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Success isn’t the same for anyone, and that’s the beauty of it. As a person that had every other statistic thrown at him, it was important to overcome the odds and prove to others that it is possible to obtain success in the way I define it. To shed some light on how I personally define success, I’ll start with some brief accomplishments:
- High School Diploma
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Master’s Degree
- No Criminal Record
- 25
- Established Relationship with God
- Employed Full-Time
To some, these accomplishments may not be within their definition of success. However, for me, society told me I was not meant to have any of this, nor deserved it. It is quite a privilege and an honor to accomplish so much, and I’m striving to do nothing but achieve more. These are purely the results that stem from my definition of success. Below are some tips that have helped every step of my personal journey:
S — Seek out help.There are people in this world that say they earned everything they have in life on their own. For those people, I give a great deal of respect to. For me, I was never afraid to ask for help. You never know what kind of expertise someone has, and it doesn’t hurt to let others invest their time and effort into your future success.
U — Understand what you want your success to look like. George Washington Carver said “where there is no vision, there is no hope,” and it helps to have a clear sense of what you want to achieve. By having a vision, and developing a plan of action, you’re more willing to make sure your vision becomes a reality.
C — Create your “why.” Often, people know what they want to achieve, and how they plan to achieve it. However, some lose sight of why they’re doing it in the first place. For you to be successful, creating your why and constantly reminding yourself of it can maintain value in the effort you put in towards achieving your goals.
C — Collaborate with others that share your definition of success. This isn’t to say that your definition of success is not unique and solely your own, however, there may be other people that have definitions of success that are similar to yours. Help them, to help you, to help others. Again it doesn’t hurt to ask for help, and in light of the old adage of “it gets lonely at the top,” it doesn’t hurt to have a little bit of company when you’re accomplishing your goals and reaching your desired success.
E — Excel at everything you put your mind to. There are going to be plenty of distractions and plenty of obstacles that will try to deter you from achieving success. Do what you can to not let these things get in the way, because, at the end of the day, the journey to your success is not going to be an easy one.
S — Sacrifices are inevitable. It sucks to say, but it is the truth. In order to reach the success we want in life, there are going to be times where sacrifices will have to be made. If the process to be successful was easy, everyone would do it. Nonetheless, keep in mind that the sacrifices you make will be worth it, because it simply means that whatever you had to sacrifice now, there’s something better waiting for you in the future.
S — Self-care will be your best friend. If you are not taking care of yourself, you already run the risk of not reaching your desired and deserved success. Self-care is at your discretion, so do whatever is needed to ensure you are holistically healthy. Without self-care, there’s a chance of developing apathy, which could lead to potential burnout.
Success looks and feels different and happens differently for everyone. However, it will take time and it will be worth it. In conclusion, define your success, don’t let it define you.
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