The 12 Principles of Success

1. You have to know where you’re going.

Have a dream. Know what your dream is. Paint a picture of it. Let it dominate your life every day – morning and night. Your dream should wake you up in the morning and keep you up at night!  Life has a purpose for being here. When you go on vacation or a trip, what’s the first thing you decide? Where are you going?

2. You have to know how to get there. 

Plan, plan, plan. Use my vacation analogy:  You have to follow your plan (or your map) in order to get there the easiest and most efficient way.  Prior to running a marathon, how many miles do you have to run each day or week?  To start a new career, do you have to take some classes?  If so, which ones?

3. You have to LOVE it.

You have to really believe in this one. Never wish you had a different one or a better one - whatever “it” is. Be committed to it. Love covers some cruddy stuff. There will always be junk. LOVE always wins.  If you love it, it will never fail.  Look at Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg...successful people love big!

4. This is important — in order to change your future, you must change your direction. 

You have to be willing to change for it. It’s much easier to stay where you are, but your change will change others. Carefully examine your friends, advisors, peers, co-workers, etc.  Draw from the winners. You’ve heard the expression “soar with the eagles.” Don’t peck along the ground with the chickens. 

5. This is sometimes hard for people to talk about: You have to sacrifice for it! WORK IT. 

The number one disease in the workplace today is what? LAZINESS. You have to work at it. You have to be willing to pay the price. Success comes at a price. Success is not a technique or found in a piece of equipment. It can’t be found in a code either. Success isn’t a lottery. It’s called work for a reason. This may include taking time away from your family or skipping out of your buddy’s golf tournament once in awhile.  

6. To be successful, you must think success. 

98% of the population think crap and call it the facts. Examine how you think. What you thinketh, you becometh. It will cause you to act differently. Believe you are going to heaven – you will be happier. Your thoughts are the prophets of the future.  You can’t think you are going to fail and eventually succeed.  If you step up to bat and think you are going to strike out, you probably are going to strike out.  

7. This is a critical step to success: Live inspired – become inspiring.

This is a choice –not a trait or inheritance. Inspire your family!  In the movie, “Secretariet,” the mom wants to live the dream. Her husband wants her to stay home. However, he acknowledges and commends her on showing the kids how to live the dream. The true reward is the purpose – not the money, which isn’t the cure.

8. Be coachable. 

Most people aren’t coachable and don’t listen. The truth is that no one in history has ever achieved extraordinary success without a coach. The secret to being amazing is the ability to “copy genius.”  When we were in school, we were taught not to copy. However, in the real world, it’s okay to go out there and copy successful people.

9. Romans 8:28:  “All Things Work Together for the Good.”   

In other words, do all the steps necessary for success all the time. 

10. Develop the constancy of purpose.

This requires time and repetition. Be consistent. All professions have some sort of repetition. Focus fades. Make a five year plan for success. You will love the results when you stay focused on that plan.

11. Financial Responsibility. 

Financial security = success. If you cannot save money, the seed of success is not in you. Poor is a condition- no one is poor. We may be broke, but not poor. Broke is a situation – it can be repaired. How are you at repairing it? Are you living within your means? You can’t be spending more than you are making.

12. Please God. 

Everything begins with God. There is no such thing as great without a great God supporting it. You must have a strong foundation. Ask yourself: What is your purpose on this planet? What if you live without spiritual purpose? Accomplishing nothing in life requires no prayer. What game of success do you want to play? If you want to win at the game of success, Please God!