And the answer is……

So you want to be successful? But is that enough to be so? We all know that just because you want something does not make it so. Success requires one thing and one thing only – action!

To be successful needs a massive amount of effort on a consistent and ongoing basis – if you are only prepared to work from 9-5 then be prepared to be disappointed with what you achieve, you will fall short of your expectations. This is especially true when you start out when you need overcome a considerable amount of inertia and create momentum.  I am not saying here that you need to be a workaholic doing 16-hour days continuously, but you will have to be prepared to work harder than others so you can be more successful than they are. And you need to work smart in doing so.

Even if you have put in the time and effort necessary to be successful it does not mean that you will be.  Your success is relative to that which other people achieve. This does not make it a zero-sum game, quite the contrary; other people’s success can create the conditions and opportunities for you to be successful. Think of Facebook or Google; neither could have been successful if it had not been for those who had created the Internet. Success is not a fixed pie, where someone else’s success means your opportunity for success is diminished; rather it is a growing pie where success begets more success.

To be successful requires you to take action, and to do so on a scale that is greater than others – not just an incremental effort over and above that of your competitors. If you do this, and you are successful, then is it enough? In short, no. To be successful requires a massive effort, and to continue to be more successful requires even greater effort.

So what do you need to do to be successful and to continue to be successful? The answer is in the question – it is you.  It is you who needs to take action consistently; it is you who needs to be continually self-motivated; it is you who needs to see the setbacks, problems, and difficulties as opportunities to grow and achieve even more; it is you who has to be always hungry and looking to improve what you do and how you do it; it is you who takes responsibility for the results you achieve (or don’t) and looks to improve.

To be successful is a choice. What will you choose?

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