Recently I was watching the success and history of a top rugby player and a top singer. One thing that they had in common was they came from a background of poverty, abuse and extreme adversity.
This got me thinking. Why is it that they had not let their past abuse and poverty stop them from achieving success? What was it that enabled them to overcome the past adversity in life?
When I looked at the history of these two people, both had a very clear idea of who and what they wanted to be. Both of them at an early age focussed on exactly what they wanted. They did not dwell on what they did not want.
Do You Know What You Want?
Most people are extremely clear on what they do not want. But, they can be very vague and find it difficult to explain what they do want. It has been proven, that ‘you’ get what you think about. So if you are not clear about what you want, the chances are you are never going to achieve it. More importantly, if you do not know what you want, even if you achieve success, you wouldn’t know! We spend more time planning a holiday than on deciding on the lifestyle we want in the future.
When you decide what you want and spend time focusing on achieving this result, your brain will consciously and unconsciously start looking for opportunities to achieve success.
Our past is our past. We cannot change the adversity we have experienced. We cannot add ‘challenges or adversity’ to our history to increase our chances of success if we had a wonderful upbringing. All we can do is choose! Choose the life and lifestyle we want to live. Then chase that outcome. There is nothing to be gained from ‘looking at the green grass’ over the fence. Being envious of another’s success, will do nothing to increase your bank balance. It is all up to you. Focus on your successful attributes, your passions, as it is your determination and passion that will give you success over adversity and your dream life. Nothing else will.
Take Massive Imperfect Action
This, of course, does not mean that you just need to sit and simply think about what you want. You also have to take action. Massive action. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. When opportunities arise, you have to act.
Take the time to plan what you want in life. Take the time to imagine and feel what it would be like every day to celebrate your success. Then, take the action necessary to move you towards what you want.
Don’t let the past become an excuse. Your past is your history and not your future.