Three basic questions to succeed in life

Every now and then people open up and talk about their personal and business lives. They ask questions like: How can I increase my chances of success?

What should I do? Should I marry?

At the risk of simplifying life too much, I would like to suggest that most questions for anyone starting life or re-starting it for that matter, usually revolve around three basic questions and decisions:

1) Where to live?

2) What to do?

3) Who to spend the rest of your life with?

Where to live?

It is crucial to living in the right place (City) to increase your chances of success. If you end up living in a small town out in nowhere, you limit your opportunities and luck factor, unless of course you are some genius working on the internet and can work from anywhere in the world.

But even if that's the case, if and when you try to scale your business and raise capital, you will most likely run into the small town banker mentality where they resist funding any creative business endeavors.

You may also find out that there are probably no angel investors in your area. Or worst yet, all venture capitalists that specialize in your field are in some large city. It is very hard to get opportunities or grow when you are in a small town with limited resources.

You may be forced to relocate at a later time, which could disrupt not only to your business life but your personal life as well.

There is an advantage gained when you live in the right city that has energy and growth. Even if you feel the fast pace of life is not for you, you can certainly live in a quiet location but keep your surrounding dynamic and hopeful

What to do?

The choice of career or business has as much to do with location as well as talent and timing. So like I said, if you chose to live in a good and relatively large city, your choice of career or business could blossom easier as more opportunities could exist and more deals are usually made there than in a smaller city.

But choosing the right career or business must also be made based on your talents and the current trends and growth momentum in the market. This will most certainly enhance your success potential and carry you to the next level.

No matter the choice of career or business your knowledge of technology will affect your success.

If you are in the right city and in the right growing business you could employ skilled people easier, get leads for your business faster, and more importantly, be able to create synergy with other professionals or business entrepreneurs. These elements will create your ultimate increase in income potential and balance of life if you play your proverbial business cards right.

There is an advantage gained when you do what you enjoy most and are successful at it. So now that you could be at the right place (or city), doing the right thing (career or business), at the right time (based on the current market place and trends), then you probably would want to share your success and growth with someone that you love and are compatible with.

Who to spend the rest of your life with?

To have a successful and long-lasting relationship you need to follow the same line of thinking:

1) Find someone in the same great city where you both want to live in.

2) Select the person that could support your choice of career or business, and you could support in return his/her choice of profession.

3) Commit to that person and accept him/her unconditionally without too much effort or compromise.

The third step is usually the hardest but the idea is you want to be with someone with whom you have synergy and understanding so it creates steady growth in your lives. Not someone who is a burden, with loads of problems and issues seeking you for solutions and answers.

So how come to some people fail so miserably in their vocational choice and/or personal lives?

Well, it seems that many people do things backward:

They get so anxious about creating "stability" in their life that they miss out on life itself.

The so-called "stability" they seek, is nothing more than a quest for "routine". But life is dynamic and changing, so they end up frustrated with the unpredictability of the daily challenges and stressful events.

These people fail to adjust properly to the very people they hope to attract as long-term mates as they usually exhibit energy fluctuation and mood swings that make it difficult for anyone to adjust or commit to them for the long term.

Some people long for a meaningful relationship so badly, that they lose their independence and end up hooking up with the first person with who they feel compatible.

They make a huge adjustment to themselves, (whether right away or overtime) and they compromise who they are and what they want out of life. For instance, their mate may want to be in a smaller city to be near family and friends. They agree, but usually at the expense of derailing their career or business which soon enough makes them feel that they are living in the margin of life and their world collapses.

Even if their mate wants to live in the same city where they are, but either of them is not supportive of the other person's career or business choice, sooner or later either of them will feel unfulfilled and disappointed or even depressed.

This decrease in morale starts rubbing off on other areas of their lives and decreases their chances of success.

Sadly the downward spiral continues until they end up noticing all the flaws in their mate, no more compromising or adjusting for growth, and a breakup ensues derailing both personal and business lives.

There is an advantage gained when you are with someone who wants to be in the same place where you live, who supports what you do and feels supported by you, so you can ultimately love each other unconditionally and grow together both personally and professionally.

Any compromise in answering the three questions and following them in the proper sequence could easily cause disappointment and failure in life.

I hope you reach your maximum potential in your personal and business lives without wasting any time because time is what life is made of.

Wishing you good choices,

Cherif Medawar