Growing up,
I assumed that successful people were lucky. I silently wished and hoped that I would someday get lucky too. I dreamed of having an enjoyable job, a loving family, money to travel and to give, and basically living the good life.
The older I got, the more discontent I became. The thought of “someday becoming lucky” not arriving was devastating.
I was so terrified that I decided to take matters into my own hands. My quest began.
I was determined to find the answer to my question: “Why are some people successful and not others?” After listening to countless success stories, piece by piece, the puzzle began to come together. I began to realize that all successful people have many characteristics in common. Surprisingly, education is not one of these common traits.
There is no correlation between education and success. Of course there are countless exceptions, but many self-made millionaires and even self-made billionaires never graduated from college. Bill Gates, for example, ditched his plan to become a lawyer and dropped out of Harvard University.
He was more interested in computers. Now he is the richest person in the world. Steve Jobs, another pioneer in the computer revolution, also dropped out of college after only one semester. Years later, he
presented us with many technological breakthroughs.
These two individuals changed the world for the better and proved that, although education is important in many regards, it is not the only element to success.
If it’s not education, then what is it that makes some people successful and not others? For one, a positive mindset.
If you were to take note of the thoughts running through your head in one day, how would you rate them on a scale of zero to empowering? Are your thoughts filled with faith, expectancy of good things, and belief in your abilities to do what is necessary to take your life to the next level? If not, then you have some work to do. You must change your mindset immediately. Your thoughts and your beliefs play a very important role in achieving success.
In the upcoming chapters, you’ll learn how to alter your daily thoughts so that they can work for you instead of against you. Quality habits and daily routines are another trait all successful people possess.
We all have daily routines we follow whether we realize it or not. What do yours look like? When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thing you do? If you are like most people it’s probably one or more of the following: hit the snooze button a couple of times and then rush out of bed and quickly get ready for work, or you may check the news, social media, or email on your phone before you even get out of bed. I consider that starting your day on the wrong foot.
As you’ll discover later in this book, there is a more powerful way to start your morning. Starting your morning on a positive vibe will lead to an ideal day, which should be filled with energy and vibrancy.
Not every day will be perfect, but the majority of your days should be filled with passion for your work.