The one key to success you need to try and fail at…again, and again
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. — Winston Churchill
I’ve noticed recently that pressures looming over my fellow Americans seem to grow year-on-year. Around every corner is something new you must be good at, or there’s some new skill you absolutely must have to succeed.
It’s a strange phenomenon, as I don’t really see how all humans could need (or want) the exact same things. We’ve had no difficulty acknowledging our differences, so thinking we all require the same stuff is…odd.
This leaves me wondering…why is it, then, we all have to succeed the same way?
Finding the answer wasn’t easy.
Acknowledging that you must determine your own version of success is simultaneously a weight-off-your-shoulders and a new burden in itself. Defining success outside the norm isn’t an easy thing to do because there are so few guides for it.
The funny thing is that you don’t need a final definition to start seeing what your version of success looks and feels like. How else are you going define something you don’t understand than through trial-by-error?
But, there’s a catch…
You have no way of controlling many of the circumstances that lay ahead. And there is no way you can perfectly plan for a successful future.
I see so many people bogged down by the very pressure of figuring out how to achieve success, that they forget the most important step.
Why?
Because they forget that there’s only one thing you can really control: Yourself.
Without understanding that, they never realize that the key to whatever it is you seek is simple. And we’ve all had to do it, at one point or another. And it’s not waking up early, eating 30g of protein every morning, or meditating three times a day (though meditation is amazing). These may be great tools, but they’re not turn-key solutions.
So…what’s the secret?
You just have to START.
Because there is no easy-button in this game. There’s only you, and yes or no.
No list of 10-tricks-to-maximize-your-productivity will ever really make you more productive (sorry to bust the bubble). The thought of those 10 things just sounds overwhelming.
What will help you succeed — or be more productive (if that’s your current version of success — is to start trying, right now. After that?
Don’t stop trying.
There is not only one way to win. There’s no rulebook to happiness (though books will tell you otherwise).
But I can tell you one thing: you’ll never get there if you let all the unnecessary baggage drag you down, preventing you from putting forward the first foot. Because there so many footsteps ahead.
What no one wants to admit in this era of convenience is that you have to keep trying to actually see the success. There really is no instant option. The “tricks” are not tricks at all, honestly.
So…here’s what I’ve learned you need to achieve (your own version) success:
- Don’t expect the end to look like what you think it will today. Adapt, and enjoy the ride.
- Only you can decide what success really means. Any other definition than your own is chasing someone else’s dream.
- Learn how to “start” better with each new challenge. The more you practice, the easier it gets.
- You can’t just do it once. You’ve got to keep doing it. No success was ever won in a day (and obviously Rome wasn’t built that quickly either). Its those who get up every day and try again that ultimately reach the finish line.
However you approach numbers 1–4 is up to you. I can’t tell you the right or wrong way, other than your way is really the only path that will work.
I started a new journey myself — outside of baseball — about a year ago, and much of what I’ve started to share with you friends (like this blog) has been a result of that scary-but-exciting, new adventure. And I can’t wait for what’s next.
Don’t let the fear of what could happen prevent you from seeing what will.
Here’s to an incredible season, and an incredible journey ahead.
And remember, I want to hear your story too! It’s part of the reason I’m here on Medium. Connect with me here on any of my channels below (or on TylerBeede.com, and share with me what success means to you 🙌
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