“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle
To make a significant change in our lives, we have to address the foundation of our personality, which is our daily habits. To create a successful life, we have to adopt the habits of success and repeat them over and over until they become second nature, a part of us. The mechanics of becoming an expert in anything are simple: persistently practice the things that are hard until they become easy, then you will be a master. If you then teach the things you have mastered to another, your understanding and skill level will increase exponentially.
Increase your knowledge
The first habit of success immersion is daily education. It has two parts: learn about improving yourself and learn about the area or subject in which you wish to be successful. It is important to learn about improving yourself, so you can be the best you can possibly be. It will be hard to excel in your chosen field if you are struggling with depression, confidence issues, or are in a bad relationship. It is equally difficult to put in the hard work necessary if you suffer from poor health.
Candidly assess yourself and any areas you feel need work. This is not an excuse for you to beat up on yourself or throw a pity party. Get insight from a person you trust if your own opinion is questionable. The idea is to strive for constant and never-ending improvement. Train yourself to expect more and better from yourself, your loved ones, and your life. You do not have to settle for the conditions in which you currently exist if they are not making you happy and fulfilled.
There are thousands upon thousands of books, videos, and articles on self-improvement, psychology, and related subjects. These are the first place to start when seeking a better life. Often, we are our own primary obstruction in obtaining a life of satisfaction and happiness. The knowledge, experience, and conditioning we have are often flawed and distorted by negativity. Improving our personality and outlook is essential to obtaining a successful life.
The second area in which we need to increase our knowledge is in our chosen career field or sector of interest. By reading and studying a portion of every day, you can rise to the top percent of producers in your company. It does not matter at all what your job or responsibility is, there are resources to educate and improve your output, thus increasing your value and upward mobility or satisfaction. If you are not seeking to learn and improve constantly, you are sliding backward. The pace of change in our technology driven world is very rapid. It is impossible to maintain the status quo, and inadvisable.
Increase your wealth
Part of being happy and experiencing feelings of success is becoming financially secure. Mastery over your personal income will give you the freedom to use your time as you wish. Rather than working because of fear (fear of poverty, inability to pay bills), financial independence allows you to engage in activities that you love, that are fulfilling and give you purpose.
The first rule of building wealth is very simple. It is also the hardest for many people to implement. Every time you receive payment for your time or services, pay yourself first. Before you pay bills, or purchase groceries or entertainment, set aside a percentage to save and invest for your future. Do not take from this fund for any reason or emergency, you should have a separate savings for those instances.
As you start to build your net worth, increase your knowledge of finance and investing. Research your investments carefully and make wise, informed decisions. When you begin to see your money making more money through interest, dividends, and appreciation, you will become happier and more confident.
Along with paying yourself first, it is essential to develop multiple streams of income. There are a million ways to make money, and there is no shortage of money in the world. You just need to find a way to collect it. Depending on only one source for income is dangerous. No matter how secure you think your job is, it could end at any time due to circumstances beyond your control. Accidents happen making it impossible to continue working, businesses are sold or closed, new technologies constantly make entire fields and products obsolete.
The best advice I have heard on building income comes from my own self-improvement study. It was Brian Tracy that said something along these lines: Find someone who is successful doing what you want to do and imitate them. Someone has already forged a path in the direction you want to go. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or learn everything on your own.
Increase your happiness
I know, easier said than done, but it is truly an important aspect of success and an amazing life. What is happiness to you? I think everyone has their own interpretation of what brings them joy. Reflect on the people you associate with, the possessions you have, the work that you do…even where you live. Do they make you happy? If not, are they really worth your time, effort, and attention?
The 80/20 rule says that 20 percent of actions cause 80 percent of results. This can be applied to just about everything in life including your happiness. Identify the 20 percent of your world that provides the majority of joy, happiness, bliss, fulfillment, energy…and concentrate your efforts there. Amazing things will begin to happen.
Most people are not inherently happy. It is something that takes work and attention. By continuously showing gratitude, we can stay in a frame of mind that is conducive to happiness. Be thankful for everything that you have every day. Appreciate the individuals that you interact with and let them know they are important to you.
Increase your self-discipline
Self-discipline is the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses. It is also the ability to pursue what you want despite temptations to quit. It is the primary habit of success immersion. Without self-discipline, it is easier to do what you have always done, what is comfortable, and what is instantly gratifying.
We have to design the life we want starting with our personality. Our personality dictates how we interact with the rest of the world and our success, or lack thereof. By making small consistent changes every day, we can become the person we most want to be and achieve the goals we have set for our lives.
Self-discipline begins with our thoughts. What we think about most is what manifests in our lives. If we think only negative thoughts, we will see just the worst qualities in other people. If our worldview is mostly pessimistic, we will have mainly bad experiences and relationships. Expect only the best, from yourself and everyone else, and that is what you will receive.
Success Immersion is studying, learning, implementing, and sharing the principles of prosperity every moment of our lives. It starts exactly where you are with the resources you currently have, and it will take you anywhere you desire to go. If you commit to increasing your knowledge, wealth, happiness, and self-discipline; you will become unstoppable.