My life's been full of ups and downs, as everyone's has. I like to think mine is a little different than other peoples' lives. I mean, we're all unique and experience life, so it has to be. One thing that I think makes me different than other people is my constant hunger for success. As the title suggests, that's what I want to talk about today: success and passion. Now, I can't say I've been successful at working towards being successful, but I can say I've been been successful at having success in a few successful moments.
Success... Yeah, I just wanted to say success again because I just said it so many times in the paragraph above.
Anyway, where was I? That's right, passion and success. I think about becoming successful in my life a lot--be it in my spiritual pursuits, more physical pursuits, or job pursuits. I think about what I can do to be successful a lot, but I'm not always where I want to be. So I've been searching for answers, and I think I've found some. The formula for success is pretty simple, I think, and I have a few examples to back that up from some highly successful people. But I don't want to start with the formula for success. Instead, I want to start with success itself.
What is Success?
I think success is different to everyone, and I can't always put my finger on the exact definition, but I have an idea for myself. I think success is a path to a goal. Success isn't simply achieving your goal, but rather it's the pathway to that goal, and then achieving it. The way you get there, the person you become--doing everything you did to get there--that's success.
I guess it's almost an enjoy the journey type of idea. And more than that, as Les Brown said "it's not way achieve, but what you become in the process." You can make millions of dollars, have tons of girlfriends or boyfriends, have five houses, be one of the most popular people in the world, but what will it matter you are a complete and utter asshole? Who you become in the process is just as important to your success as the goal you complete. It's part of the path. And then you achieve your goal.
Then what? Part of success is continual improvement. It's becoming better and better every single day. It's becoming something better than you were the day before. It's never stopping. It's working until you're dead. It's getting what you want out of life. It's learning to become happy. There's so much to it, I'm learning.
The Path
So how do you get there? How do you achieve your goals and become something more. The thing is, there are so many people that want the same thing that we want, though maybe a little different. This applies more to monetary and lifestyle success, but maybe there are somethings that apply to success in a spiritual manner. Anyway, there are people who want what you want. You want to be in the NFL? Get in that BIG line. NBA? HUGE line. Want to be a millionaire? So do I. So do billions of other people on the planet. Want to create your own company? Do you realize how hard that is? Do you realize how hard it is to achieve your goals, to become successful? You are not the only one who wants your dream, so what do you have to do? You have to outwork people that want what you want.
There are a few instances when Kobe Bryant--one of the top basketball players of all time--would be in the gym shooting the ball and someone else would come in and workout. He wouldn't leave the gym until the others left. He might have been working his guts out, but he would keep working out until they were gone. The dude was an animal. But he stayed there because he wanted to be the best--he wanted to achieve his goal.
So what does that mean for us? That means that whatever you want, you have to give 120%. You have to give more than the next person. Say you want to create a successful business. You have to work more than the next guy in line. There needs to be passion. You need to want it, or you won't succeed. Say you want to get married--which is really admirable--what do you have to do? You can't just sit at home all the time playing video games, watching tv, browsing the internet, or doing whatever the heck you're doing. You have to go out and date. My brother had a goal for a while where he would go on a date a week--that's insane to me, but he's getting married next week. If you really want something, you're going to have to work for it. And as Eric Thomas said "the bigger your dream is, the more effort you have to put in." You've gotta work. You can't give up. You've got to keep going.
So what gets you there? What keeps you going? Passion. If you want to get anywhere, you need a 'why,' and that's exactly what passion is. It's what gets you up in the morning. It's what gets you out. It's what gets you to work, what helps you keep going even when the future looks bleak. What's your why? Does it get you up in the morning? Does it override your desire to do waste your time?
I think I finally figured mine out. I figured out that writing is my life goal and its what makes me happiest. And then I figured out what stopping me: video games and the internet. So you know what I'm doing? I'm selling my xbox, and failing that, I'm going to beat it with a hammer. Some of you might find that extreme, but it's what I need to do. I'm willing to go that far to succeed.
So, once you have passion, once you're willing to do what it takes, what do you do next? Make goals, plan, then go for it. You have to jump. You have to learn discipline. If you have to start small, then do so. If you can handle much more, go for that. You know you. But whatever you do have a dream, be willing to work harder than anyone else for that dream, keep the passion alive, make goals, plan, and achieve.
We can all do it. Together. Share you stories with me. Tell me what you're working for and what you're doing to get there.
Well, back to writing. See you later.
-Jake The College Lunatic on a Break Jensen
Success... Yeah, I just wanted to say success again because I just said it so many times in the paragraph above.
Anyway, where was I? That's right, passion and success. I think about becoming successful in my life a lot--be it in my spiritual pursuits, more physical pursuits, or job pursuits. I think about what I can do to be successful a lot, but I'm not always where I want to be. So I've been searching for answers, and I think I've found some. The formula for success is pretty simple, I think, and I have a few examples to back that up from some highly successful people. But I don't want to start with the formula for success. Instead, I want to start with success itself.
What is Success?
I think success is different to everyone, and I can't always put my finger on the exact definition, but I have an idea for myself. I think success is a path to a goal. Success isn't simply achieving your goal, but rather it's the pathway to that goal, and then achieving it. The way you get there, the person you become--doing everything you did to get there--that's success.
I guess it's almost an enjoy the journey type of idea. And more than that, as Les Brown said "it's not way achieve, but what you become in the process." You can make millions of dollars, have tons of girlfriends or boyfriends, have five houses, be one of the most popular people in the world, but what will it matter you are a complete and utter asshole? Who you become in the process is just as important to your success as the goal you complete. It's part of the path. And then you achieve your goal.
Then what? Part of success is continual improvement. It's becoming better and better every single day. It's becoming something better than you were the day before. It's never stopping. It's working until you're dead. It's getting what you want out of life. It's learning to become happy. There's so much to it, I'm learning.
The Path
So how do you get there? How do you achieve your goals and become something more. The thing is, there are so many people that want the same thing that we want, though maybe a little different. This applies more to monetary and lifestyle success, but maybe there are somethings that apply to success in a spiritual manner. Anyway, there are people who want what you want. You want to be in the NFL? Get in that BIG line. NBA? HUGE line. Want to be a millionaire? So do I. So do billions of other people on the planet. Want to create your own company? Do you realize how hard that is? Do you realize how hard it is to achieve your goals, to become successful? You are not the only one who wants your dream, so what do you have to do? You have to outwork people that want what you want.
There are a few instances when Kobe Bryant--one of the top basketball players of all time--would be in the gym shooting the ball and someone else would come in and workout. He wouldn't leave the gym until the others left. He might have been working his guts out, but he would keep working out until they were gone. The dude was an animal. But he stayed there because he wanted to be the best--he wanted to achieve his goal.
So what does that mean for us? That means that whatever you want, you have to give 120%. You have to give more than the next person. Say you want to create a successful business. You have to work more than the next guy in line. There needs to be passion. You need to want it, or you won't succeed. Say you want to get married--which is really admirable--what do you have to do? You can't just sit at home all the time playing video games, watching tv, browsing the internet, or doing whatever the heck you're doing. You have to go out and date. My brother had a goal for a while where he would go on a date a week--that's insane to me, but he's getting married next week. If you really want something, you're going to have to work for it. And as Eric Thomas said "the bigger your dream is, the more effort you have to put in." You've gotta work. You can't give up. You've got to keep going.
So what gets you there? What keeps you going? Passion. If you want to get anywhere, you need a 'why,' and that's exactly what passion is. It's what gets you up in the morning. It's what gets you out. It's what gets you to work, what helps you keep going even when the future looks bleak. What's your why? Does it get you up in the morning? Does it override your desire to do waste your time?
I think I finally figured mine out. I figured out that writing is my life goal and its what makes me happiest. And then I figured out what stopping me: video games and the internet. So you know what I'm doing? I'm selling my xbox, and failing that, I'm going to beat it with a hammer. Some of you might find that extreme, but it's what I need to do. I'm willing to go that far to succeed.
So, once you have passion, once you're willing to do what it takes, what do you do next? Make goals, plan, then go for it. You have to jump. You have to learn discipline. If you have to start small, then do so. If you can handle much more, go for that. You know you. But whatever you do have a dream, be willing to work harder than anyone else for that dream, keep the passion alive, make goals, plan, and achieve.
We can all do it. Together. Share you stories with me. Tell me what you're working for and what you're doing to get there.
Well, back to writing. See you later.
-Jake The College Lunatic on a Break Jensen
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