I’ve introduced this Ultimate Success Formula to many people, and they found it useful to achieve success. I first learnt about this model from a course I attended at AKLTG. I used it to apply to my fitness plan, and I reached my goal of running in a race.
First of all, you must believe in something. Perhaps you believe that you can succeed in this field, or achieve something in some area. It could also be a universal belief. Perhaps you believe that you are going to a great success in your work. For students, their beliefs could be something to do with their academic success and their ambitions.
Next, what we do is shaped by our values. Do we do something out of passion, or out of fear? Perhaps, some people fear being looked down by others if we do not make a name for ourselves. Or we could want to work hard in order to support our families as it is our responsibility to do so. We could also do something out of love or fame.
The next step requires setting a goal. The goal should be as specific as possible. Stretch yourselves and move forward. Perhaps you want to get promoted to a specific possible within two years. You could also want to publish a book by the end of this year. It would be great if you could decide what type of book you are going to write.
After setting the goal, we have to come up with strategies to ensure we take active steps to achieve our goal. The strategies must be specific. It should not read like New Year’s Resolutions which we know we seldom keep due to its vagueness and ambiguity.
Finally, we have to take action. Don’t end up like NATO – No Action, Talk Only. You can incorporate the Magic Rule of 21 and work on each strategy for 21 days in a row. If we achieve success, then we can move on to other Ultimate Success Formulae. If we do not achieve success, then we have to take a second look at our goal. Is it something achievable? Strategies may have to be fine-tuned. Get a pen and a piece of paper, and start writing your Ultimate Success Formula.
Many of us live in a world where we don’t have much time to think and we stand to lose our own identity. While companies talk about profits and value, people don’t get passionate or fired about that. What they are passionate about are their family, children and perhaps their own community.
Patrick Dixon asked the audience whether they have done something for free in the last 2 years. Perhaps it was to help out in a small charity or community doing their accounts, or help out at their children’s school in a puppet play or something. Many of them put their hands up.
Why is it they are able to do it without being paid to do it? It is the passion inside them that drives them to do something to help others. Sometimes, we may be so bogged down by work. Work alone does not define us. Without motivation in our own lives, we cannot give much to others. By helping others, this sense of fulfilment can propels us to achieve better things in the world.
By understanding what drives people, then we can cater better to their needs. If you are a teacher, you need to understand your students need to feel accepted by their peers and yet they want to be unique. If, as a teacher, you are able to make their lives better, and connect people, they will respond better.
If you are in sales, you need to know how your product can make your customers’ lives better. Does it save them time? Does it improve their quality of life? Or does it feels a particular need? How does this product help them connect to the rest of the world. For example, if you are selling a car, then obviously the car will help them go to work easily, comfortably and quickly. They can bring their children to places that would be very difficult by public transport. You can make the world come alive for their children. Or it could bring you a certain kind of prestige, which makes you have something in common with someone else in another part of the world.
By being able to meet the needs and wants of people, you are able to succeed better.
Would you walk down the same small stretch of road for the entire day until the movie directors get a good shot? A group of active senior citizens from either a retirement village in Florida or some nursing homes in New York City became actors for the first time in the entire life, and they are enjoying every moment.
I caught In Her Shoes, starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette recently. Cameron Diaz acted as someone who could not hold down a proper job and had problems scouring a job due to her dyslexia. After upsetting her sister and being kicked out of her home by her stepmother, she ran to find her longlost grandmother.
What amazed me was that the grandmother was living with many active senior citizens, and they led active lifestyles. They did not stop learning, or exercising, and it was something very different from the nursing homes in Singapore. I was very impressed with the interviews with the senior citizens, and some of them wanted to hire agents so that they could continue with their Hollywood career.
It is never too late to have a dream or even a career change. It is important to find out the passion in your life. Diaz finally found what she was looking for when she had to look after people at the hospital. A retired professor forced her to read to him, and when he discovered she had a reading problem, he taught her skills. That realisation that she was not stupid made her increase her self confidence tremendously.
Many of us spend a lot of time on work, but we do not take time off to improve ourselves, relax or even do exercises. Sometimes, we only regret when it is too late, when our bodies protest from the years of abuse.
I’m someone who strongly believes in learning from others. Many people had gone through the some problems as us, and many more faced worse tribulations in life. However, what makes these people different from us is their ability to bounce back from their failures and become extremely successful. It has to do with their mindset. Positive thinking is something that I am working hard towards.
In this website, I share whatever powerful messages I’ve learnt from books, workshops and other sources. I may not be an expert at everything yet, but I believe that with time, I will be able to achieve great success in whatever I am passionate about. This website also serves as a reminded of what I’ve learnt. The person who learns the most is the person who teaches the lessons. Hence, I hope that whatever I say here will be useful to others, and at the same time guide me to greater heights in personal development.
