4 Key Principles For
Finding Your Path to Greatness
Success is defined in different ways by different people, but more
and more it has become synonymous with money and status.
Real
success, however, is less about results or a bottom line, and more about the
process of achieving goals and dreams.
Many
business people today are overwhelmed by the need to maintain results-driven
success. Once we decide that the results are all that matter, then
success comes at high price. We find ourselves making sacrifices and
compromises that were once unacceptable. We trade today for some future
payoff. When that payoff comes, we realize it can never be enough.
And, when the results we work so hard for don’t materialize, we label that failure.
It’s an impossible model to sustain for a lifetime.
Fortunately,
there is another way.
In my
book, Own YOUR Success, I contrast results-driven success
with a much more balanced approach. The key principles are ones that
anyone can put into practice immediately.
The first principle is Attain Belief in Yourself,
which I break into five keys:
1. Accept the truth. Acknowledging the person you are today is the key
to becoming the person you want to be and, ultimately, to attaining belief in
yourself. There is a big difference between failing and not getting the
results we want. Instead of seeing failure, see opportunities for growth
and change.
2. Speak the truth. Be honest about your past behaviors and
habits. While it may be difficult to acknowledge them, burying those
parts of our lives makes us feel like victims, amplifying our fear and
pain. Shedding light on the past, by talking with a trusted friend or
professional, frees us.
3. Breathe through the truth. Avoid reacting from a place of
pain or anger – no matter how much you believe you are right. Be
open to changing your perspective. Treat yourself lovingly. Do not
self-destruct.
4. Process the truth. Give yourself time and space to find your
equilibrium. Developing belief in yourself means gaining confidence that
will lead to a stronger foundation.
5. Create a plan based on the truth. Changing entrenched behaviors
and mindsets takes time, and sometimes they return. Stay strong.
Continue to believe and actively engage in this process. Define how you
want to live your life from where you are right now.
Once you
attain belief in yourself, you can believe in others – as all great leaders
do. Use meditation and mindfulness to gain focus and clarity. This
allows you to act with purpose, intention, and awareness at all times.
The second principle is Act with Courage and
Integrity.
Whether
you are the CEO, in middle management, or in an entry-level position, when you
act with courage and integrity, it inspires others to do the same. A big
part of that is appreciating all people and the selfless acts and sacrifices
they make every day.
The third principle is Create Your Prizefighter Day
– Do Great Things!
Each day
set three attainable activity goals: one personal, one professional, and one to
help others. By taking action in these three areas every day, you make
each day victorious. The victory is not in the results, but in the
actions themselves. Even if what you do doesn’t turn out perfectly, as
you may have hoped, the experience of accomplishment every day is a victory.
The fourth principle is Create a Living Legacy.
Surrender
to a cause greater than yourself. Find your passion and live it every
day. Work diligently toward your goal. Fight for what you believe
in despite the obstacles in your path. Don’t wait to leave a legacy after you’re gone.
Live that legacy every day.
Quotes Of Greatness
As human
beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world, but
in being able to remake ourselves. - Mahatma Gandhi
“Greatness
lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is
not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his
own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most
hearts by the attraction of his own.” - Henry Ward Beecher
“All
greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other
existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never
have any other than an existence of mediocrity.” - James F.
Cooper
“Man’s
greatness lies in his power of thought.” - Blaise Pascal
“Those
who occupy their minds with small matters, generally become incapable of
greatness.” - Francois de La Rochefoucauld
“Be not
afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have
greatness thrust upon them.” - William Shakespeare
About The Author: Ben Newman
High
performance sales expert Ben Newman is
a distinguished author, international speaker and coach from St. Louis. In
2012, The Napoleon Hill Foundation recognized Ben as one of
the TOP 51 speakers & thought leaders in the World! Ben
is a 4-time author and his latest book, Own YOUR Success: The Power to
Choose Greatness and Make Everyday Victorious is
a #1 Business Best-Seller and was ranked #2 in August 2012 by
800.CEO.READ for “What Corporate America is Reading.”. He is also the author
of Fight the Good Fight, Pocket Truths for Success & Pocket
Principles for the Insurance Business.
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