Do You Have a 3-Step Plan to Success?

Everybody you listen to these days seems to have a plan – follow my plan and you’ll make a million dollars online in a week. Follow my plan and you’ll find the ultimate job of your dreams. Follow my plan and you, well you get the idea, there’s a plan for everything! Whether you want to find the best relationship, or the inner peace of a Buddhist monk, or set a Guiness record for juggling car tires, somewhere, someone has a plan for you to follow that will guarantee your success.

Ok, I’m sounding a little bit skeptical probably at this point. But I really got to thinking about how hard I’ve been working on some things lately, and the slow progress I have been making. Is it because I’m following the wrong plan? Why aren’t I rich by now, or completely happy in every way? Some of my goals have been met of course, but the larger ones seem to escape me so far. Actually I am rich, although I realize that is a very vague and relative term. So what goals haven’t I met yet? Well I really wanted to be able to have more time to do what I want to do, which means not working so damn much! Oh, sorry…that’s a sore subject I guess. What am I doing to correct the situation? Funny you should ask. I have a plan.

Wait! It’s not one of those get rich quick, or find happiness by tomorrow, or reach every goal you’ve ever set in 30 days kind of plans. It’s a three-step plan. Yes, only three. Is it guaranteed to work? Only if you do, that’s a promise. But a whole lot of thought has to go into these three steps, so if you aren’t prepared to really question every value in your little basket of values, then forget it. It won’t work! If you are truly ready to do the work it takes to reach your dreams in life, the very essence of a successful and fulfilling life, then I guess I can let you in on it. Here goes:

Step One: Find your true calling. What the heck does that mean you say? Well, for some it’s the very essence of who they are. The one thing in life that they are so good at, it’s as if it just came naturally at birth. For others, it’s something that they developed after seeing someone else who was really accomplished at this particular skill, and knew it would be the best thing they could possibly do in life. Then there are people who really have to work at it and try many things before realizing what they love to do, whether it’s a hobby, a job, a skill, a talent or whatever you want to call it. Don’t worry about how you’re going to make money at it, if you’re good at something there is always a way to monetize it!

Step Two: Make a plan to follow this calling. Depending on the calling you are actually following, that can be varied. You dream of being a concert pianist? No sweat, practice, practice, practice. Actually that’s the same plan for a lot of things! Funny, I recently heard that in order to master any major skill it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice. Is that true? That’s about 10 years of work, if you devote only 20 hours per week. I don’t think there’s been extensive research done to prove it, but I don’t doubt it. Most great athletes, including Tiger Woods, worked their butts off since childhood to get where they are. And people say “oh, he was born with talent”. Maybe, but the hard work brought out that talent. So if you do find something you have a “knack” for, you really think you could be great at it, take a few years and work really hard at it. If you still enjoy doing it, keep going and you probably are meant for it. If not, try something else! Don’t waste your life doing something you hate to do.

Step Three: Don’t quit until your reach the specified goal. That’s it. I mean, once you find what you enjoy doing, and you know in your heart you can be successful at it, don’t even consider quitting for any reason. It’s been said that the ultimate key to success, the one ingredient nobody ever succeeds without, is persistence. If you quit, you lose. Simple enough? Ok, go out there and do my three-step plan, and in 10,000 hours (give or take) drop me a line and tell me how successful you are.