Most young people have a strong desire to be successful. Many times however, they do not know exactly what success means or how to pursue it. This causes confusion which results to frustration. As a business mentor, a major part of my job is to help young people figure out who they are, what they want to do and how to achieve it.
The fallacy of overnight success is something that is not only common with Generation Y but also with those among us who are always looking for the easy way out. One of the key causes for abandoned goals is a lack of upfront appreciation for the full price to be paid and this involves a lot more than financial considerations.
We have to remember that great things take time to mature. I agree that there are those who will take a shorter time to become successful, but majority are the products of hard work and sacrifice. We all hunger and desire for a better life but you must understand that this takes time to cultivate.
Values such as hard work are long forgotten by the young people and quickly replaced with the fallacy of overnight success. How prepared are you for success? What principles do you abide by that will contribute to success? These are some of the things that you need to think about. Opportunities come and go. Failure to prepare for success will only deter your progress.
It is imperative that you focus on creating wealth that will sustain your livelihood and create a lasting legacy. Even those who win the jackpot must invest their money for sustainability purposes. If not, then it becomes a total waste because you enjoy the pleasure of spending money that has not been accounted for.
Success accompanied by lack of preparedness disappears quickly. Remember, if it’s too easy then it will definitely disappear as fast as it came.
Here are some of the tips that have helped me and continue to help me in the journey of success.
Plan your day. Have a list of tasks that you need to do and give each task a timeline. This will create discipline enabling you to track your progress and achieve as much as you can. Planning your day will also give you time to schedule impromptu meetings or give you some ‘free’ time to do as you please. When on it, remember to get up early so that you have ample time to go over your current read and get news updates before you go to work.
Continuously pursue knowledge. You can never get enough skills or have enough information. The world keeps progressing and you must research and gain the necessary knowledge to keep up with the changing trends. You must constantly re-invent yourself and your business if you want to succeed. A wise man once said, ‘you cannot do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.’
Work smart. Anything you do will either bring you closer to your goal or away from it. Do not get caught up in doing little tasks that do not add value to you. Write down a list of things you need to do and arrange them according to importance or simplicity. This helps you save time and begin with what is familiar to you.
No opportunity goes to waste. Make the best use of every opportunity and prepare well for it. It’s unfortunate that most of us do not even have an elevator pitch and end up wasting opportunities when they meet prominent business people. Remember, it’s your first and probably your last chance to make an impression. Do the best you can.
Your success will require hard work, courage, humility, patience, resilience, talent, teamwork and, yes, hard work again. Any “opportunity” that promises to circumvent any of the latter is most likely a scam.
In conclusion, the idea of overnight success is, by all means, a misconception. Planning one’s life around it is plain senseless.
