So what is stopping you from being successful?
So what is stopping you from being successful?
Have you had the success in your life that you thought you would have had?
Are you where you want to be with your health, wealth or your relationships?
Are you where you wanted to be in your career, traveled to where you wanted to go and done what you wanted to do?
Have you suddenly found yourself in your thirties, forties or fifties and wondered where the time has gone and feel stuck in a rut?
Do you feel bored and keep doing the same things over and over, day after day?
Maybe you just don’t feel right but you are not sure what is wrong?
What were your dreams and goals when you were growing up?
Did you achieve them?
Or did they just get lost in the busyness of life?
Why I haven’t been successful
Not so long ago I was in my mid-thirties. I had a very well paid job in the mining industry, I had a house, car and some savings, but I wasn’t really happy and I wasn’t sure why.
It was then that I read a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad and I had what I can only describe as an epiphany!
I realised that I was nowhere near where I thought I should of been financially. I was in too much credit card debt and I hadn’t hardly invested at all.
My health wasn’t in the best shape either, and my relationships had been a disaster!
I hadn’t done the things that I had wanted to do or been to the places I wanted to go. I no longer enjoyed my job very much and my life was certainly not what I imagined it would have turned out like.
The scariest part was that I had no idea!
I was thinking that life was going “okay”, but I wasn’t really happy and I didn’t know why.
I was stuck in my comfort zone, just drifting through life but not really going anywhere.
I realised I wasn’t successful at all… but I now had a hunger to be, and I set about to change my life financially, physically and emotionally.
And thankfully over the next few years my life has changed for the better in all of these areas, and now I am starting to achieve success.
And more importantly, I am a lot happier 🙂
So what is stopping YOU from being successful?
I believe that your comfort zone is the biggest killer.
It is so easy to just get caught up with life and just drift along in your comfort zone.
You might believe that you have a good life, a happy life.
But is it a great life?
Are you just going to work each day, spending some time with the kids, watching some television, having a few drinks with friends on the weekend and feel that life is pretty good?
Same thing next week?
And the next?
But were you meant to have a pretty good life… OR A GREAT ONE!
Are you stuck in your comfort zone and don’t realise it?
Awareness is key!
Maybe you disagree?
Maybe you are happy?
But are you really?
Just think about it.
Were you born to live an average, normal life?
Maybe you don’t think you are that special?
But what if you were born to live an abundant life?
A life where you achieve abundance in all aspects of life.
In your health!
In your wealth!
And your relationships!
Don’t you think you deserve that?
You only have one shot at it!
How can I be more successful?
- The first step is awareness.
Once I read Rich Dad Poor Dad, my perception of life had started to change and I could no longer continue on the same way that I had.
Hopefully by reading this article you at least start to question some of your old paradigms.
One of my old mentors often says that “what you don’t know, you don’t know”
- Set goals
If you don’t know what it is that you want out of life, then HOW are you going to get it?
This is why most of us are just drifting through life and not really going anywhere.
To be successful at anything, you first must decide what it is that you want to achieve.
Set aside an hour or so and work out your top three goals that you want to achieve in the areas of health, wealth and relationships.
What is it that you want to “be”, “do”, and “have” in each of these areas.
Once you have a target to aim at, you can work out an action plan to achieve it!
- Keep learning
Along my own road to financial freedom I have discovered that the more that I learn, the more I realise that there is still so much more that I don’t know.
One of the basic essential human needs is to keep learning and growing.
This is the reason that so many of us feel directionless and bored in our daily lives.
We are not growing!
We are stuck in our comfort zones and leading a safe life.
The real juice of life comes from pushing through our comfort zones and learning new things.
- Contribution
Real happiness comes from giving back to others.
Helping and contributing to family and friends and also other people or causes that you believe in, makes life truly meaningful.
If you are contributing to others then you ARE successful.
- Find a mentor, coach or a group of like minded people
It is a common fact that you earn within 10% of your 5 closest friends.
Who you surround yourself with is who you become.
Find someone that has already achieved what you want to achieve and model them.
Success leaves clues, there is no need to re-invent the wheel.
Having a coach or mentor can keep you accountable and they can see what you can’t see.
It is also essential to find a community of people that want you to achieve your goals as much as you do, and are heading in the same direction as you are.
- Take action
In the end, to be successful you have to do the work!
You can set goals, make plans, do affirmations, meditate and read motivational books and quotes forever.
But you need to take action and do the work.
Success will not happen by accident, you have to make it happen, no one can do it for you.
And of course things will not happen straight away.
You will fail.
You will get frustrated and want to quit.
Keep going!
Measure, monitor and adjust along the way and keep taking action.
Never give up and you will succeed!
It is just a matter of time!
You CAN DO IT!
It is NEVER too late!
You are capable of so much more than your realise.
Unleash your POWER and live your dreams!
If you have any questions, comments or tips for success, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
To your success,
John W. Newman
Dream It, Believe It, Then Achieve It!
Truly fantastic article! I’ve bookmarked this one. I’ve recently started doing daily goal setting and reviews and it’s making a world of difference, so I totally agree with you on that one!
The hardest part I’m finding is surrounding myself with the right people. I recently went to a couple of excellent business seminars, but it’s being able to be around those people all the time. Do you have any suggestions on how I can do that?
Thanks so much!
Hi Joshua, going to seminars is a great way to surround yourself with like-minded people!
Also, online communities, is a great option as well!
Unfortunately, most people we know won’t understand our journey, so joining online communities with the same goals and dreams really helps!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
I agree with so much of what you said there John. I think there are many ways to become successful but you hit the big ones. Being, leave your comfort zone, learn, be aware and surround yourself with positivity.
Rich Dad Poor Dad also changed my life. I like how he says that the reason why people are poor is because of a poor mindset. Poor people say I can’t afford this. Rich people say what can I do to get this. One mindset promotes thinking the other is giving up. Great article John. The only thing from stopping you from success is you.
Thanks for you comment Matt and I totally agree!
Your mindset is the only thing between you and the success you seek! 🙂
Hi John,
Great post and some excellent advice. I think people get stuck at various stages in life whether it be comfort with a stable (unsatisfying) job, not giving back, or not taking action on their personal dreams due to fear or laziness.
Many times in my journey to create successful businesses, I’ve had to ask myself, “what is stopping you from being successful”, and inevitably it’s me.
Either self pity, attitude, or drive. Once I ask myself this question, realize that it’s me hindering myself, I can get past my challenge and move forward.
Great post and even better inspiration John, thanks.
Todd
Thanks for your feedback Todd!
Yes I think we are all responsible for our lives, and while we may not be able to control everything that happens, we CAN control how we react!
Once we realise this fact, then we are truly in control of our destiny!
Thanks again Todd, I am glad you liked the post 🙂
Great post. If I was not already with WA, you would have convinced me into looking it over. Thanks for the great information.
Thanks Patrick!
Wealthy Affiliate is an awesome community! 🙂
This is a really inspiring post. I love your honestly about where you got to where you are. I think a lot of people can identify with this, myself included. I have heard of the Book you mention, but I haven’t read it. It sounds like a good read, if it can change your path so much. And I truly believe in who you surround yourself with is who you become. I am bookmarking this page for inspiration. Thank you!
Rich Dad Poor Dad is an awesome read Ruth!
Thanks for your feedback, really glad you liked it! 🙂
John,
Great inspiration to get moving. The thing that is stopping me from being successful is the same thing that a lot of people suffer from. It is the motivation to keep heading in one direction, too many side tracks that waste time.
Getting outside of my comfort zone was something I was not used to in my 40 some years of work. When I quit my job, I did not have any motivation to keep doing anything for several months.
I have now set some goals for each month, broken down into weeks and days, that keep me moving forward.
I will never stop learning and sharing what I have learned.
John
Thanks for your comment John!
It sounds like you are now on the right track, and I have to agree with you that it is not easy to step outside your comfort zone after such a long time.
But it is definitely worth it!
I also agree that it is a big trap getting side-tracked on things that stop you heading where you want. FOCUS is a big key for me, and avoiding what I call “shinyitus”… chasing after the next shiny thing that catches your eye.
Now I am focusing on building my online business until it is a raging success!
Thanks for your feedback 🙂