Written by: Mikal Nielsen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What are the key ingredients for success?
Skill. No!
Time. No!
A Plan. No!
Money. No!
A Team. No!
Knowledge. No!
Connections. No!
A coach. No! Well... maybe :)
The reality is, you can have all of the above and still not experience the success you want.
So what is it that successful people have, or at least have more of than others?
Why is it that some people create success without having much money, a plan and with only an average skill set?
And the answer is the same regardless if we are talking business success, relationship success, sports success or any other area of success.
To find the answer, we have to shift our focus from the outer to the inner.
Our outer circumstances and environment definitely has an impact on our inner state. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you choose to look it, our inner state has a bigger influence on the outer than the other way around.
That is why you can have two people in the same environment, with similar resources, doing the same thing, but only one of them creating success.
So what are those inner qualities that foster success?
Well, there are many different words we can use, but since I love simplicity, I will limit it to 4+1.
Let me introduce the Success Vehicle,
No matter the condition of the vehicle, it ain't going anywhere without wheels and tires.
The condition, size and evenness of the tires sets the foundation for how fast and securely your success vehicle can move and thus how far it will go.
I will put the four key qualities I see all successful people have into our drawing:
For your success to be consistent and fast, these four tires (qualities) have to all be present and in great conditions.
Let's briefly touch on each of them.
Courage: If you are not willing to take risks, step up and step out, you are unlikely to get very far with anything.
Creativity: If you keep doing what has already been done and doing it the same way, you will be left behind.
Resilience: If you can't 'get back on the horse' when you 'fall off' you will remain stuck.
Commitment: If you can't keep going when the going gets tough, your progress will get severely halted.
The good news about these qualities are:
They can't be bought.
They don't need to be learned.
They are free.
They are inherently present within you.
This is true, because no baby would ever learn to walk without them.
You are born with these qualities!
And they are operating at 100% naturally and from the get go.
So why are we not experiencing them our whole life?
Because they get covered up through our conditioning, and gradually – and sometimes not so gradually – fades away to whatever degree.
That's why you can't buy or learn these qualities. You already have them, however buried they may have become for you.
And this is also why success, when achieved without these qualities, tends to not last very long or comes at the expense of other areas of life being compromised like health, relationships and family.
Therefore, the journey towards more success is not about growing these qualities, but about removing that which has covered them up and thus re-discovering them.
Of course, there are lots of different ways to do that, but if you really want to go on that journey, I strongly recommend that you get a 'tour guide' rather than try and do it yourself. It is just much faster that way.
So... back to our success vehicle. I said there were 4+1 qualities. The +1 is also within you, and like the others, may also be somewhat buried.
Our success vehicle won't go anywhere, regardless of how good the tires are, without an engine. Let's add it to our drawing:
Truly successful people are passionate about the areas they are succeeding in, whether it is sports, spirituality, a certain profession, business, marriage and so on.
Again, if you are going for success in an area you are not passionate about, it comes at an expense and is mostly not fulfilling long term.
Babies are passionate about life – naturally. It is our very nature. And it doesn't need to diminish... ever.
If it has for you, the solution is the same as for the other qualities.
Should you choose to consciously embark on this journey of 'pimping your ride', there are of course other aspects to your success vehicle, but the above 4+1 are by far the most important ones.
Others worth considering when you are 'on the road' are:
The headlights - without them, you can't progress fast and safely when it's dark.
Windscreen wipers - without them, you can't progress fast and safely when it's raining.
The Driver's Seat - there are two front seats in our success vehicle for a very good reason. Who's in the driver's seat and who's in the passenger seat?
I will leave these extra elements for you to ponder so this article doesn't get too long.
If you want to know more, or want to discuss how to re-connect with your natural qualities, why not grab the opportunities to have a complimentary BRAINZ reader discovery meeting on Zoom with me. You can use this link to find and book a time: https://calendly.com/mikalnz/brainz discovery-call
To Success
Mikal
Mikal Nielsen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Mikal's mission is to help high achievers awaken their natural wisdom to create profound fulfillment, deep peace of mind, and a perfect balance between everything truly important to them.
With a corporate background and starting and running 3 businesses, Mikal has spent the last 14 years coaching business founders, owners, and leaders to get more life out of life and more business out of business.
He is a mind mechanic with 35 years of experience in mindfulness, personal and spiritual growth, and 30 years of experience coaching others in these fields.
Mikal is an international speaker, certified firewalking coach, author of 5 books, and creator of Modern Meditation for busy people.
In addition to coaching entrepreneurs and business leaders, Mikal and his wife Kathy offer relationship coaching. With 30 years of living together and growing up with 3 children, they have learned and experienced a lot and have co-authored a book about their journey together.
Seeing how many relationships are struggling or have gone stagnant, they have decided to offer couples coaching.
