Are you looking for success?  Do you feel that it’s often within your grasp, only to have it slip away at the last moment?  Do you feel that success is simply beyond you?

I felt very much like this yet I persevered and I think I may have found the key…

In working hard to develop my core business this year, I’ve figured out that there are 3 key ingredients to success.  I’ve come to understand that without any one of these, success can prove elusive to many of us.

The 3 keys are desire, diligence and discipline.  Let’s look at each of these in turn.

Desire

I hesitated for a long time before including this here as many people see ‘desire’ as a negative thing.  Honestly, I believe it CAN be negative if the things that you desire are negative things, but desire can also be wonderfully positive.

Maybe you desire a better life for you and your family.  Maybe you desire more free time to work with a local charity.  Maybe all you desire is a nice car, paid for in full.

I think the key is your attitude towards the thing that you desire.  If it’s a positive attitude, then it’s a good desire to have.

If you’ve done any self-development in the past, you’ve probably already come across people telling you to make massive lists of all the things you want in your life.  Personally, I find this approach is often overwhelming so I’d encourage you to take the time and uncover your core desire.  Find that thing that would motivate you to do whatever it takes to achieve, then hold on to it.  Keep it “front and centre” in your mind at all times and draw on the power of your desire to help you find those hidden reserves of strength when times are tough.

I don’t mind telling you that my desire is to provide the life for my wife that she truly deserves.  She’s had a tough time being married to me yet she’s always been there for me and now, whenever I have a day when I really don’t feel like pushing hard, I think about what she sacrificed for me and what she really deserves, and suddenly I’m filled with a renewed energy!

Diligence

As a Christian, I often turn to the book of Proverbs for business inspiration, as this book was written by King Solomon – arguably the richest and most successful man who ever lived.  One of the things that I noticed from my very first reading was that the verses on ‘diligence’ really jumped out at me.  I believe this happens when God’s trying to get through to you!

To me, ‘diligence’ is about putting in the hours that you know need to be worked – in spite of if you feel like doing them.  This means you work through the night if you have to.  It means you make sacrifices, such as not watching television.

In order to be diligent, you need to look at where you are in your life today and decide where you’re willing to make compromises for a while, in order to reap the longer-term rewards.  Put simply, it’s about having an absolute commitment to doing whatever it takes to be success.

Discipline

I’ve found that this can be the hardest to grasp, yet the most vital to success!  It’s ‘discipline’ that is the glue that holds the other two elements together.  You can have as much desire and as much diligence as you want, but if you lack the discipline to do the work, it’s all for nothing.

At first glance, it may seem like ‘discipline’ and ‘diligence’ are exactly the same, but I believe there’s a critical difference.  I see ‘diligence’ as working hard, whereas ‘discipline’ is working often.  If you look at it this way, I’m sure you’ll start to see the potency of this combination.

I’d strongly encourage you to look at your own success habits and consider whether any of these 3 key ingredients are missing.  If you have any other keys of your own that you’d like to add, please drop me a comment below.