Work on the Success Muscle
THE chief editor of a popular teen magazine, when asked in an interview about how she could reach such heights of accomplishment at a young age of 28 years, attributed her success to a careful nurturing and strengthening of the `success muscle'. What is the success muscle, how does one develop it, how does one nurture it and how does one get to know whether it is starving or not? Even though the concept is hypothetical, it defines an ability that goes beyond academic grades, people skills and all such traits that psychologists have forever delved into to find what differentiates the successful people from their not so lucky peers, what is that extra something? A closer look at the lives of these people reveals that there are certain essentials that they stuck to and never wavered. Let's find out what it takes to get that muscle to finally be able to flex it!
Dream big
This is something that should take root in the early years itself. It provides the requisite constant tug at your body and mind. Most of these people started in their childhood by dreaming of things like winning a lottery or winning a jackpot on a TV show, etc. This feeling gets tarnished by the `realities of life' leading to disillusionment that inhibits the much needed verve to excel. It is important to keep this feeling alive.
Do what you love doing most
Most of us have had to face parental pressure in terms of choice of a profession. Parents, sometimes unknowingly, could be infusing in their children an unconscious desire to do well in a particular profession. This is really the test situation for the success muscle. Those who can stand up convincingly for what they really want to do are the ones who are working out their success muscle and strengthening it. There are those who might be good at a particular activity but their heart and soul lies somewhere else. If you feel that sooner or later you would prefer getting into the field that energises you, then the sooner you do the better.
Make the right choices
Once you have decided on the profession, get ready to face a series of tough choices. Those who climb the ladder are the ones who are so centred on it that they happen to make the right choice. There is no element of uncertainty in these choices. There is no risk. The only element present is a firm conviction that he or she will make it. As a media professional, one may have to make a choice between the electronic and print media. Similar `fork points' exist in every profession. Mixing up priorities could fatigue the success muscle. It demands focused energy.
Know the temptations and keep them at bay
At every age, one is tempted to experiment. As a student, one may be lured by easy money, drugs, etc., which are sure to wreck the success muscle. Those who see their path clearly can keep these temptations at bay while having the best of fun in life. Similarly, as a young upstart, many jobs that may not be related to your cherished vocation might tempt you. Anything that alienates you from your dream and passion should be handled with a lot of thought and foresight.
Persist and follow up
Networking with a goal in mind and conviction in heart will never be a burden for a person who wants to get ahead of others. A head start with networking early in life is the best nourishment for the success muscle. The main reason for this is that people's expectations are still not defined and the pressure to perform is less. Moreover, more the number of people who know your skills, the steeper the ascent of the career graph. Putting in consistent and relevant effort will pay off sooner than you may realise.
Successful people too experience dilemma, turmoil, faulty communication, etc. but the difference is that they never let these events affect their belief in success. As somebody once said, `it is attitude that determines altitude'.
DEEPSHIKHA MEHTA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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