It’s a Tough Fight

You can read about it all the time on social media.  I do think that in some strange way, social media can give us a peek into the thinking of everyday people – people like you and me.  When it comes to success, there are three common veins of thought.  1. That life is just too hard and the deck is stacked against regular people.  2. That successful person got all the breaks and most have cheated their way to the top.  3. Unless someone or something helps you, you will never succeed.

                Success-minded people also struggle with this kind of thinking.  They may overcome it or just try to ignore it, but the temptation to think that success is just too hard is very great.  Why?  Because success is hard.  This is something both the successful and the unsuccessful can agree on.  What they do not agree on is how to deal with it.

"Adjusting to the passage of time is a key to success and to life: just being able to roll with the punches."

- Dolly Parton

Singer/Songwriter/Businesswoman

1.      Life is just too hard and the deck is stacked against regular people.

There are two flawed ideas here that must be dealt with before you can move forward.  The first is that the deck is stacked.  Unsuccessful people tend to comfort themselves by being the victims of life.  If they can believe that their failure to succeed is not their fault, they can quit and have no guilt about it.  Well, you, my friend are not a victim.  Life is there to live not to be subject to.  People who succeed do so because they believe they can succeed.  They are willing to pay the price and to do the work.  They never give up so they never fail. 

The second flawed idea is that there is anything but regular people in this world.  We are all regular.  An extraordinary person is just an ordinary person who is willing to do extraordinary things.  Yes, we all have different gifting and talents, however, we all have them.  Your talent may not be the same as a Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but they are just as valuable.  The difference between you and these fellows is that they learned how to use what they had and you are still learning.

2.      Successful people got all the breaks and most have cheated their way to the top.

Here is a simple principle of life that you must understand: there is always a consequence to

everything you do.  There are good consequences and a bad one, but everything has a consequence.  People who succeed do so because they do the things required for success.  They work hard, learn all they can and never give up.  If you are unwilling to do this as well, you will not achieve the goals you seek.  It is that simple.

If you think that the only way to achieve success is to be dishonest and cheat your way to the top, you have the problem, not the one succeeding.  Yes, there are those who have been dishonest and lacked integrity who have achieved things, however, I would not call them successful.  If what they did was wrong, it will take its toll somewhere along the way.  The vast majority of successful people achieve success because they have earned it.  Success-minded people are people of integrity and work hard to keep themselves away from anything less.

3.      Unless someone or something helps you, you will never succeed.

One of the key principles you learn about success is that you need other people.  You need their help, their knowledge, and their support.  What is not true is that they will bring you success.  You can be mentored by the greatest minds in business and the economy.  You can have the support of the greatest successes the world has ever known, and yet, if YOU do not do the work, and YOU do not make it happen, YOU will fail.

Wisdom tells us to learn from those who have gone before us.  It is the success-minded person who benefits from the lessons that others have learned and from other’s mistakes rather than just your own.  It is a foolish person who thinks that you can achieve from the success of others.  Achievement is a personal victory and one that no one can do for you.  They can guide the way, but you have to take the journey.

You can learn more about Personal Development from author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey.  To get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com. Be sure to sign up for the free membership and get even more tools to help you achieve your dreams.  

© 2017 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.