Seize What’s in Your Grasp! 3 Simple Steps to Success.
Seize What’s in Your Grasp, in 3 Simple Steps.
Have you ever found yourself thinking about an opportunity you passed on and wondered, “I should have done this…or I could have done that…”? Like most, we have all heard this tiny little voice whispering in our minds. It is not uncommon and, in fact, it is quite normal as most people experience this at one point or another in life. Typically, they have foregone opportunities due to fear, a lack of knowledge, or just plain inaction. So have any of these reasons been what is stopping you? Do you want to be different from most people? How do you seize the idea or opportunity you have and make it happen successfully? Realizing that all people have the power to be successful but most never do what it takes, I am going to share with you my 3 simple steps to success so you can actually be different from most people and seize what is already in your grasp!
1. Dream it. Have you ever watched one of the Z Nation SYFY episodes about surviving the Zombie Apocalypse? If not, just picture living on earth where zombies are running wild without any ability to change their circumstances, scrounging around for food (humans) and mindlessly wandering around the planet trying to survive day by day. And worse yet, you are stuck with them, trying to survive and make a life with what is left, without any dreams of improving your life conditions. Sounds horrible and depressing, doesn’t it? While maybe not as harsh as the analogy suggests, knowing there are people living each day with the attitude or mindset that they have to “make do” with what they have been dealt in life and having no dreams of doing better is not much different from being a zombie to me! It is hard for me to imagine people who don’t actually have dreams and aspirations. Unfortunately, we have more zombies in the world than we have people who dream and have aspirations of doing more .
So when was the last time you dreamt of doing something really exciting, fulfilling, and inspiring? Dreaming is the first prerequisite to success. In all of my own success, or anyone else’s I have encountered, nothing started without a dream of achieving something extremely big or important. Dreaming is a daily thing too…not a once in a while thing. It is a mindset to think beyond what is literally in front of you at the moment. It is seeing something bigger, better, more fulfilling, more rewarding that can be done. Do you dream of what is possible? All can dream and have the opportunity when you find yourself excited to take on a new project, or are considering starting a new company or being offered a new role at work, or even wanting to improve your health and transform your body. No matter what you are searching for, it all starts with a dream of what is possible. Caution: those who are able to dream big don’t automatically do big things but it is certainly the first step to success. So dream!
2. Believe it. In 1940, 9-year old Ralphie Parker hoped on Christmas day that he would be unwrapping a Red Rider Carbine-Action, 200-Shot, BB Gun as it was the only item on his Christmas wish list. For those of us who have seen the infamous “A Christmas Story”, aired practically every year on television around Christmas, Ralphie not only believed he would own this new BB Gun, but personalized the feelings it would bring him when hunting ducks and making spectacular shots among other things. In fact, Ralphie even more clearly expresses what he believes it will feel like if he doesn’t get the BB gun which leads to his entire mood, mindset and mentality turning negative, causing him to behave badly and get into trouble in a number of different ways throughout the show. To think that a traditional family comedy can be used to remind us all of what it takes to be successful is funny, in and of, itself. However, I use it to help point out the 2nd most important step to success: believe you will succeed and believe it so much that you personalize what success looks like, feels like, and provides you emotionally, spiritually, financially, practically, etc.
Too many people jump head first into taking action and find themselves 2-3 months into their “dream” role, project, company, or workout program without any definition of success they believe they can achieve. As a result, they don’t have anything tangible to sink their beliefs into and personalize the effect of being successful. Thus, they lose their momentum, their desire to keep pushing, or their passion that led them to dream to begin with…and so their dream ends without bearing any fruit. Unfortunately, this becomes a vicious cycle that leads to a lot of people turning into Ralphie during the process, changing their moods, mindsets, and mentalities to a negative outlook altogether. Dream first and then believe you can achieve it so you can personalize the moment, the experience, and the impact it has on you and others. In doing so, you will build your own belief which is required to achieve success. Caution: while the steps to success are simple, the journey doesn’t always come so easy, so believe you will be a success!
3. Do it. The number one reason why most people don’t become a success is because they don’t do anything to act on their dreams and beliefs? You will encounter people that fit into one of 3 categories: those who think about being a success, those who study what it takes to be a success, and those who do it and become a success. The movie, “Starsky and Hutch”, has a classic scene (https://youtu.be/Ra70O9nps6E) that hilariously reminds us of the simplicity of what the 3rd step to success is all about. In it, Starksy repeats the phrase “do it, do it” in an attempt to portray the character he is disguised as. As silly as the scene is, the simplicity of just living the statement “do it, do it”, is similar to what success is all about as well.
Too many people get hung up trying to come up with the next big idea, or devising a perfect plan, or taking time to gather more information to make their dream become a reality. Meanwhile, there are others out doing whatever is necessary to make it happen. Much of the success that you will achieve will come from learning by doing, adjusting from the lessons, and continually adapting to the changes you face. This is not accomplished with any form of magic or secret sauce but rather by taking the “do it, do it” approach and making things happen. Most people fail at this stage not because of what they do, but rather because they fail to do anything! Caution: don’t be like most people, do something and act on your dreams and beliefs. Do it and you will be a success!
Let me know your stories and experiences in the comments below.
-Matt