1. Method1
1.1. Planning for Success
1.1.1. 1
1.1.1.1. Imagine becoming successful
1.1.1.1.1. Einstein said that "Imagination is more important than knowledge".
1.1.1.1.2. The same way engineers first imagine a bridge and then build it, you can be the engineer of your success, too
1.1.1.1.3. Dedicate a few minutes every day to imagining your success
1.1.1.1.4. Cultivate a healthy motivation when imagining your success. Successful people all believe in themselves and their missions
1.1.2. 2
1.1.2.1. Find the purpose or goal of your life
1.1.2.1.1. Identify the things you love to do, the things that give you satisfaction. Once you identify what you love to do, use this information to find the purpose of your life or the objective of your life.
1.1.2.1.2. Finding what you love to do will give you motivation along the way
1.1.3. 3
1.1.3.1. Define the meaning of success as you see it
1.1.3.1.1. You cannot have success if you do not know what it means for you
1.1.3.1.2. Everyone views success differently and using someone else standard for success is like eating another person's lunch and expecting to love it
1.1.3.1.3. For example, let's say you want to be good at your job. You get a promotion, you get a raise, but you still haven't reached your goal because you could always do better, right? You could always get promoted even further, or make even more money
1.1.4. 4
1.1.4.1. Selectively lower your confidence
1.1.4.1.1. Lower self-confidence makes you pay attention to critical feedback and helps you be more self-critical
1.1.4.1.2. Lower self-confidence makes you work harder and prepare more
1.1.4.1.3. Lower self-confidence makes you less narcissistic
1.1.5. 5
1.1.5.1. Set a timeline for when you want to achieve your objective
1.1.5.1.1. . If you don't know when you will achieve your objective by, then it's hard to know whether you have failed. Give yourself a timeline that is difficult but doable. Winning a Tour de France from scratch in two years is not reasonable, but booking a comedy gig in front of at least 20 paying customers probably is
1.1.6. 6
1.1.6.1. Identify the things/skills/material needed to achieve your objectives
1.1.6.1.1. This is identifying short term objectives to achieve long term goals
1.1.7. 7
1.1.7.1. Be curious about life
1.1.7.1.1. Many successful people have an insatiable curiosity. If they don't understand how something works or don't know the answer to a question, they find out
1.1.8. 8
1.1.8.1. Identify the skills you need to sharpen and the skills you can outsource
1.1.8.1.1. Outsourcing is all about time-management. You may think of yourself as a superman or superwoman, but there are limits to your powers
2. Method3
2.1. Redoing
2.1.1. 4
2.1.1.1. Remove fear and doubt from your way of thinking
2.1.1.1.1. Focus on staying positive in every situation
2.1.1.1.2. You will be surprised how effective you can be when your thoughts are guiding your actions, not the other way around
2.1.1.1.3. If you fail, don't be fearful about starting over; be happy that you've been given a chance to be even more successful
2.1.2. 3
2.1.2.1. Remember that success does not guarantee happiness
2.1.2.1.1. Success is equated with achieving a goal, but don't assume it will always bring happiness
2.1.2.1.2. Fulfillment and satisfaction have a lot more to do with how you approach life than with what you do in life
2.1.3. 2
2.1.3.1. Accept that life is unfair
2.1.3.1.1. You can moan about it and wish that it were different, or you can go out there and do something about it. So stop wasting time about the unfairness of it all and think how to use the situation for your benefit
2.1.4. 1
2.1.4.1. Be persistent
2.1.4.1.1. What will define you is how you pick yourself up after you've fallen. Don't give up. If your first attempt didn't work, don't quit
2.1.4.1.2. Don't let failure define you
2.1.4.1.3. Don't make excuses
2.1.4.1.4. Learn from your failures
3. Method2
3.1. Execution
3.1.1. 1
3.1.1.1. Execute your small objectives, focusing on your main objective
3.1.1.1.1. Don't find reasons to procrastinate. Jump headfirst into the challenge and start chipping away. You never know what problems will present themselves before you step into the arena
3.1.2. 2
3.1.2.1. Stay away from distractions as much as possible
3.1.2.1.1. Distractions are either the spice of life or the forbidden fruit, depending on your perspective
3.1.2.1.2. Distractions are okay in low doses
3.1.3. 3
3.1.3.1. Surround yourself with other people who are successful
3.1.3.1.1. When you're surrounded with people who are highly-driven, it's encouraging
3.1.3.1.2. You can bounce ideas off people, and they can even connect you with other people
3.1.3.1.3. Study successful people. Look around — who has the success that you envision for yourself? What are they doing? How do they approach life? Ask them for advice. Model some of your approaches around theirs, if possible
3.1.4. 4
3.1.4.1. Trust other people to do their job
3.1.4.1.1. . It's hard to be successful if you don't trust the people around you
3.1.4.1.2. Being successful is partly about assembling an able team around you
3.1.4.1.3. If you can't trust others enough to let them do their job, you probably won't succeed at that.
3.1.4.1.4. If you trust in someone, they'll want to do well because they want to reward your trust in them
3.1.4.1.5. As John Donne once wrote, "No man is an island." What he meant by this is that no man works alone, entirely independently, however much he thinks he does. We depend on other people, whether we like it or not. Placing trust in other people is a necessity, not an option
3.1.5. 5
3.1.5.1. Find a mentor
3.1.5.1.1. A mentor is someone, usually with a bit more experience than you, who knows the trade, offers advice, and helps you in your pursuit
3.1.5.1.2. Mentors get satisfaction out of knowing that their guidance has literally bred success
3.1.5.1.3. A mentor will help you:
3.1.6. 6
3.1.6.1. Gather as much information as you can
3.1.6.1.1. Listen. Study. Understand. Learn
3.1.7. 7
3.1.7.1. Look at what the numbers are telling you
3.1.7.1.1. Did you ever have an idea about something but were afraid that the numbers (i.e. metrics) wouldn't back it up? That fear is normal, but it's a good idea to let the numbers give you guidance. Better to be wrong and adapt than to stubbornly insist you're doing it right when the numbers don't back that up
3.1.8. 8
3.1.8.1. Take calculated risks
3.1.8.1.1. Step out of your comfort zone
3.1.8.1.2. Don't wait for opportunities to fall in your lap
3.1.8.1.3. Study your risks, make sure the odds are in your favor, and take a leap
3.1.8.1.4. Three calculated risks to consider:
3.1.9. 9
3.1.9.1. Solve problems
3.1.9.1.1. People who are successful encourage progress by solving problems and answering questions
3.1.9.1.2. Successful people make big investments (in their careers, in their businesses, in their education) and all investments involve risk
3.1.9.1.3. Which problems are you motivated to solve?
3.1.10. 10
3.1.10.1. Use technology, don't let it use you
3.1.10.1.1. Technology can be incredibly powerful
3.1.10.1.2. But technology can be a burden if you let it