, while I’ve been doing this balancing act, I have done some deep thinking about how it’s possible to achieve ultimate success in my life. In a time where there is so much potential for failure all around us, I determined I will have to keep success on my mind all of the time. We all want to be successful in life; this is fact. However, there are vital “forces” life requires of us before we can actually achieve success. I’ve identified 5 key forces that will push you well beyond that success threshold:
Drive
Your drive is that source inside of you that moves you before you even know you have been moved, that feeling that urges you to take action in your life despite the challenges. Like the V8 engine in a Chevrolet Camaro, possessing a large amount of drive can increase your acceleration towards success almost effortlessly.
There are two components to the force: Motivation and Passion. Motivation is what gets you going when fear and procrastination want to hold you back. It’s like a jump-start to your journey, and it is also important that once you get motivated, that you stay motivated. This is where passion comes into play. Your passion is your emotional connection that keeps you fired up about your goal. However, blind passion can lead to recklessness, impatience, and frustration, so stay receptive and be wary of having “too much of a good thing”.
Ambition
Success is really just an opportunity away, and even if you are able to see that opportunity, without the boldness or willingness to accept the risk of failure, you will have just witnessed a forgone opportunity.
Ambition is what separates the Talkers from the Doers. For instance, the week of August 8 saw some wild stock market volatility due to the US credit downgrade. The opportunity was there: I could have made at least a 20% return in two days alone. I even predicted the week’s general market directions. However I did not have the ambition to pull the trigger and purchase stock, and now I’m kicking myself for not doing so.
Preparation
Ambition without Preparation = Recklessness. You may possess the ambition to achieve success but if you haven’t adequately prepared for it, failure will surely result. Preparation reveals threats to your success as well as provides insight into unnecessary risks and obstacles you can avoid. The more mistakes you can avoid, the greater your chances are for success to result.
Accountability
Accountability is taking responsibility for your actions, as well as your lack thereof. Without a sense of accountability, your intentions will always be thwarted by the newest idea that pops into your head, and those closest to you will begin to grow tired of the constant finger pointing. It can also lead to a lack of integrity, causing you to alienate further those around you through lies and deceit.
When you hold yourself accountable for your actions, you can do some amazing things because you will build trust and respect in your relationships with others. Your leadership presence will grow, and you will be able to influence others more effectively. More importantly, your accountability will ensure you persevere to the end, not allowing fear or procrastination to keep you from the finish line.
Faith
Faith is by far the most significant and most powerful force of the 5. According to the Hebrews 11:1 in the Bible, faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” You can take 3 main points from this definition. First we see that faith is different from hope. Hope is something you wish to happen, while faith is something you BELIEVE will happen. Second, faith is a real force, and requires you to step outside of your comfort zone. Third, faith is only proven when you believe you will be successful regardless of when, where, or how it will happen.
Faith is so powerful because it requires total submission and focus for it to work in your life. You either have faith in what you do or you don’t. Once mastered, though, nothing will be able to stop you. However, make sure you are wary of doubt. When doubt is introduced, it kills faith and replaces it with fear. Faith takes practice and, most of all, confession with your lips! You must speak things into existence (yes, physically speak them out loud!) to build up faith. Fully developed, faith will destroy all traces of doubt and fear, clearing the path to success.
I use all 5 of these forces everyday in order to fend off any attempts to self-sabotage my success as many times the only thing that is stopping me is ME. You’ll be surprised how much you will accomplish if you add these weapons to your arsenal. They all fit in seamlessly with my mantra “Think it, Speak it, Do it!” and will greatly reduce your risk of failure. As I begin my third semester of classes next week I expect these forces to be in full effect so I can maximize my success (I’m shooting for all A’s).
May the Forces be with you, my friends.
