We enter this world and most often just accept the reality that others have painted for us. Rarely do we question the status quo. If we go to the doctor and he tells us we have a thyroid condition and prescribes a drug for us we march straight to the pharmacist to get our prescription filled. If someone tells us we have no singing talent we resolve to only sing in the shower. If someone tells us we have no rhythm then we opt for rhythmless dancing.
Success is no different for us in my experience. We listen to all the ‘gurus’ on what it takes to become successful. I know that my library is not short of books on what it takes to become successful in life. Each author provides me with their idealized version of what has made them successful and oftentimes the authors contradict each other.
In this post I’m defining success as getting exactly what you desire from life. Another way of saying it is arriving at the feeling place that you desire to be. Everything we do in life is an attempt to feel a certain way wouldn’t you agree? We want more money so we can feel secure. We want the perfect relationship so we can feel loved. We want well behaved children so we can feel like good parents. We want good health so feel what its like to live a long life.
So let’s get right down to the 10 myth busters regarding success.
Success Myth Buster #1 (Desire)
In order to be successful you must firmly state your desire. Your desire must be clear and you must affirm it often. If you fail to get what you want in life it’s because your desire wasn’t clear. How many desires have you had that did not manifest? How many desires did you not have that did manifest? I rest my case. The real challenge is that we don’t know enough about ourselves oftentimes to know what we truly want. In addition, when we do think that we know about ourselves we’re often wrong and what we want is usually not what is best for us in the long run.
Success Myth Buster #2 (Belief)
Whatever you believe you can achieve. If you have unfailing belief there is nothing that you cannot accomplish. I will admit that believing in something will get you alot closer than not believing in it. However, if you are able to climb up a ladder but your ladder is against the wrong wall does it really matter that you were able to scale the ladder? I think not.
Success Myth Buster #3 (Law of Attraction)
What you put your attention and energy on with emotion you will attract into your life. Since its a law that means that it should work without fail..right? Look at your vision board if you have one. How many of the things pictured have actually manifested for you? Doing a little research I found that less than 10 percent of what we earnestly desire is ever attracted into our life. Again, since we don’t really know what’s best for us how could we know what to earnestly focus on? On more than one occasion I’ve seen people attract things into their life without even trying. In fact, they attracted many of the things I wanted and did not get – EFFORTLESSLY.
Success Myth Buster #4 (Modeling)
Most people that are successful don’t really know what they did to become successful so how can they show or tell me or you? Could I ever know how that person thinks on a moment to moment basis? No. Besides each person’s life is so radically different there’s no guarantee that if I modeled everything they did that it would work for me. Just like a thumbprint everybody’s journey is different so the best place for me to seek any sort of modeling is from within where all my wisdom lies. Modeling fails much more often than it works despite what the motivational speakers may want you to believe.
Success Myth Buster #5 (Goal Setting)
I never liked goal setting and I probably never will. For many years I thought I was supposed to set goals because that’s what all the successful people preached. However, for some reason I was always resistant to it. I wasn’t trying to go against the flow but goal setting never resonated with me. How many people do you know that set goals and actually reach them? If you’re a goal setter how many of your goals do you actually reach? Where do the goals that you set actually come from? Are the goals you set actually based on anything that you’ve given serious thoughts to? How are you better off if you reach your goals? If goal setting is so damn important why do so few people set them? I think you’re starting to get my point. Question this and look at how your own goal setting has played out in your life.
Success Myth Buster #6 (Create A Clear and Detail Plan)
If you ever want to make God laugh tell her your detailed plans. There’s so much about the future that you cannot know that impossible to create a clear and detail plan. The person that is planning now is not the same person that will be arriving in the future. We are so future based focus that we literally miss the NOW. Be here now and just flow with it. Endeavor to make today your best and all else will take care of itself or it won’t but that’s what’s happening anyway.
Success Myth Buster #7 (Take Massive Action)
This is a biggie and one that has plagued me for many years. You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going is what I’ve heard. Take massive action even if its the wrong action and then self-correct. Perhaps there is some truth inherent in both statements but it in no way guarantees success. Acting massively is not sure fire method of creating success. Of course nothing happens until something moves but I’ve found that being slow to act can be just as powerful as taking massive action.
Success Myth Buster #8 (Persistence)
Is there a way to persistently pursue the wrong endeavors? How would you know? A good clue is that you never arrive at the place you intended. Persistence just like the word love has been abused and overused. If you knew you were headed in the right direction then persistence wouldn’t be needed would it? If you knew you were headed in the wrong direction persistence would do you no good would it? That’s all I have to say about persistence.
Success Myth Buster #9 (Visualization)
Get a clear picture in your mind’s eye and all these things will be added unto you. Yeah right. Visualization can be a great tool but it in no way guarantees success. Most people have trouble clearing out all the garbage to visualize anyway. If you could just get rid of all the negative thoughts you have daily that would be success in itself.
Success Myth Buster #10 (Affirmations)
Repeat these words again and again until they become apart of your unconscious mind and you will manifest the life you desire. I can’t tell you how many times I have affirmed words and phrases only to produce haphazard results. Sometimes I saw some desired results but many times I did not. Of course the experts would tell me that I was doing something wrong. Again, affirmations can be useful but it is a far cry for guaranteeing any level of success consistently.
As you know this is just my view of the world and I beg you to please question what I say. The purpose of this post was to get you to think for yourself and don’t buy into what others tell you regardless of who they are. Tap your own wisdom and you will be surprised at some of the answers that come through you.
That’s my spin on it.
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