​Does Your Thinking Set You Up for Success or Failure?

Although everyone wants to achieve success in their lives, only some have the mindset to get there. Many people have a failure-oriented perspective that can be very destructive and detrimental to their progress, both professionally and personally. Success doesn’t happen as a result of passivity - you need to actively pursue it with a highly outcome-oriented approach.

If you take a look at some of the most successful people in any industry, you will notice that they aren’t easily distracted or bothered by the negativity around them. They don’t get sucked into unnecessary arguments or insignificant gossip. Instead, they are highly focused at all times. This focus is a skill that can take a long time to hone, but once you develop this ability, you will find that the road to your personal success seems unobstructed.

“The possession of anything begins in the mind.” - Bruce Lee

To develop this focus, you will need to define your desired long and short-term outcomes. Your short-term outcomes should be daily, weekly, or monthly steps you can take towards your broader, long-term outcomes. Before taking any action or making a decision, ask yourself: how does this contribute to my progress? If it doesn’t, or it sends you backwards or sideways instead of forward, you will need to take a different approach. Over time, this approach will become second nature, and you’ll make a habit of orienting yourself towards success.

Just because success-minded people don’t let distractions get to them, does not mean that the people around them don’t matter. It is absolutely vital to surround yourself with people who add positivity and happiness to your life, instead of taking it away. Mentally evaluate your relationships with friends, family, co-workers, and other people in your life. Ask yourself what these people bring into your life, and what you bring to their life as well. If the relationship isn’t positive, take steps to either improve it or distance yourself from it. Negative relationships can have hugely harmful effects on our overall progress in life.

In addition to surrounding yourself with good people, make sure you surround yourself with good content as well. That means avoiding television and social media that can make you feel negatively towards yourself, and instead look for books, videos, movies and other media that inspires you and makes you happy. You may not think that these things have an impact on our progress, but they actually set the tone for our thoughts and actions.

“Knowledge will give you power, but character, respect.” - Bruce Lee

Finally, make a habit of giving your time and energy to others when you can, and boost them up with positivity and kindness. Just a few small actions or kind words can improve your relationships with others and make you feel more positive and content as well.

Being success-minded isn’t just about work or money, it’s a holistic practice that affects all areas of your life.