8 things I have learned about success

I consider myself successful because not so many years ago I was unemployed with no education and nowhere to go. Now, although I am not financially prosperous, I have a job as an academic where I am able to teach other people about the very things I had trouble learning. I have just completed a PhD and now I am waiting for my marks … which when I consider it what I was previously is nothing short of miraculous! I had help from my friends, family and I believe God. However, I learned some amazing things about this life in this time and five of them I would like to share with you today.

1. Never ignore your heart

When I left school I had the fourth worst score you could get from the high school system in Queensland. This meant I was automatically rejected form every single university in the entire state. I was really depressed during that time because my dream was to go onto university and study. I never really stopped trying. Thanks to my abysmal score I had only one opportunity which was TAFE (Technical College/Polytechnic for my overseas readers). This particular college at the time was the single worst in the state. Intuitively my heart told me that going there was the right choice… not just because it was the only one but I knew for whatever reason it would open doors later on in life. Indeed it did… now I work at Griffith University as an Associate Lecturer in the Business School. Imagine that! I never stopped doing what I knew I should be though from time to time I did wander off track. Always listen to the drumbeat of your heart.

2. Be wary of the advice of others

People usually have good intentions when they are telling you what they think you should do. They cannot see into your destiny and do not know what you know about you. So take advice with a grain of salt. Listen carefully to the mistakes people have made. Like when people say don’t go into business with friends… ask them why? Ask them to explain why that would be a bad idea and listen. You will learn some pitfalls that you should avoid. On the other hand I had someone who kept telling me to stop studying and go and get a job. Now, I have a job and I am studying while I write cool blog entries like this one! Not only that, but I have met people from all over the world and worked with people twenty years my senior on major industry projects. I am not wealthy but I have gained a wealth of knowledge. Hence, I am here telling you (whoever you are – God bless you for reading) what I learned! What a great privilege.

3. Don’t say no because you can’t do it

I have learned that challenges will come. I have stood through what looked like at the time as a great impossibility only to find that I was led through it. Now as a believer I am convinced that impossible means nothing. However, a lot of the times we are facing challenges in our life that we think are truly impossible. What happens is we talk ourselves out of trying. This is a fatal mistake. When you venture out into the unknown you are a pioneer. You are paving the way for others to follow. If you say no, maybe others you will influence will agree with you and likewise not try. There is more to be gained from failing then there is in never trying. I always put action ahead of thinking, which at first seems counterintuitive, but I am all the richer for it. Try your ideas out, if you can, it’s a great way to learn if it works or not.

4. Don’t flog a dead horse

There are times in my life when I wish I could borrow the TARDIS from the Doctor and visit myself and say, ‘stop doing this… it’s going to be a disaster!’ Once I get going on a project I will work at it until it’s done. Sometimes my convictions are not well founded… therefore I make disasters. One incident springs to mind in which I had the opportunity to leave a business that ended up costing me HUGE amounts of money. At the time I was thinking it couldn’t possibly fail or rather this CAN’T possibly fail because I had so much at stake. It did fail. I find great comfort in the lyrics of the Gambler at such times. Knowing when to run is oh so important.

5. Learn to love failing

Following on from point 4. can I tell you that I love failing? Well no I don’t. I have some monumental failures (see fiction page) behind me. Sure, I have hurts attached to those failures but I also have learning. I love failing because I have learned something about myself, what I was doing and the problem I was trying to solve. You are not a failure because you have failed you are failure if you fail to learn. Learning is a key life skill. Failure hurts but it’s what you can milk from those failures that will put you heads and shoulders above the rest.

6. Opportunities do not come labelled

Oh how I wish they did. If there is one thing I could leave you with as you read this… please understand some opportunities you will never have again. Once I had a literary agent willing to sign for a book I wrote (again see the fiction page) and he told me to have it edited to suit the US. I was so excited. The guy I hired took over five months to get back to me with a finished manuscript! Initially I was told it would take I contacted the agent again and he’d moved on. I am still not over this but I have noticed… carefully assess every opportunity and make DAMNED sure you have support when you need it. If you don’t think fast, think quick and be smart. You may never EVER get the opportunity again. How I wish I could wind back the clock and slap that guy upside the head but what good will it do me? No bloody good! Expect opportunities and be cautious but go for it if you think it has a shot. You may not get another shot.

7. Be patient and take small steps daily

Patience is a annoying. I hate to wait as much as they next person. My wife recently planted a tomato tree in the backyard of our previous house. Right before we move I noticed a green fresh tomato growing and thought yes! Fresh tomatoes! You know what, we had to move and leave the plant there because it’s roots were so deep it probably wouldn’t have made it. How long did I wait for the tomato only to have it snatched from my grasp? Now I feel robbed! Patience though will get me another plant in just a short while and I will have my fresh tomatoes. Think about how patient the plant is and how slowly it’s roots grow. I have been told that some forms of bamboo will sit under the soil for years and suddenly shoot up only to become a deep rooted pest! We need to be like that. Take steps towards a goal on a daily basis and make good quality decisions regularly as you do. All of the good things in my life I have had to wait for. Day after day, year after year. Now, while I was doing nothing… nothing happened. Yet, if I build it bit by bit I have the complete building at the end. I would urge you to do the same. You may never get there as such but someone will come after you and who knows what your legacy will be like. Don’t wait to develop your goals… do it now but do so one day after the other.

8. Acknowledge, encourage, recognise and honour the people around you who help

I am disgusted to my very bones when I think about the amount of heroes we have in society. Why? Every successful person has people who encourage them along the way and support them. They would be nothing without those people. One person I think of in my life is my mother. Now this may seem corny… but she always has something positive to say when it comes to what I am doing. A birthday card I got from her once said, ‘Happy Birthday Professor’. That blessed me so much that I have never forgot it. At the time I was really struggling and people all around me were telling me to quit what I was doing. God bless you mum. When I look back at where I came from to where I am now I am amazed. Those that put up with me and helped me all know that I appreciate their input.

Thanks for reading this article… remember you can donate or even better leave me some constructive feedback. See you next time.

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