Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 13 - Success is Paid in Advance

One of my mentors, Dr. Jeff Magee, gave me some wise advice not long ago. He said, "Success is Paid in Advance."

As I make the transition this Saturday from college student to full time business professional, this piece of advice has never resonated more strongly...allow me to share with you why.

I am an ambitious young professional with many goals in sight. My goal is to help others become successful through business coaching, consulting, writing, speaking and more. You may be wondering, "how is a 21 year old recent college graduate going to achieve these grandiose goals?"

It is this very question that inspired me to write this blog post entitled "Success is Paid in Advance."

The answer to that question in my mind is simple. I do not plan on becoming any one of these things overnight. I am aware that success is paid in advance, thus I am prepared for the long journey and hard work ahead of me.

Success is a journey of self-discovery. It is crucial to realize this to prepare yourself to work harder then you ever have before, longer hours then you ever have before, and to pay your dues for the sake of learning and experience.

As we near graduation and eventually graduate, we all experience the same streams of thoughts flowing through our minds. Most of these thoughts surround the question, "what am I going to do now?" This is the moment we have been working towards our entire lives! Many expect to graduate and get a job paying a nice salary...but largely, this is not the case. Don't be discouraged if you are not one of those few! Remember that determination, commitment, consistency, passion, a desire to succeed, positivity and hard work are what breeds success.

The take away from this lesson is this:

On our journey for success, we all need to...

1. Decide what it is that you want to do/become
   
2. Write down the goals and steps you must achieve to get there
3. Commit yourself unreservedly to attaining these goals
4. Prepare for the journey ahead of you...remember "Success is Paid in Advance!"
5. Be willing to work hard and give it your all
6. Stay Positive and HAVE FUN!!!

One of the best ways to stay on top of your goals is to lock onto your target. Once you write down the goals you must achieve to get there, create a daily action plan of actions and do a little every day! Please view my blog post entitled "The Power of Doing A Little Everyday" to see why this works so well!

Questions? Comments? Please blog with me!

Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 6 - The Power of Positivity

Positivity is essential to high levels of Performance & Success.

Here are some quotes from highly successful individuals on positivity:

• "If you learn from defeat, you haven't really lost." - Zig Ziglar
  
• "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." - Henry Ford
  
• "Failure is impossile." - Susan B. Anthony
• "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Albert Einstein
• "Remember happiness doesn't depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think." - Dale Carnegie

A positive attitude is what will keep you through the ups and downs, highs and lows, and challenges of both life and business.

We all know of the concept of a "silver lining." This concept is a great way to look at life, and every situation for that matter. Look for the "silver lining," or the good in every situation. This will help you stay positive and recover from adversity.

One of the most important things you can do every day is waking up with a positive attitude. Work on doing this, and your days will be more productive, more fulfilled, and happier!

Positivity is something you can be born with. It is also something though that you can learn. I would recommend reading up on positivity and listening to motivation and positive audiobooks/programs.

Below are some links to some great books and audiobooks on positivity. I like the audiobooks particularly because it may sometimes be hard to take 30 minutes to read a book, but most of us drive at least 30 minutes a day - why not use that time to learn?