Why is success so elusive for so many people? Could it be most people focus on the wrong thing? I talk to a lot of agents and clients every week and this subject comes up a lot. I have met very few that want to fail or not have any dreams or ambitions in life, but there are some folks who just want to exist. Most want the key to the castle of their dreams but believe it is not possible for them, only the lucky few. I subscribe that there is no such thing as luck. As the quote from Seneca stated “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. Let’s take a look at the basic formula for success.

There are countless books, audios, videos and seminars on this very subject and certainly this blog won’t even scratch the surface. However, the basics are all the same. The first key ingredient is your why. As simple as this sounds, it is where most folks fail. Your why must be bigger than yourself. Without a big enough why, when the going gets tough, you will quit. It’s the why, that gets you up in the middle of the night, makes you work late, makes you lose track of time and days, it is the single driving force of success. Your why cannot just be about money. You must find a way to have a win-win situation. As Henry Ford stated “a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business”. Your success hinges on a business idea that helps someone or is a value to someone other than yourself. It should be a solution to a problem whether large or niche. If you don’t get this step right, nothing else will help a person succeed.

The next ingredient in a success formula is your belief system. If you believe that success was only meant for a lucky few, just stop now. As Henry Ford stated “if you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you are right”. Once you have your why, then you must believe it to be possible. Our belief systems are so ingrained to who we are it controls our destiny to success. Take the African Elephant, a very smart animal. When the elephant is small it is chained with a shackle on its rear leg to a steel post in a few feet of concrete. The little elephant pulls and pulls to free itself for weeks and months until he finally gives up. The elephant believes he is trapped no matter what he does. Notice when you go to a circus the adult elephants are chained with the same shackle and chain to a wooden stack only about a foot in the ground. The powerful adult elephant could easily pull up the stake and escape. However, his belief is that no matter what he does, he can’t escape, so he doesn’t even try. That training is in his belief system. Some people are “trained” to believe they can’t succeed even though if their belief changed their success would also change. You must believe you WILL Succeed!

The last ingredient is easy with the first two why and belief. It is focus. You cannot get distracted with all of the things in our market today. The internet has created a vast market of “stuff”, you must remain laser focused on your definite chief aim and not brake for squirrels. Keep your why in front of you, believe in it as if it has already happened and stay focused on achieving that goal. Remember,” if you are shooting for the stars you seldom hit mud.” Here’s to your success!

“if not you then who? If not now then when?” John Lewis

Image courtesy of nokhoog_buchachon at www.freedigitalphotos.net

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Tim Wilhoit is owner/principal of Your Friend 4 Life Insurance Agency in Nashville, TN. He is a family man, father of 3, entrepreneur, insurance agent, life insurance broker, salesman, sales trainer, recruiter, public speaker, blogger and team leader with over 27 years of experience in sales and marketing in the insurance and beverage industries.