Success

What To Do About Your Idols

Garth Beyer

Mentors, idols, professors, heroes, whatever you call them, you have them. Someone you look up to, someone you admire, someone who can teach you their ways to success.

A common problem I’ve seen from people who have idols is they don’t know what to do about it. They can read up on their hero’s work, analyze their decisions that got them to where they are now, they can take sound advice from them, but it’s all study, little action.

Something I’ve written about before, but now I’m able to put my finger on it: what to do about your idols is impress them.

When you begin to doubt yourself, when you’re unsure of the next step (or if you’re currently on the right one)… if you don’t know what to do or if you’re doing something the right way, your way, ask yourself, will it impress your mentor?

If you impress your professor, you haven’t just done great work, you’ve done great art.

 

Stay Positive & Show Them What You’ve Really Got

Static Confidence Is Key To Success

Garth Beyer

Everything about success entails confidence. It takes courage to tackle a piece of complexity and render it simply for others. It takes spirit and tenacity to stay in it for the long run, the long-haul. You can read every step-by-step guide to becoming an author, the next greatest blogger, an entrepreneur, an artist of any sort, but what each guide fails to explain is each step requires confidence before you take it. You may have every skill mastered to move on to the next step (if you are reading this, you likely do), but no one moves forward in ability without confidence.

From the wise words of Anna Deavere Smith, “confidence is a static state, determination is active.” Confidence is like a water pack you carry on your back while you chase your dreams, except, the closer you get to your dream, the more confidence you need, the heavier the pack gets. Whatever you do, do not drop the pack. It takes confidence to not move backward too.

Confidence makes you compelling and influential. It sends a signal to all those around you that you are an asset to the group (a group you may or may not be part of). Confidence is nothing you talk about or brag about, it’s what other people attribute to you.

The part about confidence no one talks about is mettle and moxie; the willpower centers of loss, the excitement of failure, the determination to get off the ground, knees scathed, and start running at the same pace you were. Moreover, it is the brashness to move forward after the “safety guaranteed” label is removed.

Returning to the step-by-step guide analysis, it’s worth reiterating you do not need to complete a step to have confidence to take the next. You can be void of skill to take the next step, but still take it – powered by confidence. For some, it may still be successful. For others, failure will ensue and you must use the mettle and moxie legs of confidence to either retry that step or move up on a different step. Confidence is a choice. Always is.

 

Stay Positive & While You’re Being Dynamic, Check To Make Sure You Still Have Your Confidence Pack

 

Is A Decision

Garth Beyer

Cutting this to do that… is a decision.

Being busy… is a decision.

Staring at the blank page/canvas/map in front of you instead of forging on… is a decision.

Admitting defeat… is a decision.

Picking yourself up after rejection… is a decision.

Picking yourself to lead… is a decision.

Wearing two different socks… is a decision.

Running from fear… is a decision. So is dancing with it.

“I don’t have time”… is a decision.

Your motivation… is a decision.

Cutting corners and making shortcuts… is a decision.

Being in it for the long-haul… is a decision.

Not moving forward with a project because your partner back out… is a decision.

Everything you do throughout the day you decide to do. So it is with what you think, how you feel, who you talk to, who you ignore. Noticing each decision may not make you feel comfortable or safe. In fact, it will likely be the opposite. Yet, it’s exactly how you will get to where you want to go: quicker, stronger, happier.

Controlling your life… is a decision.

 

Stay Positive & No One Said Steering A Boat In Rough Waters Was Easy

 

 

Beautiful Work Of The (Success) Domino Effect

Garth Beyer

When you do things you love, you have more time to do things you love, when you spend that time doing more things you love, you strengthen your self-discipline, when you practice self-discipline, your self-esteem goes up, when your self-esteem goes up, you like and respect yourself more. Can you guess what you do when you like and respect yourself more? You do more things you love.

 
Stay Positive & Not Only Is It A Domino Effect, It’s Circular (HT to Brian Tracy)

What Comeback Success Stories Forget

Garth Beyer

We have all heard the good stories. Someone who starts with nothing ends up becoming successful. Someone who starts with something, but loses it ends up working smart enough to earn what they lost plus some. Someone who grew up in poverty broke the family tradition. Someone who had nothing growing up, started a successful business and now gives back to the community where they struggled.

The stories are all remarkable, but each person I’ve heard tell their comeback story forgets to note the most important factor.

You don’t need to fall down to make a comeback.

To be as successful as these people, you don’t need to make the same mistakes.

 

Stay Positive & Make New Mistakes To Talk About

Where Do You And Those In Your Life Stand On The Line

Garth Beyer

I have a fairly strong motto: keep moving forward. I consider myself a shark when it comes to business and lifestyle; I die if I stop moving. (We. all. do.)

On my pursuit of moving forward in life, who do you think I ask for advice? My family? Friends? Old professors?

More importantly, who do you ask for advice when your pursuing success or trying to move forward in life or work or academia?

If you put yourself on a line where failure is behind you somewhere and success is in front of you somewhere, where are those in your life who you are asking for advice stand? It’s not judging, it’s assessing. If you want to be successful, you have to assess your team.

A likely response is that they are right beside you. The people next to you on the line are the people you are asking for advice on pursing success. One question for you: if they knew how to move forward on the line, don’t you think they would already be forward on the line?

I not only ask where on the line those in your life stand, but also ask where you stand on the line. If you want to pursue success, it’s best to take advice from those who are ahead of you on the line, not beside or behind. Knowing where you and everyone else is on the line (and what success actually means to you) are the roots of learning how to become successful with the help of others.

Quick note: It’s not that good advice never comes from those beside you or behind you, from family members or enemies; it’s simply better not to take the chance when so many people in front of you are ready and willing to help you keep moving forward.

Lastly, remember you don’t need to leave anyone behind. Simply move forward and then extend back a helping hand.

 

Stay Positive & Please Don’t Die Standing Still (Or Asking Advice From Those Who Are)

 

Two Of My Favorite Words

Garth Beyer

Agency and urgency.

Agency means we have a choice. We always have a choice. Everything that happens, we’ve done something that lead to it. If we want something different in the future, we only need to change our present actions, and agency means we can do that.

Urgency, in my opinion, is more powerful than agency. Urgency can outrun agency. Urgency is like looking at tasks as if they were 100 meter runs. You’re running too fast to think if your leg is sore, if the shoes don’t fit right, if you have friends in the stands cheering you on or enemies up close hoping you fall behind. Urgency means you give up a bit of agency, a bit of observation of what’s around you while you focus just on what’s ahead.

Agency is about exploring options and then acting on one of them. Urgency is about acting on it quickly.

If you’re confused, hurt, or worried, you need to recognize you have agency.

If you’re afraid, fed up with your lack of success, or nervous, you need to grab hold of urgency.

 

Stay Positive & Fail Fast To Succeed Faster, Choice Is Yours