{“Show Up Successful!”© Series – Part II}
By Joan Endicott
Success is one of the most talked about concepts over the years. It seems everyone wants it – or at least say they want it. Countless books have been written and speeches shared on Success. What does it mean to be successful? How is ‘Success’ defined? What does it look like? How do I achieve it? In our instant gratification society, most people are looking for a quick fix, a magic wand or perfect pill to take them to a place called instant success. They dream of becoming the next “overnight success”. Guess what? There’s no such thing!
Sometimes there are incredible opportunities that come along which suddenly launch you into an entirely new level of bigger and better opportunities. (I call those “winks from God”.) In order to take full advantage of those, we must be PREPARED! When preparation meets opportunity, we are launched into new levels of success. If you’re not prepared for those next levels, even when those doors open, you won’t be able to walk through them.
Years ago, I heard the story of a college professor who gave his students an assignment on a Thursday to come up with one word, by Friday that summed up one key to realizing their own success. On Friday, each student wrote their word on the board. Words like: Drive, competition, discipline, accomplishment, achievement, arrival, fame, fortune, profit, prosperity, victory, winning, rewards, wisdom and wealth. After all the students had written their success words, they discussed why they chose the word they did. Towards the end of class, one student asked the well-respected professor to share what his one-word was. As the professor was walking over to the chalkboard, he said “Through my decades of experience, research, and interviewing countless individuals I consider successful, I believe most of it comes down to this one thing:” Across the middle of the chalkboard in big, bold letters, he wrote: GOTTAWANNA!
Vince Lombardi said, “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”
So, in my “Show Up Successful!” Series, my Step #1 is = GOTTAWANNA!
After your “GOTTAWANNA” is in place, it’s essential to push yourself to take action – imperfect action at that. Next time we’ll address how successful people take imperfect action because they have realized how perfection can paralyze them from taking any action at all.
For years, I’ve personally benefitted from this success-principle from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Award-winning speaker, author and Giant-Slayer Coach, Joan Endicott works with individuals and organizations to improve performance, productivity and profit in business and life. To connect with Joan, visit her business face book: com/pages/Joan-Endicott, Website: JoanEndicott.com or call (208) 453-8056