It is very sad to say, but many of us will never realize our true potential. We were all born with talent, but very few of us ever take the time or put the work in to find out what our talents are and to develop them.
I worked at a large Hardware Store for a few years in the early 2000s while attending college. I worked as a cashier. It was a great place to work at the time especially for me. I could make some money, get assistance with my college tuition and also I could work on shifts, so that was my dream job at the time.
During my time there I met a lot of young people who like me were trying to get ahead. We all worked hard and long hours but what amazed me was that everybody complained about their job, and their boss but no one wanted to go to college or to do anything to change their lives. I was a bit older and coming from a different culture with a totally different mindset I became somewhat of a mentor. I thought this was a great opportunity to earn a living and go to college at the same time.
I worked hard at my job like most but would be more excited about leaving for the university at the end of my shift. I knew I didn't want to work at this job forever, so I worked hard making sure I had other choices.
After graduating college, I went on to Graduate school. I lived in the area so occasionally go to the store to get things for my apartment. It would break my heart because the people there even though very excited to see me, would still be complaining about the job and management, and yet no one ever made an effort to do anything about it.
By this time, I was growing in my career and completing my masters. A few had gotten married and or had children of their own but they were there either still frustrated or now trapped in a job they disliked but need to get a paycheck yet no one had made the commitment to do anything about their life. They didn't seem to want even to move up the ladder to become a manager of even a supervisor.
If you want to become successful, you need to make changes in your life and most of all in the way you have been doing business. Observe the people you perceive as successful and who you would want to be like. Adapt the way they do things. Do the research on their lives and how they conduct themselves, do business and follow their lead.
Everyone can become successful if they want to and want to badly enough to want to do whatever it takes to get them there.If you find yourself year after year in the same position and doing the same thing maybe, you need to take a good look at yourself and reassess what it is you want for your life. There is no way you can continue to do the same thing year after year and expect the results will be different.
If you find yourself in the same situation I was in here are some tips that people who remain stuck tend to do, and you should avoid them at all cost:
- They fail to figure out what it is they want
Many people go through life bouncing from pillar to post all because they do not know what they want. You must first decide what it is you want to achieve, and then you can work towards it. It like sailing you could spend your entire life on the ocean and never get to shore unless you have a destination point you want to reach. You must decide early what it is you want, and the put the plans in place to work towards attaining that goal.
- They fear failing
The fear of failing is the biggest dream killer. People have such a fear that they might fail at what they do that they refuse to even make an effort. Failure is an inescapable even if you intend on becoming successful. Failure is only a sign that either you need to reassess what you are doing, or you need to try harder you are on the right track. You need to be happy when you fail as it could mean you are almost there. Face your fear and go after your dream. It is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.
- They listen to people who do not care about their dreams
If you listen to people when you discuss what you want to aspire to be or the business you want to start, you will never get going. People do not see your vision and might not be able to understand it even if you explain it to them. Some will outright discourage you from going after your dreams because either does not want to lose you to your ambitions, or they do not think you can be successful. You must have the confidence to go out on your own and make up your mind to be successful or die trying.
- They lack confidence
If you do not believe in yourself how you can then expect others to believe in you? You must believe that you can achieve anything you want and put your mind to and be prepared to do it. Your confidence is part of the puzzle to success. Look at all the very successful people you see on TV or know they all have an aura about them. They are confident, and they believe they can do anything and guess what they can. Once you believe it you can achieve it.
- They procrastinate
People who are successful seize the moment. They are always looking for an opportunity to improve on what they have already started or to start something new. They do not put things off for another day when they can do it today. If you find yourself delaying or putting things off, then you will never find the time to do it. There will never be the right time, or you will never have enough money to go after your dreams. You must be willing to take the chance of what you have and not delay if any longer.
- They are afraid to take the risk
Successful people are risk takers. They are not afraid to put themselves on the line. They are confident enough that they can take the risk ordinary people wouldn't dream of taking. They know the greater the risk the great the rewards and successful people keep their minds on the rewards. If you are afraid to take risks, you will never become successful in life. You must be willing to gamble with your life.
- They fail to seek knowledge
If you are not someone who believes in constantly learning something new, you will not be successful. The world is changing so fast and in order to keep up you must be willing to put the time in to learn new things and to apply that knowledge. Knowledge is power, and that power leads to success. Take a look at the most successful people around they are always trying something new or trying to increase their knowledge of what they can do to better themselves and their business. They refuse to stop learning, and that is why they are so very successful. You too need to adopt that attitude. You do not need to go back to school to get a Masters Degree or Ph.D. unless that is important to you, but you need to be constantly updating your knowledge base.
- They are quitters
Quitter never wins and people who never win will never success. If you want to be successful, you must be willing to work hard and never give up. Losers give up. Successful people never dream of giving up. It is not in their nature to quit. Success isn't for sprinters; it is more for the long distant runners. People who are willing to put in the time and effort in trying to achieve success will become successful. Successful people never quit. They work at it day after year and year after year until they achieve their goal. Once you've set a goal for yourself, do not stop until you get it…
- They are impatient
Impatient people cannot become successful because they do not give themselves the time for their dreams to be realized. You need to give yourself and your dream time to come to life. Successful people take all the time required to make their dreams a reality. They set goals for themselves and also set long-term and short-term goals. You need to do likewise. Set your short-term goals for about two years and the long term ones ten years and above. You will not see your dreams realize in a month or so. It just doesn't work that way. You have to be patient to see the fruit of your labor.
- They are ungrateful
People who are ungrateful cannot be successful as they do not see the need to be grateful for the small things they have been blessed with. Successful people are very grateful for everything they have been given since they have learned early that being grateful will help you to appreciate life and all it has to offer.
- They complain a lot
People who will never become successful spend their lives complaining about everything and everyone. Anyone who complains a lot will always be frustrated, angry, bitter and, for this reason, do not have any time or energy to pursue their dreams. Instead of working on improving themselves and their lives they spend their entire life complaining about how horrible their lives are. Successful people do not waste time complaining. They take action. You need to do likewise. If there is something, you are not happy with go out and change it. Do not waste your time and energy complaining about things you have no control over.
- They refuse to take responsibility for their actions
If you aren't prepared to take responsibility for your action, then you will never be able to become successful. Successful people put the blame where it belongs, and that is on them. They take responsibility for their actions. You likewise need to be able to take the responsibility for your life and action. It is never anyone else's fault why you aren't achieving your goals. The onus is on you to make sure your dreams are realized.
- They aren't dreamers
If you are not able to dream and dream big, you will never achieve your goals. You must be able to see in your mind's eye where you want to reach and what you want to achieve long before you set out to go out to achieve it. Dreaming is what will make you work harder and longer and even when the times are rough. There will be bad days and good days, and your dreams are what will help you to remain motivated and want to continue to work hard.
What lessons have life taught you long the way that could help others?
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