Written by: Denise Stegall, 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
Success. We all want it. Many of us reach it while others seem to spend their entire life searching for it. There are many different paths to become successful in life. Look up the word success on Amazon, and you'll find over 100,000 book titles. That's a lot of reading to find the key to your success. The strategy that works best for you may depend on how you define success in the first place.
Achieving success requires a clear understanding of what success means to you.
Define your core values, the things important to who you are, and what you believe can be your guide to success. How will you know if you are successful if you don't know what it means?
Your definition may not necessarily reflect the views of others like your parents, partner, or society, especially social media. The internet is full of influencers, self-help books, and how-to video guides on just about everything. In my experience, they all provide some level of strategy, sometimes even a plan but not necessarily a straightforward method to execute that plan.
Before working with me, many of my clients had read dozens of self-help books, taken courses, attended weekend events, and still did not find the success they expected. Why? Because something was missing.
My plan for success is: Eat Real Food! Make Good Decisions! Be Accountable! By doing so, you optimize your overall wellbeing, find synergy, and create a healthy, happy lifestyle that works for you. To me, that is a success! It's never about being perfect; it's about living life on your terms.
However, even with my solid plan, sometimes success in areas of my life eluded me because I hadn't thought through how to execute that plan. Once I developed the strategy of the Three P's, I was able to implement the system and move toward success in all areas of life: health, wellness, personal development and having more fun!
What are the Three P's?
To succeed in life and business, you need Planning, Prioritizing, and Preparation.
Planning.
Most of us are not very good at the planning phase. Without an actual plan, when we face obstacles, we easily give up. A plan is more than an idea with tangible mini-milestones. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Dreams are essential in life; they give you something to aspire. For those dreams (i.e., goals) to come to fruition, you need to wake up and design a plan to achieve them.
We have access to the teachings of many intelligent, successful people but you can't listen to them all. Often clients come to me with bits and pieces of a plan based on articles, books, podcasts by the experts they follow. I suggest that you choose the one who resonates with you most and follows them. You'll rest is noise in your mind that causes confusion. A confused mind always does nothing. That is not the means to the success you desire.
Prioritize
To begin, prioritize is your personal life: family, work, personal and civic obligations. Establish a master calendar where you can prioritize family events and commitments. I use a Google Calendar to share with my husband and my assistant. Next, you must have serious conversations with the important people in your life to help them understand goals and aspirations.
Only then can they offer you their full support and stand behind your decisions.
Don't despair if they are not 100 percent behind you at first. I often see this when a client wants to live a healthier lifestyle and change the way they eat. Family and friends can sabotage your goals which may delay your dreams. I urge you to stay strong. If this goal is meaningful to you, they will see that and eventually get on board.
As the saying goes, if everything is important, then nothing is important and nothing gets accomplished. It's hard to succeed at anything if you try to do too many things at once. Prioritize the aspects of your plan as if they are a stepping stone, moving you closer to your goal and success!
Preparation
You need to prepare yourself for the journey ahead. You can have a great plan and have your priorities in order, but it is all for naught without the right mindset. When you embark on something new, you are bound to have doubts and second thoughts, allowing limiting beliefs to creep in.
Henry Ford famously said, "Whether you think you can or can't, You're right." No truer words have been spoken when it comes to mindset. Counter your limiting beliefs with positive thoughts, aspirations, and an abundance mindset. Change your mindset, change your life!
Everyone benefits when you free yourself from self-limitations and recognize that there's more than enough success to go around.
Denise Stegall, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Denise Stegall is the CEO and curator of Living Healthy List.com. As an inspirational thought leader, she is determined to provide Living Healthy List readers with honest, reliable, research-backed information in health, wellness, personal development, and fun that can be implemented in real life.
Denise began her career with a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant, business management with a focus on nutrition.
She’s condensed 25 years of experience and study in nutrition, cooking, exercise, and coaching to help women find a happy, healthy, lifestyle that works for them.
Her experience in cooking and nutrition delivers a unique perspective on what works (and doesn’t work) for most people. Her philosophy revolves around three fundamentals: Eat Real Food, Make Good Decisions, and Be Accountable.
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