The first ingredient for success is desire: that yearning to make something of one’s self; to be something.
Desire is usually a product of observation. As children we saw doctors, lawyers, architects and astronauts and wanted so much to become like them. For others, it was the sight of their favourite footballer that spawned the interest that grew into an obsession. Desire was birthed at various points for every successful person.
However, observation isn’t the only source of desire. For the very rare kind of genius, desire is a product of imagination: the insatiable longing to birth in reality something that previously didn’t exist - like the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk.
In today’s world, imagination has overtaken observation. More and more, the world’s problems require solutions that are the product of completely new lines of thought. Even where observation is required, it is only a starting point - a seed that imagination nurtures, waters and eventually harvests.
Imagination fuels desire, and desire must precede success; and sadly, that is where a lot of people stop. Desire is never enough. There is a second ingredient: competence.
One does not become a surgeon through wishful thinking (alone). There is a process of learning, of application, of diligent practice. We didn’t only wish to be doctors or lawyers or engineers, we learned what was necessary. We practiced. We gained competence.
Every huge success story can point very clearly to the desire that fuelled their achievements. They can also point to the competence that made that desire fruitful. Competence without desire is mundane and pedestrian; but desire without competence is frustrating- perhaps even disastrous.
Imagine for a moment, that Orville and Wilbur hadn’t studied and extensively tested the physical laws that would eventually enable them to make that first flight. Think of the disaster that would ensue if your doctor’s only qualifications were “extreme passion for human well being” and not an MBBS. Success requires competence…and even that is not enough.
Success requires application and persistence. Even the most accomplished surgeons have made mistakes, either in training or in practice. It is the persistence in their application that eventually brings them to a point of mastery. The most illustrious sportsmen and women- The Serena’s and Cristiano’s go beyond the basics of their sport and apply themselves to the pursuit of excellence in ways that few others ever attempt to. If competence is the foundation, then persistence and application and the walls, the lintel and the roof. But even that is not enough. For in human endeavour, and in the pursuit of success, some failure is inevitable; and to get beyond that, success requires adaptation.
I first watched Gareth Bale as a speedy left-back at Tottenham Hotspur. His ability to get beyond his man was otherworldly, and his eventual transformation into one of the most lethal forwards in the game is a case study in adaptation. Success requires that you build on your strengths. It requires occasionally that you regroup, recalibrate, and reassess the most viable route forward.
Successful people know when to stop. They know when to pause. They know when to keep going. Adaptation is the supreme human requirement for survival. If desire ignites the fire, competence will fan it into flame. Persistence and application are the accelerants; but it is adaptation that keeps it burning.
Success requires desire, competence, persistence and adaptation. The most successful ones know when to inject a little more of each.
