11 Simple Ways To Manifest Greatness In Your Life
#1. You Are The Only Person Responsible For Your Success
"You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself." -Jim Rohn
Let's face the facts and get right to it. You are where you are in life because of the decisions you've made up to this point. Period!
Before we can even think about moving into our greatness and living the life we've always wanted, we have to take ownership of all the decisions we've made. Congratulations, you've made some incredible decisions. On the other side, you've made some awful ones. The important part is you need to recognize the poor choices for what they are, your fault.
When you choose to own your problems, pitfalls, and failures, you own your story. If you own your history, you can write the ending. First, realize the world owes you nothing. You are the only person responsible for your success, and no one else.
Lastly, if you don't like your life, then change it. You have the power to change everything from your job to your health. Do not, for another moment, continue to live a life you are unhappy living. You and only you have the power to change your life's direction and do something different. Stop relinquishing your control and authority and take personal responsibility.
#2. No Idea is Too Big or Too Small
"If you feel like you have a $100 idea or a $1 million idea, just go for it! If you see gold, it probably is." -Derek Berry
Have you heard the story of Uber? I'll tell you how it happened. There were two individuals. Neither was any better or smarter than you. They were tired of the traditional taxi service and how they were treating customers. So, these two guys created an alternative. Today their company is worth over $75 billion based on an idea that was already taking place.
The founders of Uber (Travis and Garrett) didn't reinvent transportation. Instead, they got rid of everything most people disliked about it. Then, made it easily accessible for everyone to participate both as a driver and as a customer.
Too often, we hinder our best ideas and opportunities because they seem small. Everyone wants to come up with the next big revolutionary thing. Usually, it's the tweaking of existing ideas that turn out to be the most revolutionary.
If you don't believe me, just ask Airbnb, Instacart, Netflix, Tesla, and a host of other great companies. All examples of realigning old ideas with smaller innovative new ones.
People who are no better than you are poking, prodding, and changing the world that we live in with their ideas. You have the same ability and potential.
#3. There is No Progress Without Action
"Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope; you will fill yourself with hope." -Barack Obama
Newton's first law states an object at rest tends to remain at rest. Second, an object in motion tends to remain in motion with a constant velocity (constant speed and direction of motion). Newton explained that you have to start moving in the direction of your goals if you ever want to accomplish them.
Regardless of tools like the law of attraction and vision boards, nothing happens if I don't put myself in motion through daily action directed toward my goals. The most important part of Newton's first law is an object at rest tends to stay at rest. So, here is a remedy for laziness. Just do it for 1 minute a day, even when you don't feel like it. In a majority of cases, just setting yourself in motion can create an avalanche of action.
Although I may not feel like it initially when I sit down purposefully and start taking action on my goals, there is no stopping me. I even forget why it seemed like such a burden in the first place. Additionally, my mind is at ease because I make the goal for the day manageable. Then, 1 minute turns into 30 minutes or even 2 hours.
The point is this, set yourself in motion—attack laziness and procrastination with purposeful effort. Visualization is great, but taking action will get you to the promised land.
#4. Persistence (The True Secret To Success)
"Ambition is the path to success, persistence is the vehicle you arrive in." -Bill Bradley
What if Jack Ma, the richest man in China, decided to quit? Jack Ma could have easily thought he wasn't good enough after failing his college entrance exams, after being denied ten times by Harvard, and not even being able to get a job at KFC. It would have been easy to give up and accept a mediocre life, but he didn't. Jack Ma persevered. Refusing the hand life had dealt him, he didn't believe the people who told him he wasn't good enough, so he kept trying. Today he is China's most remarkable success story and worth over $30 billion.
Twelve publishers rejected J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter manuscript. Gone with the wind was rejected by 38 publishers. Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before finally getting financing for his dream of creating Disney World. Colonel Sanders was rejected 1009 times before finding a taker of his chicken recipe. They deemed Thomas Edison "too stupid to learn anything," fired from two jobs for being unproductive. He made 1000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb.
Think of all the books and inventions we wouldn't have today if their creators had not persisted through their initial failures. Always remember, nothing will work unless you do. You can pivot from one idea to the next, but don't ever quit. It's only once you've failed to persist that failure becomes a reality.
#5. Focus Is Everything (Achieve Mastery)
"Concentrate all of your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus." -Alexander Graham Bell
FOCUS is a great acronym that stands for Follow One Course Until Successful. Many people know a little about a lot, but not a lot about a little. They call these individuals jacks of all trades but masters of none. Why? As a result of doing too much, they've diluted their skill sets.
Avoid this behavior at all costs. Instead, bring all of your attention to a singular field of study. Think of it in the same way you think of college. What is your major?
In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell believes it takes 10,000 hours of concentrated effort to be great in any one field. This metric proves the process toward mastery is a daily grind that demands action and Focus.
Ask yourself, how was it that Serena Williams could win a record 23 Grand Slams in Tennis? How was it possible for Wayne Gretzky to break 40 National Hockey League records and be the most dominant professional hockey player ever? How did Bill Gates become the richest man on Earth for 18 of the last 23 years? The answer is Focus.
Each individual I just named chose one field to be great at from the time they were children. And, as their time and effort accumulated over the years, they then dominated their respective fields.
#6. Failure is Necessary
"Winners are not afraid of losing, but losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success." -Robert T. Kiyosaki
There is a blessing in every lesson. But first, we have to stop looking at failure as the end all be all. Failure is a necessary part of the process. Failure only sets in once you've given up entirely. Until then, success is on the horizon, as long as you keep trying.
Remember, there are barriers to entry no matter what you plan on doing. These barriers aren't for the passionate, motivated, and inspired amongst us. They are for the jokers and others who only see dollar signs and not people at the end of transactions.
These barriers are for the people who don't want it but just think it's a good idea. Many will try, and many will fail, going back home at the first sign of trouble. But not you, because there is something different about you. You've got greatness within you.
#7. Develop a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." -Thomas Jefferson
More than anything else, positivity is about your mentality and attitude in any given situation. You may not always be able to control your circumstances. But, when you have a positive mental attitude, you are taking back the power to decide how you feel, think, and act in any given situation.
That changes everything. You can go from feeling hopeless to having reasons to be hopeful. From feeling defeated to finding a way to be victorious!
#8. You Must Believe You Can (Faith)
"You may be the only person who believes in you, but it's enough. It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. Never give up." -Richelle E. Goodrich
Remember this, before you ever doubt God or yourself, you should doubt your doubts! While on your journey, faith in yourself will play a critical role. Without faith, you would not take action, and you would not persist.
You take action because you believe in the possibility of something great happening due to that action. You persist because even though it didn't work out initially, you know it will happen eventually. That is the power of faith.
#9. Helping Others Is a Big Part of Being Successful
"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." -Napoleon Hill
Here are five reasons you should make helping others a priority in your life:
- Motivation. Individuals asking for your help will tend to be highly motivated and enthusiastic. That same energy and enthusiasm will rub off on you. The process may leave you feeling reinvigorated, propelling you to heights you've never seen or experienced before.
- Strengthens The Lessons You've Already Learned. You can go from being good at something to great by helping a person in a field that you're proficient in.
- Networking Opportunity. You never know where people will end up one day. A favor now could lead to favor later. It could also build your reputation in a family or community of people who will remember when you helped others and didn't have to.
- Good Karma. What goes around, comes around. When you do good for others, the universe will thank you eventually. The payback is not immediate, but good things are on the horizon, and that's a reason to be excited.
- It Just Feels Good. Giving feels much better than taking. Additionally, nothing feels better than knowing you've made a positive impact on the lives of other people.
#10. Success is a Journey of Countless Baby Steps
"Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret to success." -Swami Sivananda
I once heard an NBA analyst talking about San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. The analyst mentioned that Gregg Popovich's only objective is to be 4 points better per quarter than the opposing team. However, it doesn't sound like much. If the team is successful, they'll win the game by 16 points. In basketball, this is considered a wide margin of victory.
With this simple strategy, Greg Popovich is one of only two coaches in NBA history to have 20 consecutive winning seasons. And, his teams have competed in 6 championship series, going on to win 5 NBA Championships.
In the same way that Greg Popovich concentrates on winning each quarter, your goal should be to win each week or, better yet, each day. Seven great days equal a great week and four great weeks equal a great month. These aren't just baby steps, and they're what I like to call incremental steps to success.
This point is critical in your future success. You can have all numerous goals, but it means nothing if you don't create a plan to achieve them. A ship with no captain never leaves the dock, and a captain with no map never reaches his destination. You are the captain, the boat is your goal, and the plan is the daily action steps that continually move you in the direction of your ultimate goal.
#11. Patience is Mastery
"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it." -Arnold H. Glasow
You won't take action for long if you lack patience. Without patience, you'd never remain persistent. Without patience, you'd lose Focus quickly, and you'd be willing to walk away from goals at the first sign of failure. Patience is a summation of everything I have written here. It's the critical component to making everything else come together.
You have to give your greatness time to manifest. You must nurture and develop your greatness consistently. It takes time, attention, and effort to reach the pinnacle of a specified field. But keep this in mind, patience is not waiting for success to happen. When you've begun taking action and utilizing these tips in a synchronized manner, you will be willing success to occur in your life.
Nothing happens overnight. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is right now. Plant your seeds for greatness! I can't express this enough, but you've got plenty of time.
I believe we don't get to leave this universe and enter the next until we've served our purpose. We're all here for a reason. It's up to us to discover what that reason is and fulfill our God-given purpose.
So, what is patience? Patience is mastery! But most importantly, patience is accepting timing that isn't your own. As long as you keep grinding, your success will come in due timing!