8 Ways to Flow In the Channel of Success A focused mind can always see how to achieve a goal.
By Sherrie Campbell Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Success is more than what we achieve on a material level. It is an emotional experience that gives our lives meaning and significance.
Every desired goal we achieve teaches us something newer and deeper about ourselves. It develops our character and brings us into a more meaningful and significant relationship with all of life. Every step forward changes our mindset about what we are capable of. Our life-outcomes are developed directly from the beliefs we hold and how willing we are to put actions behind out thoughts. We must keep in mind that a thought is only a wish if it doesn't have action to support it. To stay in the channel of success we must be great managers of ourselves.
1. Write it down.
If we can think it up, we can achieve it. For this reason, whatever we write down must be backed by some reality that what we want to achieve exists in the realm of all possibility. The value to writing our aspirations down is unfathomable in terms of the power it has to motivate us in the direction of the thoughts we think. When we take an idea from the inside of us and we put that idea onto paper, we have just given that idea physical form. Everything in physical form has the potential to manifest into an even greater form. In writing an idea down, we bring the possibility of it becoming a reality into existence. Once something exists, we have a point of direction to be curious about and strive towards. When we write things down, we make things real, and therefore, we make our ideas achievable.
Related: The Power of Writing Down Your Goals
2. Research
Now that our idea is out, we must begin to explore all the knowns and unknowns surrounding it. There is nothing more important to our motivation than doing the necessary research on our idea to provide us direction. When we research, we educate ourselves on the various ways to mitigate possible challenges and turn them into workable strategies. It is wise to expect obstacles rather than to fear them. As long as there is research available for us to dig into, there is a path to circumvent perceived failures. We must simply be willing to do the work. In taking action to research, we set ourselves up for a much greater chance at finding success.
Related: Why You Should Strive to Be a Lifelong Learner
3. Growth
The more we research the more we grow in our knowledge and in our sense of direction. As we grow in knowledge, we develop the intelligence, strategies and most importantly the belief in ourselves to stretch beyond any preconceived limits we may be harboring. The more we stretch ourselves, the more depth we add to our knowledge and character. There is nothing to be afraid of, if we look at every experience as not happening to us, but rather viewing each experience as happening for us. When we look at success from this vantage point we will see that as long as we are growing, we are succeeding.
Related: 5 Keys to Being a More Mindful Entrepreneur
4. Keep going.
Success takes time. Be patient. To stay in the channel of success we must learn to tolerate our more impatient impulses. When we start to feel ourselves losing patience and entertaining fears and doubts, the cure is to keep grinding. Remember, any path to success is always under construction. If we're waiting for a certain result we must give it some space to manifest. It is a great idea to take our eyes off the prize once we know we've done what we can, and focus on other ideas which require our attention and effort. If we stay in action, if we keep moving, we cannot fail.
Related: What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur? Perseverance.
5. Speak success.
The language we speak to ourselves largely determines the experience we live. The greatest competition we live with is the negative or doubtful thoughts chattering between our two ears. We live what we hear. We live what we tell ourselves. If we're having a hard time believing in our capacity to achieve, we must speak a language of success into ourselves. Our self-talk must be infused with nothing but the hopeful and the positive. We must leave all language based in lack to the wayside. We can literally talk ourselves into a mindset of failure or a mindset of abundance. We each have the choice to focus on what we have, or we can focus on all the things we don't. When it comes to fear we have a choice; we can run from it or learn from it.
Related: 7 Horrible Thoughts That Hinder Success
6. Leader of one.
Never focus on others and on what they're doing or not doing. When we get caught in the trap of comparison we lose our center of emotional grace. Where we need to focus is on our own race. We must be the greatest leader of one. We must lead ourselves by managing what goes on between our two ears so we can ensure we approach life and business with a clear sense of emotional intelligence. We cannot lead well if we're an emotional mess. To stay grounded we must remain focused on what's directly ahead of us and not entertain the useless distractions outside of us. We are each a one-of-a-kind phenomenon which means there is no comparison.
Related: 3 Positive Ways to Harness Career Envy
7. Be creative.
Just because we get a "no" on our path doesn't mean it's a "no" we have to obey. They only thing we must serve is our drive and passion to be everything we desire to be, have and do. We must hold firm in the belief that for every "no" there is a "next." We must be creative and think outside the box. We must think in ways and in directions we've never have before. This is how we eliminate limits. We may have to be creative for years to reach certain dreams. Who cares? In reality, the greatest joy in achieving any dream is being in the active pursuit of it.
Related: 9 Strategies to Get Past the Gatekeeper
8. Focus on solutions.
If we focus on obvious problems, we will begin to see problems within those problems. A problem focused mindset will very easily convince us that what we desire isn't achievable. If we want to achieve forecasted outcomes we must focus on solutions, rather than problems. Focusing on solutions keeps our mindset positive and moving forward. We are never drowning unless we focus on drowning. If we focus on drowning, we will undoubtedly drown. It is more effect to focus on swimming, and trust our ability to get to get to shore. Solutions, like problems build upon themselves. If we can come up with one solution we can certainly come with two, three, four etc.
