Below are 3 concepts I believe lead to success in life, business or almost any endeavor. I call them my 3 C’s to success.
Create outcomes through action. Something I observe regularly is the correlation between someone’s efforts and their success. This can be physical efforts, business efforts or efforts at self improvement. My experience is that those that take fewer (or half hearted) actions tend to create lesser results while often having the most excuses. Conversely, those that are constantly putting in sincere effort create better outcomes. I believe that energy is either created by action or diminished by lack thereof. As an example, a deal that falls through may be initially disappointing but then lead to a better opportunity later. The effort and desire produced results. Quite simply, the more positive actions you take the more you will be rewarded in one form or another.
Consistency. There is no substitute for making correct choices time and again. I’ve witnessed people begin to pursue proper diet and exercise, savvy business practices or positive personal enrichment only to revert back at some point to old, unsuccessful habits. The problem was not that their actions were faulty but rather they failed to follow them consistently. Often the lack of instant results causes doubt at which point we may fall back on habits we see as comfortable or familiar. Much like a flower requires water, sunlight and nutrients before it breaks through the soil; we need consistent actions often over a long period of time before we reap the rewards.
Control what you can. At any given time there are thousands of things to stress about, lose confidence over or waste time on. I believe it’s important to direct our efforts into the things we can control and avoid worrying about the things we cannot. As an example, in business I can directly affect how I set up and offer my services to the public. Therefore, I try to create a welcoming environment that is professional, efficient and customer friendly so that people feel comfortable seeking care within my office. Does that mean that everyone will use my services? Of course not, however that aspect is out of my control and if I were to obsess over it would make me a less effective doctor and businessman. Focusing on the things we can directly affect leads to greater confidence, self esteem and productivity.