22 Jul Why Success isn’t Easy
How many years have you had dreams of success?
Me? At least most of my life, certainly since my later teenage years. I didn’t know what it was, I didn’t know why I always felt different from most of my mates, but deep down somewhere inside my soul there was always this desire and dream… for more. No necessarily for ‘more’ than I had, but to be ‘more’ than I was. And truth is, this is a dangerous place to be.
Most of us at one time or another dream for more – but few of us have the courage to reach for it. Too often our dreams are met with dissatisfaction at meagre attempt or dampened by our disillusioned “well-meaning” friends.
Few of us reach for the sky and attempt to bring our dreams into reality!
For those of us who do, people like you, people like me, more than half of us quit. Why? Because success isn’t easy. Believe it or not, against “popular success belief”, we were NOT ‘made for success’. No. We have to MAKE IT. And that takes effort.
In this video I’ll outline some key points that will help you further define your success journey to help you bring it closer, and then in subsequent videos help you learn what it is that *you* need to do to achieve your success dreams. Enjoy!
Transcript: How are you doing there, folks? Paul Barrs signing in for another video update.
Absolutely glorious day, isn’t it? And you can see from the view here behind me, I’ve had to climb some way to get here. As a matter of fact, where I am now in this park here on the top of Buderim on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia, yeah, it is some ride to get up here, especially on a push bike.
I’m looking around and I’m thinking to myself a good opportunity to record a video, send out an update today to ask the question, “Why is success so difficult?” I mean, what is it about achieving the things in life that we want so difficult for most people? Simple thing. For me to get up to get here in time to record this this morning and to put in the effort to get up that hill. Now, I could have gone somewhere else, but I wanted to have this view behind me because I love the view. It makes me feel good. The thing is this, it takes effort for me to get up and to do this.
Success Point Number One…
But does it matter how I got here? Does it matter whether I walked, whether I rode or whether I was in a car? Heck, I could jump out of an airplane and land here. It doesn’t matter. I still get here and the thing about success, point number one, why it’s so difficult for most to achieve simply is this; many people think there’s only one way to get there. But that’s not true. There are many ways, many roads towards that path for success, whatever it might be for you.
Now, I should also define that point. What is success? Are we talking financially or are we talking relationship? Are we talking about our friendships? Maybe, personal success, the thing’s that we do just for ourselves. Well, in truth, it’s all of these things. My own personal definition of success is simply this: an achievement which is usually above and beyond what we might normally easily do. What we might normally and easily do. I think that be worthwhile [inaudible], the definition of success. Now, for me I have to regularly push past my own fears, my own personal boundaries. I mean, I’m sitting here in a public park at the moment, I got a couple of people looking at me. They probably think I’m crazy. Yes, they do. They’re wondering what’s this guy doing sitting here talking to a microphone.
Well, OK, you know me. I’ve been on stage for 30-something years. I do this for a living. So, does that mean it’s any easier each time? No, it’s not. I still have to push past the fear. Why? Because success to me and enjoying not just the end result but what I do is important. And when I’m finished here, I’m going to jump back on my bike, and I’m going to head down that hill and find another couple of locations and record a few more videos. But the thing is we all go through the school, the school of hard knocks where we do stuff and what? Shit happens. It just never quite turns out the way we want it to, and nine times out of ten that’s what will happen when you set your endeavors and set your mind to achieving whatever it is you want to achieve.
Success Point Number Two…
Here’s the difference, point number two. What makes success? We don’t give up. We don’t give up when stuff gets hard. We find another path. We find a way thorough, a way over, a way around. It doesn’t matter what it was, even if it means a little bit of pain. We recognize the fact that sometimes we have to do things that are difficult to do. And that’s important to remember. So as you look at your goals, as you look at the tasks ahead of you, I say to you this: if they’re easy to do, well, yeah, ok, do them. But are they really, truly worth while? What about those things that will push you just a little bit further? Are they easy to do? Probably not. But are they also worth while? Most likely, yes.
These are the things that bring greater reward and greater richness. And of course, the old story comes down to someone once asked me, “What do you have to be, what do you have to do to be a millionaire? Wouldn’t it be easy just to win the lotto? Get the million dollars?” OK, putting aside the numbers, no, it wouldn’t be easier but sure, someone could just come along and give you a million dollars. Is that going to make you a millionaire? No. It’s going to mean you’ve got a million dollars. What would make you the millionaire is learning the skills that would enable you to earn the million time and time and time again. And once you get there, once you know how, it just comes so easy to do.
That’s the difference between success, between failure. Success is knowing what to do and actually doing it. Failure is knowing what to do and not doing it. Most of us actually know what to do but for some reason, fear perhaps or whatever, we just don’t do it. But then why don’t we all have success? Why don’t we all get to enjoy it? Why don’t we all have the good relationships that we desire? Why don’t we have the financial security that we want? Why don’t we have the health and fitness that we wish was possible?
Success Point Number Three…
Well, we all went to school. We all learned what we needed to do in life, didn’t we? No, not really. School taught us how to read. School taught us how to count. School didn’t teach us how to think, and that’s the difference. So, I’m going to make a recommendation to you today, point number three, that you start, if you haven’t already, building a success library. Information from others, learning how others think so that you can then develop and change your own thoughts toward your own process, whatever that might be. Whatever it is that you want to achieve. If you haven’t achieved it yet, I believe it’s because you haven’t yet learned how.
So, what you need to do is learn how. You can learn this from one, your own experience. Not always the best teacher. It’s a valid point but not always the best. You can learn from other people’s experience, certainly the best teacher. So two ways, from your own experience or other people’s experience, and that’s what books are. Books, videos, audios, videos and so on. These are information from others, just like you’re learning here right now.
I’ve given you three points. Did you jot them down? I hope so because if you didn’t you need to go back, watch this again and write down these three points. They will help you to achieve whatever it is that you want to achieve in life, in all areas, not just business, not just finance. And the thing is success. It isn’t easy, it isn’t easy. But if you learn how to do the good work, I believe that good fortune will follow you and then show you good favor. And that’s what it comes down to. Don’t quit. Don’t give up but you can’t just say, “Hey, never give up”. That’s rubbish. You got to be doing the right things at the same time. That’s why you need a good library.
All right. I’m going to have a cup and enjoy this view a bit more. This is Paul Barrs from PaulBarrs.com signing off. You have a fantastic day. Bye-bye.
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I’d love to get your feedback below… what Success Lessons have you learnt over the years?
