Have an Emergency Plan for Success

The story of the success and failures (mostly failures) of Abraham Lincoln have been well noted and talked about.  Some are true and some the stuff legends are made of.  What we do know is that he was a man who did not give up when faced with defeat or failure.  He was humble in victory and determined in defeat.  What inspires us is the age old story of the underdog who made his dream come true.  It is a story we all love and in some ways, we all live.  It inspires us because it is so close to home.

An important lesson we can learn from Lincoln and other success-minded people who have achieved their dreams in spite of the odds is this: Success will come to those who are ready for it.  Lincoln did not wish that he would one day succeed.  He did not hope that maybe he would make it the success he desired.  He knew that it would happen and he was ready for it.  Lincoln said, “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.”

We hear a lot about making an emergency plan in case of disaster.  The motto of the Boy Scouts of America is “Be Prepared”.  We know the importance of being ready so that when troubles come we can face them with confidence and courage.  That is all well and good.  But what if disaster does not come?  What if all your hard work pays off and you actually succeed?  The fact is, many are ready to fail but few are really ready to succeed.

Here is a fact that many people do not recognize, the greatest enemy of success is success.  That’s right.  There are countless stories of people who worked hard and did all they could to achieve their dream only to allow it all to slip away before their eyes. 

Success-minded people need to see that success or the achievement of a goal is not the end of the story.  When achieving the goal is all we prepared for then what happens to us when it is done?  True success is ongoing and must be maintained.  What happens is that a person achieved their goal and then they stop.  In the Law of Nature, there is no stop.  You are either moving forward or backward.  You never stand still.

Never see you success as the finish line.  Once you achieve a goal, you should have another goal ready to take its place.  This is what life is all about.  Success-minded people are ready for the day when they succeed.  They know how they will act, what they must do next and where they are going from there.  To be prepared for success is to succeed already for you will never be left standing at the finish line.  As the great American coach, Bobby Knight said, “The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare.”

To discover how you can achieve the dream you have believed was impossible for too long, read On The Journey To Achievement by John Patrick Hickey.  You can get a signed copy for yourself and get one for a friend, by going to http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/it-is-good-to-set-goals-better-to-achieve-then/.  Now available on Kindle, Oops! Did I Really Post That? Online Etiquette in the Digital Age by John Patrick Hickey.

© 2016 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.