Success Secrets That Work
By Kevin Hogan, Author of Covert Hypnosis

Most people want to be successful in life. If you think about it, those that don't aren't the kind of people you want your kids hanging around.

Successful people don't live a random life although random events happen every day to even the most successful people.

Successful people live on purpose.

They live with intention.

There are goals set and then the persistence to reach those goals.

But before we get cranking...

The question is what is success?

Actually, success, like "happiness," can mean different things to different people.

For example, a person that owns their own house cleaning service might set their level of success at serving 3 customers per day... while someone who loves music might consider success as cutting their own CD.

Obviously, success does not always have to involve money.

Success could be getting a good grade in a difficult class or learning how to bake the perfect chocolate cake.

Success can be being a great husband or wife, being a great family, building wealth...it can be all kinds of things...

Success comes in all different shapes and sizes with one common denominator.

Success is important and it takes work to reach.

Success is woven into PURPOSE.

Regardless of what your current definition of success is, there are always ways to go beyond your goal(s).

This series of articles will provide you with factors and actions that will CAUSE you to better yourself as a person, and give you proven methods you can apply to reach the pinnacle of success as you want it to be!

Let's get to it...

Realize your Potential

KEYPOINT: In order to succeed at anything, you need to see that you have the potential to reach your goals.

For example, if you want to be a recording artist but have no singing ability, having success in this field is not likely.

I love to play guitar as much as I like anything...(well OK, second best). I put one of my McCartney DVD's in or an old Elvis concert....pull out the electric guitar...turn the volume foolishly loud for 25 minutes and bang out 6 or 7 tunes to the dismay of the neighbors who are wealthy enough to have good insulation and construction to deflect most of the sound....

Fact is...I'm not very good... I'm not good.... I'm probably not average.... I would guess I rate below average. I'd say D+ but it hurts too bad so I'll say C-.

So could I be a professional guitarist?

Sure. With lots of lessons. Lots of training. Dozens of hours per week of practice and I could be doing gigs with a pro band.

And make the charts?

No.

In the music business, that requires having made your name by age 25 in almost all cases. Exceptions are few and far between.

So, I could make a couple hundred bucks a night....that's a pro...but I'm not going to make The Tonight Show...as a guitarist...

I've got to look at the context and realize that I should stick to something where youth is not a requirement.

However, if you love playing guitar more than anything...or say... working on cars and have a real talent for fixing engines and transmissions, and to you, success would mean working for NASCAR, you have potential to learn and achieve that success.

My general rule of thumb is that, if you don't get ridiculous, you can accomplish most things at most stages of life. Most limitations are mental and not physical.

Don’t Look Back

Everyone has failures or mistakes from the past. Everyone.

In fact if people don't have a list of failures the chances that they have any skill or talent at anything is remote. Lack of failure really can only come from lack of attempts.

To achieve success, you need to learn from your past and draw from the value those difficult lessons but do not ever dwell on the past. Simply move forward and make better, more educated decisions from the lessons learned.

For most people, the past is a great indicator of the future.

Don't be one of those people.

Learn from your mistakes. Realize that in most cases they don't mean a darn thing in the scope of life..

Dare to Dream

To succeed, you need to have dreams and aspirations. Be honest with yourself as to what you want out of life and what you want to give of your life. Allow your mind to dream and think big.

But STOP for a minute.

Don't think so big that you can't wrap your life around what the daily experience of your life will be like or you will NOT reach your dream.

Dream to earn $100,000 per year before you dream to earn $200,000 per year. (Once you know how to earn 100K, 200K is not much of a stretch. BUT be intelligent.)

Experience and Familiarity are very important to achieving success.

The Plan

Create a Plan as your very first step if you are planning to build a business. Whether you will be searching for investors or not, this plan will be the blueprint to your success. The Business Plan will consist of market trends, financial planning, competitive analysis, exit strategies, marketing and promotional options, everything about your goal. When going before an investor, you will be required to have a Business Plan.

This is by far the most important document of all. If your success were something personal, you would not need to create a Business Plan although a Project Plan would be a good option to allow you to keep track of everything involving your goal.

If your success plan involves relationships or attaining a relationship, you REALLY need a plan.

No plan = no high quality relationship.

And a good plan has a Plan B and Plan C under it...

Don’t Give Up

To reach success, you have to persevere.

Thomas Edison had to experience this. When he was creating the incandescent light bulb, it took him and his workers thousands of attempts to get it right. Keep striving especially when it becomes challenging.

In my experience, the greatest rewards happened behind the door that was hardest to break down. (Forget opening the dang thing...)

Have an Unstoppable Attitude

You need to build determination.

A true analogy is that of the weight lifter. Determination takes effort to build beyond having, "a little."

It takes a lot of determination to succeed.

With good intentions, there may be a close friend or family member that feels it would be better if you focused your attention in another direction.

Maintain your unstoppable attitude, determined to succeed.

Be in the presence of people who support you. Be around those who want you to succeed.

Stop the Complaining and Never Wimp Out

You're broke? Don't take the welfare check.
You tired? Don't sleep.
You sick? Work twice as hard.
Got a day off coming? Use it to move closer to your dream.

You might think there is no correlation between complaining and success when in fact there is a connection.

When you are spending time complaining about the obstacles you are facing, you are wasting so much time being "negative" that you are actually losing momentum to move forward. Instead of thinking of challenges as problems, think of them as opportunities.

If you can't pull that off, think of problems as TESTS.

ALWAYS move forward.

Walk into the fire.

It's OK to hurt as long as you keep moving forward.

If you do complain, complain WHILE you are moving forward.

Do What You Love

To increase your chance of succeeding, you want to concentrate your efforts on what you have passion for.

When you start out, make a list of everything you find interesting. Then in a second column, write down the skills you have in relation to each of those items. This will help you narrow choices down based on interest and skill, which gets you started in the right direction for success.

I hate preparing for tax time every year. Makes my stomach turn when I think about what I pay...BUT, I like (love) pretty much everything else I do...

and off course, I remember when I said...my "goal is to pay X dollars in taxes every year."

Now I do...

Change your Circumstances

You have a choice in life to accept your position or change it. If you choose to plug along in life hoping that something will change for the better, you will not get anywhere. I'm not going to go into some big complex thing about probability and statistics...I'll just say this:

If you think something life-changing is going to happen to you that is POSITIVE in your life because you WISH or HOPE for it...you are dreaming the wrong kind of dream.

People who walk through life without a plan are really thrown when crisis hits and disaster strikes.

....and I promise you that disasters come often enough to count on them and PREPARE for them.

The best way to get out from underneath the LAST disaster is to CHANGE YOUR POSITION IN LIFE.

Always remember that when it comes to changing your circumstances, you can – you have that power. As an example, women who are in abusive situations often feel controlled and powerless to get out of the situation. They have the same choice of changing their circumstances as you do. If your circumstances lower the chances of success, you need to change them.

You can't "hope things will get better."

They won't.

You can, however CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES and climb the highest mountains...

...no kiddin'....

Accept Responsibility

You need to accept responsibility if you make a bad decision or fall behind in your plan.

REPAIR...THEN MOVE ON.

Let us say that you have set some firm milestones that need to be accomplished in order for you to move to the next step. However, you got tired of working hard and took some time to play, which is fine as long as it does not affect your goals. Now months have passed and you are way behind schedule. This delay has closed several doors of opportunities. Who is to blame?

You're training yourself to not just fail which is part of success, but to BE a FAILURE which is the ABSENCE OF RESPONSIBILITY.

Have Courage

Depending on what your specific chosen outcome(s) is, it will probably take courage to arrive at your desired destination.

If you have a dream of being a writer and to you, that is success, but according to your long line of family members who have all gone on to be doctors, the only success in their minds is if you follow down the medical path. This means you will have to have courage to stand up for what you believe and desire to do, even if it means disappointing family.

Courage is facing adversity at every level and not caving, especially to other people's opinions!

Be Excited to Learn

Referring back to the analogy of Edison, when asked about his failures by a young boy, Edison commented, “Young man, I didn’t fail 9,999 times, I discovered 9,999 ways not to invent the light bulb.” As you work toward your specific success, always enjoy opportunities to learn, even if it takes longer than you think it should.

Whatever your "field", you want to be the best. You want to have the greatest knowledge and the best mentor to push you there.

What you put in your mind will pretty much determine your success level.

Junko in Junko out.

Look at the results as of today.

Now, PUT KNOWLEDGE IN THAT MATTERS.

Share your Success

Although this may be more at the climactic waves of the process, it is important. When you do reach your goals, use your experience to teach, guide, and mentor others so that they too might succeed. Giving itself is an empowering experience. To KNOW that you change someone else's life is a gift to them...and to yourself.

Seek Input

Whatever your idea of success, conduct a “reality check” throughout the process of reaching your goal. This should be done with someone you trust and who is themselves successful. Ask them to provide honest feedback about your success and as you move through different milestones, bounce concerns or new ideas off them to help keep you on the right track.

Inoculate Yourself Against Toxic Friends and Family
No, I'm not talking about actual poison but toxic people that can poison.

Unfortunately, it would be great if close friends or co-workers could share in your success but all too often, there will be someone who is either dealing with the “green monster” of jealousy or has a case of the “I knew that” syndrome.

If you are serious about reaching your goal and being successful, you will need to rid your life of these people or at least LIMIT their impact in your life.

While you may not be able to get them out of your life completely, you should avoid them as best as possible. If this is a person you see every day, keep your goals to yourself, and avoid that specific subject.

Which leads us to our next success secret...

Be a Good Listener

To succeed, you need to learn how to listen first. Pay attention to other people who have enjoyed successes in their life, attend seminars given by people that can motivate and encourage, or be open to hearing that a particular idea is not a good one. Good listening takes time to learn but in the end, it will be your greatest tool.

Connect With Winners

If you have a goal of being a best-selling author, find friends and mentors who either have achieved that same goal or are also pursuing a successful writing career. It is important to surround yourself with people that can associate with your goal and passion, people who understand the burning desire to succeed and can encourage when you meet with disappointments.

Become involved in an Inner Circle. Meet the RIGHT kind of people at places like Boot Camp. Make good things and good connections happen in your life.

About the Author:
Kevin Hogan is the author of Covert Hypnosis, a guidebook that Dr. Joe Vitale (star of "The Secret" movie) has said to be "the most powerful stuff I've EVER seen for selling, persuading, and motivating."

Kevin is the nation's leading body language expert. He is a dynamic, well-known international motivational and inspirational keynote speaker, consultant and corporate trainer.

He has trained persuasion, sales and marketing skills to leaders in the government of Poland, employees from Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, Meespierson, Auntie Anne's, Cargill, Pillsbury, Carlson Companies, Fortis, Great Clips, the State of Minnesota, 3M, The United States Postal Service and numerous other Fortune 500 companies. He recently spoke to The Inner Circle and at the Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT) convention.

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