Secrets to Success

People often ask me what the secret is to writing a book. I always say, there’s no secret, you just do it. You have to actually put in the time and the fingers to the keyboard. That’s the big secret!  

But success is a tougher one to define. It’s a bunch of things that might seem unrelated. It’s part attitude, party moxie and part not giving a hoot about what other people think.  And perhaps the biggest part is something I like to call fake-it-until-you-make-it. I used this technique many times earlier in my career when I was scared to make a phone call or approach someone influential at a social gathering. I would think, if I wasn’t scared, how would I handle it? And then I’d do that. It’s amazing how well this turned out most of the time.

Someone shared this list on social media and it grabbed me.  The author has compiled all of those intangible things that make a person a success. I’m posting this with his permission and looking forward to his book, out next month. 19 Things You Need to Do to be Successful by Dan Walschmidt, Edgy Conversations.

You have to do the hard things.

You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.

You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.

You have to give more than you get in return right away.

You have to care more about others than they care about you.

You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody and sore.

You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.

You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.

You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.

You have to grind out the details even when it’s easier to shrug them off.

You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.

You have to search for your own explanations when you’re told to accept the “facts”.

You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.

You have to try and fail and try again.

You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.

You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.

You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.

You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.

You have to keep moving toward where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

You have to do the hard things. The things no one else is doing. The things that scare you. The things that make you wonder how much longer you can hold on.

Do the hard things. You might be surprised by how amazing you really are.