Formula for Success

If you, like me, have been searching for the formula for success, you would have by now known that there isn't a one standard template that everyone can use to attain success. Hard work, discipline, integrity, passion, intelligence, attention to details, opportunities..... all contribute to how successful you can be.

Some of these traits can be controlled, some cannot. Some are nature, some are nutured. So what should one do? For traits that cannot be controlled (ie. having good luck), ignore... you simply do not have power over these. For those traits that are part of your nature, know your strengths and weaknesses... concentrate on making use of your strengths and manage your weaknesses. For those traits that can be nutured, improve on these to a stage where you become a master of these traits.

For me, i have narrowed it down to a formula which i think best applies to me. It takes into account my strengths as well as my weaknesses and the traits that i feel will help me in my pursuit of success if i were to pay close attention to them. Formula is as follows:

(Vision + Goal Setting) + Learnt Ability + Discipline + Risk Taking = Achievement

VISION and GOAL SETTING are in brackets because i classify them as a combined item. Firstly, i need to have a vision, to know where i wanna go and what i wanna achieve. Then comes the Goal Settings which is to lay out a path on how i plan to achieve that vision. Goal Setting may be in the form of multiple goals, one goal leading to the achievement of the next goal eventually achieving that vision.

LEARNT ABILITY is what you can and need to learn to achieve your vision and your goals. If you want to run a successful Internet Startup, you need to be a master in the areas of the business that you are in, be it mastering that new programming technology or mastering how to market business on the Internet successfully. You can be a lazy manager or business owner and say "Well, i'll hire the best to do it"... you can but then you will need to master the art of managing the best personnels. That is not going to be easy either. We are living in an age where information and knowledge is so widely available on the Internet. These information are not just available to you but to your competitors as well. You want to beat your competitor? You need to be better than them... period.

DISCIPLINE.... self explantory. Find me one athelete that is the best at what he or she does who claims that they are not disciplined and i will show you a liar. I'm sure there are lots of successful business men and executives out there who achieved their success without discipline. These people had the right connections or the good fortune of having luck on their side. If you have neither, you better start instilling discipline on yourself.

RISK TAKING... i'm not a risk taker by nature. I like to think i am but statistically, i'm just not. I love to gamble but i hate losing money. When i go on holidays, every single day's itinerary is planned, every hotel has been pre-booked. If i come up with a business idea that has it's fair share of risk, i run back to the comfort of my day job. But as the saying goes "No Risk, no Gain" I will just have to remind myself that in the absence of the risk taking trait, i should rely and trust on calculated risk taking...

The path to success has never been easy... the road is filled with potholes and dangerous predators out to prey on you. Know where you want to go, learn how to get there in the best way possible, stick to the game plan and of course, make that journey and never give up no matter what. Even if you don't get there, you'll be happy knowing you died trying :)