The world’s most successful people might be made out of flesh and bone, just like anyone else, but that’s probably where the similarities end. It takes a certain kind of mindset to achieve an elite level of success, and that kind of trait is not that common. However, a mindset is not all it takes, and even if it were, there would be a way to develop it.
“Everyone can increase their odds at finding success,” explains James William. As a business innovator who happens to be building a successful music career, James knows a thing or two about working one’s way toward success. He also doesn’t mind sharing his secrets.
Feed the Passion
Success can require a lot of planning, analysis, and other cold, calculating activities. That doesn’t mean, however, that anyone trying to be successful should give up on their passion. Quite the contrary, they should stoke it.
“Passion is a fuel that can help you hold your head high through the tough moments,” says James William. “It’s the thing that will put some spring in your step and give you the strength to get back up after getting knocked down. If we give up on passion, we give up on the reason why we wanted to succeed in the first place.”
A fuel, a reminder, and a rock, passion is a necessary ingredient for anyone who wants to take head on the obstacles on the road to success.
Be Open to Learning
It might be possible that closed-minded people can find some success in their lives, but they are probably exceptions and not the norm. Success requires a certain level of openness to learn new things, acquire new skills, and find new ways to do old things better and more efficiently. A closed mind doesn’t help with any of that.
Lumped in with general openness is the willingness to admit to one’s mistakes and learn from them. The people who fail to do that for any reason are doomed to repeat their mistakes over and over again. The best way to ensure that a past mistake remains in the past is to learn from it and then avoid making it again.
Learn How to Focus
Having razor-sharp focus and a wide attention span doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and a world full of distraction isn’t helping either. For one reason or another, our attention spans are getting narrower, making those precious seconds all the more valuable for critical tasks.
However, both focus and attention are two things that can be trained. “I’d advise people to eliminate distractions as much as they can,” says James William. “Then, they should focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is great for some tasks, but not those that are critical for success.”
Being mindful of one’s actions and activities can also lead to better focus.
Try to Have Fun
Success is something people should ultimately enjoy. There’s rarely any point in doing something if success is only going to cause pain to anyone involved. It should be joyful, but the road toward it doesn’t always have to be fun.
Still, it’s very important to find the time to have some fun on the road to success even if the road is rocky and steep. Some fun can provide a much-needed respite and make bearing all the weight much more manageable.