7 Behaviors That Separate Break-Out Success From Fake-Out Success The thoughts we dwell on and the actions we take, every day, are the biggest factors in how much we achieve.
By Sherrie Campbell Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It is the thoughts you think and the actions you take every single day which make you Break Out or a Fake Out Success. Your actions and thoughts determine whether you reach sustainable success or never make it past the short term. To be successful be purposeful about it. There is no room for laziness when it comes to cultivating your passion. To follow are seven ways to be a Break Out Success.
1. Set your direction.
You can't finish if you don't know where to start. Start each day asking how far can you go. How long will it take? Finding a concrete answer is not the point. Asking questions naturally generates finding answers. Asking these types of questions helps you choose your daily, monthly and yearly trajectory. These questions produce a timeline which acts as a guiding mantra for your daily business activity.
Every morning set an intention to have an amazing day. Let this be a day you persevere no matter what you face. In setting this daily intention you prepare yourself not to quit or waver. You choose to hold a positive vision. Commit to a course of action in the face of difficulty when there seems little prospect of success.
"Don't ever start the day in neutral. You have to decide what kind of day it's going to be." Joel Osteen
2. Act now.
New ideas are just a wish if you do not act on them now. It is easy to put things off, continuing to believe you will do them later but doing is just that -- action. Tell yourself all throughout the day, "act now, act now, act now." Every later is a dream killer. Every later becomes one of the countless obstacles you place between yourself and your success. Rid yourself of these needlessly self-imposed road blocks.
Write down what you want. Do not veer from that list. With each goal envision your future. Each goal achieved affirms your success. Each day you leave work knowing you achieved something, even if it what you achieved was keeping a great attitude, you are on the path to being a Break Out Success.
"Setting goals takes desire, but completing them takes determination." Ron Hawks
Related: Why You Need to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
3. Take risks.
Welcome fear as a guest in your business life. Fear provokes your most evolutionary response…movement and personal growth. Fear is what you have to face and work through to achieve excellence. Whatever you fear, you must conquer. Be willing to break some rules without being afraid to fail.
Have faith in yourself. The worst thing that can happen from a risk gone wrong is you learn to go in a new direction. The worst thing that happens is you are gifted with more clarity. If you fail, get up. Start again. Set a new intention, ask new questions, find your direction and risk again. Have faith in yourself. Have faith in your life purpose. Have faith in what your business stands for. Faith is the "fear cure."
"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." Muhammad Ali
4. Trust yourself.
When you get into a rut, be intentional about getting out. Don't let a rut become a grave. Do it now, take responsibility, do not procrastinate, work hard, nurture good habits, be open to learning and never stop advancing. You are never a failure unless you choose to fail. Failing boils down to laziness and giving up.
You are the sum total of the choices you make. Choose wisely and abundantly. Listen to your inner voice. The path to success requires self-awareness and following your intuition. Be brave enough to trust in yourself and your instincts. Be a person who is reliable and resilient. Make decisions that benefit the development of good habits and a positive attitude. You cannot fail if you choose to succeed.
"If you stay on the merry-go-round long enough you are bound to catch the brass ring." The Cowardly Lion, Wizard of OZ
5. Prioritize.
Many people underestimate the lack of importance of nearly everything in their lives, which is why so many are easily distracted. Distraction puts your growth and success on the back burner. To be successful be specific about your calendar, your goals and how you schedule and plan your day, month, year.
Make time in each day for personal growth. See each moment as an opportunity for learning and personal expansion. Never be a know-it-all or a showoff. The great philosopher Marcus Aurelius kept a journal of all of his fears. He found that in bringing light to them, they no longer had power. Fear is the greatest distraction you face. Prioritize those things which need to be done now, that are in your control, and that you can accomplish today, then worry about tomorrow.
"The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." Steven Covey
Related: 4 Reasons to Prioritize Experiences Over Goods in Your Life
6. Work like hell.
Do whatever you need to do to get to where you want to go. To grow yourself you have to make the necessary sacrifices to do that. Stay up an hour later and read, give up your lunch hour to research, put in extra time on weekends. Work like hell. If you don't, prepare to give up on your dreams and any hope of reaching your potential.
You have seeds of greatness within you, so never live mediocre or put mediocre levels of work into your business. Your business can only rise to the levels that you work to build it. Meditate on how to work more efficiently. The more efficiently you work, like Will Smith's character in The Pursuit of Happiness, the more success you achieve. You learn not only to work harder but smarter.
Experiment, pay attention, create systems, design foundations, improve, improve, improve.
"Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard and succeed on purpose." Unknown
7. Give back.
There is no better way to experience the fruits of your labor then through the act of giving back. Most see giving back as being financial but there are many other ways to give back through the use of time, love and attention. Each community, small or large, has people who need to be touched and inspired by the love of others. This is something the successful should be led to do. From activities such as park clean ups, teaching a class to children, giving to a cause such as cancer; whatever fits for each entrepreneur.
When your success allows you the great fortune to give back to others you naturally inspire those others to want to be more successful themselves. This is perhaps the greatest gift to come from success…someone wanting to be just like you. Now you have become a Stand Out Success.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill
