Thank God for new beginnings!
(That’s what September always feels like for me.)
If you think about it, a “fresh start” attitude is what is at the root of all success.
Here’s what I mean by this:
What else is success, but learning to do things differently – and better – than you did them before?
– A quarterback practices new plays over and over until he knows them cold.
As the new season unfolds, his preparation pays off. Situations arise and he’s ready for them. Plays work. Touchdowns happen. Games are won. Past seasons don’t matter. They’re history. Today’s victories are all that matter.
The success mind set is very simple.
And it all boils down to one simple attitude.
If you want to buy success CDs and attend pep rallies and hire success coaches, that’s fine. Those things won’t hurt. (At the very least, they’ll keep you out of trouble!)
But when it comes to success, there really is only one essential guiding thought and it’s
this:
“It doesn’t matter where I am today
because I am taking action to get me
to where I want to be tomorrow.”
This simple idea trumps any other positive thinking mantra you’ll find.
It even beats “The Secret.”
Why?
It gets you out of the loop of bemoaning your fate.
You know, those not-so-helpful questions like:
* “How did end up here?”
* “Why did this happen to me?”
* “Why are things so messed up right now?”
* “Why am I not where I want to be?”
Here’s my answer:
You didn’t “attract” the conditions you’re in. It’s not part of your “bad luck.” It’s not the
result of some secret (and permanent) defect you have.
You are where you are today because…you are.
That’s it. That’s all you need to know.
Imagine you just woke up today for the first time and found yourself in this body and this situation.
How you got there is not the issue.
Getting somewhere else is.
That’s the first part of the formula:
“It doesn’t matter where I am today…”
Maybe by visualizing some glorious future, you’ll magically attract it to yourself.
Again, I don’t think it will hurt, but..
I’ve talked with a lot of people who’ve attained real success in their fields and – unless they sell positive thinking books for a living – they all seem to agree that…
“Success is the meeting of luck with a prepared mind.”
They acknowledge that this thing called “luck” (and I’ll define that in a second) is part of the puzzle.
But they also stress that “luck” means nothing without preparation to take advantage of it.
In fact, I think it’s fair to say that preparation is what actually creates so-called “luck.”
Most people get this entirely backwards.
They think they need a “lucky” break to fall on them out of the sky for things to get better.
No, no, no.
You’ve probably heard of the lottery winners who find themselves dead broke, in debt and much worse off after winning a million dollars or more.
How can this happen?
“Luck” happened alright. And it met an unprepared mind and destroyed the “winner” in the process.
Here’s the take away…
You create “luck” by developing yourself:
* Learning to think more clearly…
* Learning to communicate more effectively…
* Turning off the TV…
* Avoiding substances (including junk food) that weaken your mind and body…
* Improving your social skills…
* Confronting and overcoming personal flaws and limits…
* Reaching out to and enrolling positive people in your life…
* Mastering the skills you need to win in your marketplace…
You do THESE things and “luck” will become your servant.
Thus, the second part of the formula:
“I am taking action…”
Action could be taking a nap when you’re tired…or taking a vacation when you’ve been at it too hard and too long…it’s whatever is needed today to help move you the next step forward.
Positive affirmations are great, but you know what the most positive affirmation of all is?
ACTION.
In a pitch black room, you can affirm “let their be light” or you can light one candle.
We all KNOW what we’re supposed to be doing and we also know what doesn’t help.
Sitting in front of the TV, indulging bad habits, wallowing in self-pity, failing to develop our skills and knowledge, wasting time with people who are wasting their lives…none of these things are going to yield a positive outcome.
On the other hand…
* Learning new things…
* Trying new methods…
* Experimenting with different ways of thinking…
* Meeting new people…
* Learning to *listen* to people…
These are all “luck” magnets of the highest order.
“It doesn’t matter where I am today…because I am taking action…”
Successful people are future-oriented.
They’re aware of history and get some of their best ideas from knowing what people have done in the past.
They know how to focus in the present. They know how to unwind and enjoy the moment. They know how to listen. All skills that require being in the present.
But the thing that differentiates them from the historian or the simple happy-go-lucky person living for the moment is that they have a VISION of the future.
They’ve given a lot of thought to where they want to be…they’ve taken the time to harmonize their vision of where they want to be with who they are…and they’ve dedicated themselves to figuring out what it will take to get them where they want to go – and then executing on it relentlessly.
Positive future-orientation which means I know the past, I’m enjoying the present, and I’m investing my energy in creating something new (or improving something that already exists.)
That’s the third part of the successful life formula:
“…to get me to where I want to be tomorrow.”
People – and nations – become great in proportion to their willingness to conceive of and work towards a better future.
We don’t get there by patting ourselves on the back (or conversely criticizing ourselves excessively) or by “entertaining ourselves to death” (to steal a line from Neil Postman.)
Actually the fact is that pursuing a positive goal for yourself is the most entertaining and enjoyable thing you can ever do.
That’s why successful people often continue at their profession or business long after they’ve blown past any financial need to continue working.
Why do they do it?
Because they love what they do and if you boil down what it is they do, it always boils down to two things: making something better or creating something new.
“What do you think can and should be improved?”
“What new thing do you feel the world needs in order to be a better place?”
“What matters to you do much that you think about it night and day? (And if there is nothing, what are you doing to dull your passion for life – is is TV, junk food, junk companions, junk ‘entertainment? Cut them out.’)
These are the questions that lead to success.
To take a business perspective on this…
What’s missing from your marketplace?
What unnecessary hassles and frustrations are your prospects and customers enduring?
What would make things easier or faster or make life brighter for them?
If one of your goals is a bigger income, these are the most productive issues to focus on.
And remember, where you are today says nothing about where you can be tomorrow. Just look at history. Every self-made person started as a helpless baby.
You’re always just one idea, one inspiration, one insight away from a dramatically different life.
If you want to make a big change in your life, decide – right now – to take part in creation instead of standing on the sidelines commenting about it.
And remember:
“It doesn’t matter where you are today…
If you’re taking action…
To get you to where you want to be tomorrow.”
It’s Labor Day weekend in the US. A good time to relax and reflect.
You might want to use some of your down time this weekend think about these things:
Where do you want to be?
And what program of action can you organize for yourself to acquire the tools and resources and understanding and alliances to move you closer to where you want to go realizing that it’s all about taking one step forward each day.
Enjoy the holiday! And plan to make the “new year” your best ever.
– Ken McCarthy
P.S. My new project for the next several months is to spend more time teaching and working with people directly.
I’ve spend so much time in recent years seeking out and helping develop talent and organizing massive training events, that I haven’t spent as much time as I’d like
on my first love: teaching.
A typical System Seminar has twenty-five workshops and an equal number of faculty members plus hundreds of attendees from all over the world.
Do the math…that’s a lot of people and events to simultaneously manage.
Now, in addition to the big annual System Seminar conference, I’m doing small seminars,
just me and an assistant. And I’m taking the seminar to you.
We just did our first one in Chicago and the next one will be in New York City on September 15th.
Later in the year, I’ll be heading to Toronto and then touring the Southwest and the West Coast.
At first, my colleagues thought I was crazy.
“Ken: Why, when you can get hundreds of people to come to you, would you travel all over the place to teach small groups?”
Here are some reasons that I’m sure you can appreciate:
* Less travel wear and tear on you
* Less expense for you too (no air fare or hotel)
* You’ll have more energy to focus on the content…and you’ll have more money after the training to invest your business
* You’ll be in a better position to shape the direction of the seminar, to customize it to your specific needs because their won’t be hundreds of people in the room
* You’ll enjoy the same advantage that so many of today’s Internet “hot shots” got when they were just getting started: learning the business directly from me.
If you’ve read this far and you’re interested in learning more about a completely unique transformational business training that you won’t be able to duplicate anywhere else at any price, visit this site for details:
http://www.SystemIntensive.com
– Ken McCarthy
P.S. For over 25 years I’ve been sharing the simple but powerful things that matter in business with my clients.
If you’d like direction for your business that will work today, tomorrow and twenty years from now, visit us at the System Club.
Hi Ken this is Don and i want to thank you for all the info and training you have given me. I had to close out my business on the net and i realy feel like i have failed and i don’t know why i could never get a sale on my site. Well you have taught me alot and i realy thank you for that. Not to many marketers would do what you did for me and i again thank you form the bottom of my hart. God Bless you and my you always have sucsess in everything you do. Best of luck in the future. Don Yeary.
Hi Don:
What exactly were you selling?
When you say I’ve taught you a lot, I assume you mean through my free e-mails and blog posts.
I read the post you made to StartupNation.com.
Yes, these is nothing easy about marketing on the Internet – until you go through all the things you need to learn.
Depending on where you’re starting, it can be a long learning curve.
In our trainings, we always make it clear that Internet marketing is business.
That’s why I often rail against the “gurus” and the seminar circuit. They’re really misleading people.
The Internet is a great business tool, but it’s a *business* tool. There’s no magic to it. It’s work.
Ken,
You hit on some great points. And while agree with most of what you said, I still find myself disagreeing with some of it.
Specifically, I disagree with how you arrived there.
For example, I do not believe in luck.
Rather, I believe Earl Nightingale put it very well when he said that luck is nothing more than opportunity meeting preparedness.
Similar to what you said, except I take the word “luck” completely out of the equation.
Also, as for not wasting time thinking about the past, again, I disagree.
It does matter where you are today, if for no other reason than not repeating the mistakes if you do not like where you are.
Conversely, if you are happy where you are today, how you got there is important.
I will also disagree that it’s not important to use the power of positive thinking, as is taught in the “Secret” and elsewhere.
It is important to see yourself not only reaching your goals, but enjoying the feeling of reaching them.
Let me put it another way. As a retired Police Officer I remember back to my days of my training.
We were taught to use the power of our mind to put ourselves in situations where deadly force had to be used.
For example, pulling over a car at 3:00AM and approaching the driver only to have the driver or passenger to pull a firearm and shoot at you.
The idea of mental rehearsal was to put yourself in those moments enough times in your mind, so if you found yourself in that moment in real life you had a better chance of survival.
You would “react” without thinking first, because you had been in that situation over and over again in your mind.
Having met officers who survived shootings, who told of how they did such an exercise over and over in their minds, and believe that is the reason they survived.
Specifically in a case where the Officer had his hand almost blown completely off his arm, but somehow was able to return fire.
How was he able to pull the trigger in that condition? Had he not been there in his mind enough times, I do not think I wold have had the opportunity to hear his story in person as I did.
I think if you asked many professional athletes if they run plays in their mind over and over before a game, they will tell you they do.
Yes, action is the key. Nothing happens until something happens.
Doing all of the things you said, being prepared is key. As is recognizing an opportunity and taking action when you do.
To sum up, luck has nothing to do with it. It’s simply doing those things that prepare you for the right opportunity, then recognizing the opportunity and taking action.
Thanks for listening to another, similar point of view.
Jay,
Thanks for another point of view.
I’m not sure that we really disagree on as many points as you think.
After all I did say this abut “luck”:
“Success is the meeting of luck with a prepared mind.â€
And I did talk about sports practice:
“A quarterback practices new plays over and over until he knows them cold.”
Part of good practice is mental. You’re 100% right on that and I should not have left that out.
What I’m reacting to is the myth that just being “positive” without practical, continuous w-o-r-k towards a goal is not likely to get you anywhere.
I’m also concerned with all the people who get stuck where they are as if somehow where they are is preordained.
If you talk to people who are “stuck”, they always have a well thought out, reasonable-sounding story about why they are where they are and why there’s not much they can do about it.
I’m not throwing out the idea of looking at the past at all. In fact, I said this:
“(Successful people) are aware of history and get some of their best ideas from knowing what people have done in the past.”
It’s *how* you look at the past that matters.
Are you looking at it in such a way that it holds you back from forward motion or are you using the past to inform you? That’s the issue and I could have stated better.
Anyway, anyone in the military, law enforcement, serious sports or other professions where actions have definite observable consequences has a lot to offer us all on the practicalities of these questions.
I appreciate your comments. They made me think!
“Successful people … they’ve taken the time to harmonize their vision of where they want to be with who they are.”
Pure gold Ken. I have not seen the secret of life expressed so clearly before – not even in “The Secret”.
My best wishes as always
Jonathan
This is a great article, particularly the mental focus and preparation part with the police officers, serious sports etc.
This has played a huge part in two aspects of my life…one business related, the other possibly saved my life.
As a wedding photographer, I always run through the entire wedding day in my mind at least 2 or 3 times (as pre-planned with the couple) before the wedding day.
I visit all the venues and do a dry run so that on the day I know exactly what I am doing…I am also prepared for any situation (rain, change in running order etc).
This is something I also teach to other photographers.
Secondly, I am an “ex” qualified skydiver and remember clearly on many trips to altitude (14,000 feet) looking around and seeing many of the other skydivers with their eyes closed going through the upcoming jump in their mind, including animated turns, dockings and wave offs etc. Many flights were quite silent…eery.
I also did this on the ground before any jump with particular emphasis on safety procedures.
I think this helped on one jump where I pulled the wrong handle at 2,000 feet and lost the main chute.
Within about 3 seconds I had asked myself a thousand questions about what happened, what condition my kit was in and what to do. I, automatically and instantaneously, did the complete reserve drill and ended up under a shiny new reserve parachute (albeit quite close to the ground).
I am now putting this into practice with the websites I am building and can clearly see 2-3 years ahead of where I want the sites to be and never lose sight of this.
Ken, your free emails and advice are invaluable and one day I would love to cross the pond and attend one of your seminars and/or the System Seminar.
Keep up the good work and maybe see you one day!
Nick
Ken,
You are my greatest HERO and MENTOR in my life. I can say that by just listening to your interviews and reading your newsletters. You are right. It is even better than The Secret. Can’t wait to meet up with you in your next System Seminar!
Hello Ken,
we have seen each other two times. Once in San Francisco for the System Seminar and once in Zürich/Switzerland. Both times I haven’t heard much out of your mouth. Your statements above however convince me that it’s worth to listen to you. It’s kind of a “simplify your thinking method”, isn’t it?
Dwelling on past occurances and lack of focus are the main problems preventing success. Thanks!
Ken,
After reading your email newsletter, I was “motivated”. For me the message was simple. Stay in the Now! It doesn’t matter how I got here, all that matters is what am I going to do to get to where I want to be.
I own two ecommerce sites (a retail and a wholesale) and I am still in the process of growing my businesses. The information you have freely provided has been very valuable to me and this latest email has been the best.
It has changed my perception of myself and what I need to do. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “what if’s” and my perceived failures and to dwell on them.
Reading your email brought me back to forget about what is done and focus on what to do now! Yes I have learned from my past experiences and it give me more wisdom to create my new experiences.
Stay in the Now, create a plan, and focus on making the changes you want to live your life to the fullest.
Thank you for taking so much time to share your expertise and give to others with no expectations of what’s in it for you.
Ken Frazza
Ken: Todays commetary on where you want to be tomorrow starting with today is a wake up call that I have been at odds with because of thinking process, depression. Thanks for bringing me to the light. If you come to Albuquerque,NM, please let me know.
Jim Hans
Hi Ken,
In the mid 60’s I was in Golden Gate Park in San Franscisco at a huge music festival, and I remember hearing a guy, a hippie in his thirties or forties, very loudly saying over and over and over, “what you say is what you get”… “what you say is what you get”… what you say is what you get”… that is all he kept saying, and it faded away as I walked away with the crowd that was moving past him.
I still hear it now like a megaphone of the mind, reminding me every day that it is true, “what I say is what I get”.
Since then, other quick thoughts that I repeat to myself like a megaphone of the mind are, “what I give is what I get” (do unto others) and “what I think is what I say”.
To this I am adding your attitude quote…
“It doesn’t matter where I am today because I am taking action to get me to where I want to be tomorrow”.
To paraphrase your sentence into one quick thought, “tomorrow begins today…so, do it now”.
Yes, it beats “The Secret†since a secret without action now is, well, just a secret.
What we can learn from the industrious ant is summed up in your statement, “What else is success, but learning to do things differently – and better – than you did them before?”
Art
Thanks for your inspiring and thoughtful article. You are a breath of fresh air in a world of quick fix, instant success-touting flim flam gurus. Integrity and truth are like oxygen to me and lately I’ve been choking! You restore my faith in businesspeople!
May you reap the sweet rewards of your honest sowing,
Shelley
Hey Ken, a BIG WARM shout^out from Chad Mac in New Orleans!
Thanks for the email, it was heart felt reading your latest blog entry.
I’ve practiced every step of the SUCCESS formula and it is absolutely correct. My future is looking pretty bright and consistent now after sucking wind for 2 years.
As you know I lost everything (house, furniture, extra sources of income, primary custody of my daughter Layla, comfort ZONE…….) in Hurricane Katrina 2005. Just to give you an example…….. For 9 months I lived homeless in and out of hotels, on a sofa in my office, taking showers at the local YMCA gym, and was without family….. finally after taking massive amounts of action every single day & not letting anything mess with my emotions…… my Joint Venture brokerage business started improving! I knew the action I took today would manifest tomorrow’s success, it was the only thing I could think about AND it is what kept me going ….nothing else!
Fast forward to now—>
I am living back home in New Orleans (Uptown to be exact) with my daughter Layla living w/ me the majority of the time. Layla now attends school at one of New Orleans best, I have an office less than 8 blocks away from my house and Layla’s school, business is growing and I’m learning more and more ways to make money each and every day …. YEEE HAAA!!
The Sun is finally starting to shine, Thanks for the inspiring message, it’s very true!
Yours Sincerely,
Chad Mac
Your buddy from New Orleans 🙂
I just finished a great book called “The Social Atom” by Mark Buchanan.
He’s a theoretical physicist who has become a thought leader in a new field called “biocomplexity.”
Biocomplexity is the science of using the laws of physics to understand previously ‘mysterious’ phenomenon, like human behavior.
There were three ideas in this book that jumped out at me:
1. First, drawing on extensive experimental data, Buchanan demonstrates that people, while not perfect, are inherently altruistic.
Beware of the gurus and others who go on and on about how “bad” basic human nature is and that fear, greed and narrow self interest are the only real motivators. It may be that they’re using these arguments to justify their own less-than-optimal approach to business.
2. The worth of an individual is not based on what he or she knows today, but on his honest effort to seek the truth. Continuously seeking the truth expands your mental and moral powers.
3. And then this key thought which relates to the discussion at hand…
In science, if you can get the most basic principles right, you can usually understand and handle all the complexity that flows from them.
Working the other way, trying to go from observing complexity to understanding principles, rarely leads to anything but confusion.
In other words, beware of underestimating the power of “simple” formulas and guiding thoughts and overestimating the value of complex,”sophisticated” tactics.
Really good advice and I’m glad to find that a scientist – who has been positively reviewed by a Nobel Prize winning economist – has come to the same conclusions many of us have long had a strong hunch were true.
Chad:
Thanks for sharing your story. You’re a great example of the reliance and fortitude of the people of New Orleans!
Ken
Ken:
I am glad I came to your blog. The only thing I disagree with in the original is when you said:
“You create “luck†by developing yourself:
* Improving your social skills…”
I will disagree on this point simply because we come in all shape and sizes and when it comes to business some CEOs may not be “people persons”. A Ceo can run circles around competition without being a social phenom. i.e. some computer programmers are great at online/internet marketing and run circles around other internet marketers. They don’t need social skills to do so.
Last year, a new friend who’d been impressed by my agency web site, reacted to my lamentations about the business affairs I was struggling with. From what she’d seen on the web I was very successful, yet apparently I wasn’t acting like it. She then asked if I considered myself “successful”. As I pondered the unexpected question she then asked if I had given serious thought to the “true meaning of success.” After reacting somewhat defensively I began to think about her question. Sure I could muster a few pithy thoughts, but it hit me that unless I really made the time to sit down and literally spell it out — in writing — I could easily go through life without realizing my idea of a truly successful, fulfilled life. That day I went home, sat down at my computer and wrote this:
What “Success” is … to me.
To have no regrets and true friends.
To feel, in my gut, that I’m on the right path.
To make the most of my talents.
To have much love, passion and fun in my life.
See the rest at: http://www.follisinc.com/success.htm
John