What Is the Secret to Success?

As I write this, a man I admire is on his deathbed. Though I’ve never met him personally, he has served as one of my business mentors through his books and seminars. He’s in his mid-sixties, young by today’s standards. In the marketing and advertising world, he’s a superstar. Just a few days after receiving a terminal diagnosis, he wrote a final letter to his followers and fans. In response, they thanked him for everything he had done over the years. Thousands of letters poured in, each a testimony to the impact he had on them and on their professional lives. For many, he was a true hero.

When I read his farewell letter, it got me thinking about my own life. What kind of legacy will I leave behind? Will I do anything in my lifetime that will actually impact the world, not just while I’m here, but after I’m gone? Is it possible for each one of us to have that kind of lasting effect on our fellow humans or is it reserved for those whom God has anointed?
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I’ll admit, I’ve not always been sure. It seems like a fantasy and beyond my capacity to make that kind of mark. 
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What's your definition of success?

You may not be interested in having your memory etched in history. Maybe you’d rather be remembered for being a great parent or the best friend anyone could have, to find true love or to achieve some other personal goal. Or maybe you just want to be remembered as a person who made everyone smile. These are all admirable goals and, in my view, would classify as successes.
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While my definition of success may be different than yours, each of us has a desire to be successful at something as well as the fear that we never will. If you’re reading this, then it’s likely you’re currently—or at some point have been—haunted by lack of accomplishment. There’s something inside of us that compels us to do more than simply exist. But many of us are frozen in place, unsure of how to build the bridge between the dream and accomplishing that dream.
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Success is a head game

I read a lot of books. Many of them are in the “self-help” category. You may or may not read books like this, but perhaps some of the titles will be familiar - Think and Grow Rich, The Success Principles, and The Magic of Thinking Big, to name a few. All of them are designed to make you a more successful person and empower you to accomplish your dreams. In case you haven’t read any of them, let’s just say they do a pretty good job of building the case that you can achieve anything you want. Well, almost anything. Maybe trying to become a star quarterback in the NFL at forty-nine years old with no prior experience playing football is a bit out of reach.

A common thread in each of these books centers around the battle that takes place in our minds. When we’re born, we have no prejudices, no awareness of our limitations, we’re innocent and the world is ours for the taking. Yet as we grow up, we absorb the thoughts, morals, and beliefs of the people around us. Even though these people have our best interests at heart, most of what we learn from them actually inhibits our potential to do great things. We’re told to go to college, get married, have a family, and get a stable job. Most of all, we’re told we shouldn’t take risks. We end up letting others define success for us.

After a while, the person God created us to be has been suppressed into oblivion. As a result, many end up unhappy and depressed with their lives. Some settle for what life hands them, resign to it, and only reflect when it’s unavoidable. Others spend the rest of their lives trying to figure out why they don’t fit in, feel alone in a crowded room, and remain haunted by the desire to do more or be more, but have no idea what to do about it.

At the same time, we’re subjected to the world of television, magazines, and movies where the nerd gets the girl, the good guys always win in the end, and love conquers all. I don’t know about you, but that isn’t the world I live in. Still, we grow up actually believing some of this stuff. Even today, we think much of “reality TV” is real. Yet the outcomes are just as planned and scripted as any other TV show or movie. It’s entertainment and that’s as far as it goes.

I’ve battled limiting beliefs all my life—the voices in my head that tell me I’m not good enough or smart enough to do whatever I want. Those voices have tried to convince me I’m not qualified to make as much money as other people, that I’m not capable of making an impact on the world, that God doesn’t care about my desires, and that I’m too old to try. Maybe you’ve had similar thoughts.
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On the contrary, the self-help books tell us it can be done, that it isn’t too late, and that anything is possible. They provide the formula for success and claim that if you do what they tell you, you’ll be able to make your dreams a reality too. That is, until you actually try to do it. Only then will you be reminded of how difficult it really is.
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You think you can or you think you can't

Maybe you have goals that are a little more down to earth, and therefore, are more “realistic”, more attainable. Perhaps you’ve never thought of travelling the world, writing a book, or starting a business or world-wide ministry. Maybe you believe instead that impacting the people at your job, church, or home is what matters most and defines your success. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. I believe God puts us exactly where He wants us, at least at birth.

But let me ask you this: have you ever dreamed of doing anything that would take you beyond the boundaries of your living room or city limits? I’d be willing to bet you have. Where do you think this desire comes from? Do you treat it like those daydreams you had in grade school and dismiss them as a foolish fantasy, or do you ever stop for just a moment and wonder if it’s possible?

For just one instant, have you ever thought about what life would look like if that dream became real?
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Henry Ford was credited as saying, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” And that’s how most of us view success. We either believe we can or we chalk it up as something for others with more connections, have more luck, or are more gifted.

The difference is found in the secret to success.
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The secret to success

No matter how you live your life or what roads you take, at some point, you'll struggle to succeed. It may be in a relationship with your spouse or kids, a job, a business, or in your walk with God. You may think that choosing the path of least resistance will spare you the heartache that comes with failure and rejection, but it won’t. Life is full of problems. We never have everything we want nor enough of it, and no matter how hard we try, we can’t elude the reality of failure.

Whether you know it or not, you're taking risks, often at the expense of your own accomplishment. So rather than dismissing the idea of having the kind of success you want in your life or being afraid of the challenges that come with the task, I’d encourage you instead to entertain the possibilities. 

And then?

Once you've accepted the challenge you must rise to the occasion. At first, you'll start looking for the answers, the shortcuts, to know what those who have gone before you know. You'll be looking for the secret to success. But the secret does not lie within your ability to achieve the goal, but whether you’re willing to do what it takes to accomplish it.

You either think you can or you think you can't.