Successful people lie to you all the time.
It’s true! Ask them how they became successful.
Nine out of ten times, the answer they’re giving you, is sorta true, but it’s not the real, high-impact, and unglamorous truth.
It’s not what really led them to success.
Successful people are people too, and like other people, they want you to feel good.
How do successful people lie to you, without realizing it themselves?
What it takes to succeed
Ask a lot of successful people what it took for them to succeed, and you’ll get a good variety of answers.
But mostly, about the inspiration, the moment of truth, or the “fuck-it” moment in their lives, where they realized something, and that pushed them to start going for success.
Answers like :
“Follow your passion.”
“Discover your calling.”
“Do what makes you feel alive.”
And other similar answers in that vein.
It’s true, isn’t it?
And yet, I know of many people who have discovered their calling, are following their passion, and are a bit happier for it, but still constantly worry, complain about how the world is not “getting them”, and that success still hasn’t come for them, even though they feel so alive in what they do. They still have debt, struggle to pay the bills, and rate themselves as not yet that successful.
At least, not on their terms.
One out of ten people who succeed, will tell you the truth of what got them there.
And it’s so unglamorous, people don’t believe them, to the point of discounting and disregarding, what is essentially, the true form of the path to success.
The effort and commitment it takes
The path to success is about how you can maintain focus and forward momentum, despite the obstacles, setbacks, and pain that you will encounter.
That takes effort, and commitment to the cause.
Which successful people don’t stress enough.
Or, maybe they do, but we people who have yet to get to that plane, understand and fully comprehend.
Then again, that’s one reason why so many people have a hard time finding success – it’s because they don’t know what success is supposed to look like, feel like, act like, and be like.
Without a clear goal, a sense of the destination, it becomes harder to pour in the effort and commitment.
Especially when you’re unsure of reaching that goal – which you know nothing about how it feels and is supposed to be.
Without realizing it, successful people lie to you that you need effort and commitment to get to success.
What you need, is sustained effort and commitment to success, that won’t wither and break away in the face of obstacles, setbacks, and pain.
It’s like when someone asked me how I lost weight, and me sharing my unglamorous answer.
“I cut carbs, exercised three times a week, and only ate in an eight-hour window everyday.”
To which the responses were:
“I can’t cut carbs! I like rice too much.”
“I don’t have time to exercise.”
“How can you not eat for such a long time everyday! You’ll get an ulcer.”
Maybe that’s why we like the flighty, inspiring answers to our questions. Those make us feel good and hopeful, and not the intimidation and drudgery of the real answer.
The answer that leads to results, and success.
Luck plays a part, or does it?
Getting to success requires some amount of luck, and in most cases, the role of luck is downplayed.
In fact, it’s not true that luck doesn’t play a part in success. That’s a lie.
However, it also doesn’t mean success is all luck.
The more effort and commitment you pour into it, the luckier you will get.
You create your own luck.
But they don’t tell you that. They tell you to work hard, and get those opportunities.
But there are accidents that happen, and things that happen along the way that have no logical explanation.
Not everything can be obtained with hard work, and commitment.
Not everything can be obtained in a linear fashion.
You have to do the right things
That’s a lie.
People are so focused on what to do, and how to do it. Looking for silver bullets that will solve problems and get results, right away.
Success isn’t only about doing the right things.
It’s becoming the right type of person.
The journey to success isn’t about the action steps.
It’s about the transformation that you undergo as a person. About breaking your personal barriers, and shattering your limiting beliefs.
But that answer doesn’t come across well, because only so few in our world are able to understand it.
We’re looking for the silver bullet, not knowing it’s about going from lowly villager to elite hunter.
Very unsexy. Very hard.
All too real.
What’s the truth about how you got your success? Please share in the comments below!
Leave a Reply