Just a quick tip before we start with the rules for success – all those things you’ve been thinking about the past few months, projects you still have to work on, deadlines to meet… Either let it go for good or start doing something to make those ideas come to life.
Whatever you choose, make sure that weight is off of your shoulders. No more thinking whether or not to do it, or when will be the right time, or when will you have enough money to do it.
Either act on that idea now or let it go so that you can give your attention to other things.
Now, for today’s topic – 5 rules for success.
Cue Gary Vee and Tony Robbins quotes.
1. my rules for success don’t have to be your rules for success
”You can’t live your life based on other people’s point of view.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
There is no universal definition of success. To some success means being married, having a big family, and working as a nurse. To others it may mean being in a non-monogamous relationship and never getting married, moving to a different country every 6 months, being their own boss.
The point is that you need to define your own version of success and follow the path that will lead you to it. You can’t listen to your parents or look at what other people on social media are doing and take their steps. You were born with a certain set of skills and you have your own vision as to what would your ideal life look like. Follow that.
Doing what other people say is the safest option means following their idea of success. You need to create your own. And then, it takes a lot of believing in yourself and not giving up when things get difficult.
You have absolutely no idea what you could achieve if you would only believe in yourself, do what your gut (intuition) tells you, and not settle for anything less than what you have in your mind. Give yourself a chance to succeed.
Journal prompts for this part:
What are you passionate about?
What can you talk about for hours?
If you could do anything, what would you do?
What does your ideal day look like?
What are your skills?
Who is your biggest inspiration? Why?
What are you good at?
Would you like to have an office job or would you prefer being location independent?
Would you prefer working for someone else or create your own business?
Ask yourself this type of thought-provoking questions to figure out what success means to you. Then you can create your own rules for success based on that.
P. S. If you’ve been on your own self-improvement journey and you want to dive deeper, check out my journaling bundle.
The bundle includes 3 guided journaling workshops for building confidence, creating the next-level version of yourself, and setting goals. It’s so powerful to help you dig deeper within yourself and start making a change in your life so that you can reach your goals. Sound good? Then get your bundle on the link here and snag some pretty cool bonuses!
2. schedule it
‘‘Ideas are s**t. Execution is the game.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
When I started writing these rules for success, I searched for Gary’s quotes and when I saw this one, immediately my mind went ”Yeeees!” The idea is the first step, but as I’ve said in the introduction – if you don’t act on it, it just becomes a weight on your shoulders. It becomes clutter in your mind and it’s not leading anywhere.
Until you write down the whole plan and strategy in your planner/calendar, you’re not doing anything.
To conclude, put every step of your plan/desire in your schedule and start taking action.
Read next:
3 Ways to Increase Motivation in a Matter of Minutes
3. taking action vs. rest
”Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” – Eleanor Brownn
I’m going to skip the part of writing out all the benefits of good sleep, meditation, spending time in nature… You already know all of that. I’ll fast forward to giving you a few ideas on how to make more time to include rest in your daily flow of obligations and perpetual tasks.
My personal favorite when it comes to making more time is batching your work (or anything else). That can easily be applied to meal prepping once or twice a week so that you don’t spend eternity in your kitchen cooking and preparing food every day.
If you’re a blogger, you can batch checking your emails to twice a day instead of doing it all the time, editing photos once a week, brainstorming ideas once a week, or editing videos all at once.
Also, checking in with yourself is crucial. Sometimes when you’re just not feeling inspired or motivated, ask yourself what is the problem. Honestly, sometimes the best thing you can do is just to take a nap.
I am all about taking action and creating your dream life, but your well-being should always be a priority.
Related:
3 Signs that You Should Quit Something
4. weekly reviews
There are plenty of benefits to doing a weekly (and even monthly or yearly) review. You can gain awareness of your behavior patterns, realize when are you most productive, when you get lazy, what are the most frequent tasks you tend to procrastinate with, etc.
Moreover, if you’re not investing in a coach or if you’re not surrounded by like-minded individuals who share the same goals as you, by doing weekly reviews you can hold yourself accountable.
5. gratitude and acceptance
‘‘The real joy in life comes from finding your true purpose and aligning it with what you do every single day.” – Tony Robbins
Of course, gratitude and acceptance are not just rules for success, but for everything in life. Celebrating every milestone and having a gratitude mindset will make the whole journey more fun. Yes, have the end goal in mind, but don’t forget that the only moment you have is now. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, maybe think about some alternative ways you can achieve the goal you have in mind.
Accept that you’re going to have uninspired days and days filled with excitement. You’ll have days filled with opportunities as well as days when you’ll sit on your bed thinking why are you even trying when you can’t see any results.
The point is, whatever you do in life, you will go through ebbs and flows. The only thing you can do is to accept them as a part of the journey. Go after the life you want, don’t settle for something that is safe. Take the leap and see how life unfolds.
Whatever happens, accept it as a part of the path. Grow through what you go through, you know… And be grateful for everything you have ever had that has led you to this moment. Be grateful for the amazing person that you are. And be grateful for everything that is yet to come.
‘‘Swing the bat.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
Q: What are some of your favorite rules for success? Let us know in the comments 🙂
Until the next time,
Ivana
This was a fantastic post, lots of these things I didn’t even realize (like taking time to check in with yourself). All which I think are crucial to success. Well done.
Hi Tina,
yes, checking in with yourself is a great habit to implement. So often we just rush from task to task, so taking a few moments to see how are we feeling and how is the day going can be really helpful for both our mental and physical health.
Wow. Amazing article! You gave action-able steps. I will try the journal prompts today. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Sobia,
hope you’ll find journaling helpful to gain focus and clear your mind 🙂
Great quotes and insight! Love it.
Hi Annette,
glad you liked it 🙂
“The point is, whatever you do in life, you will go through ebbs and flows. The only thing you can do is to accept them as a part of the journey.” I love this. In blogging there are certainly frustrations, but I found joy and purpose in what I’m doing and that’s what keeps me going.
Hi Kate,
I definitely agree. There is so much uncertainty, especially in the beginning. But yes, when what you do comes from your passion, not from the feeling of obligation, then the success and motivation follow.
I love that you included gratitude and acceptance. I think this is overlooked by lots of people when it comes to setting yourself up for success.
Hi Philip,
yes, a lot of people tend to focus on future outcomes and what they don’t have in the present moment. It’s all about the mindset, and what you choose to focus on.