LEARN: Educate yourself. This is the beginning of all forms of success. The only thing you can succeed at without knowing anything is failure.
When I was a child, there was an educational program that I was heavily involved in. It was called the "Bookmobile." A couple of times throughout the school year a bus would come to my school and it would be filled with books. My mother would look over the list of books that was sent home a week or so prior to the Bookmobile's arrival, and together we would pick out a couple of books that I would get. My mother would then have me not only read those books, but also write book reports ... for her!
Reading was never a problem for me. Growing up, I really could not understand how some of my friends could not read well - and some at all. Truth be told, even as an adult it bothers me to see other adults who read and write like grade schoolers. I've always enjoyed reading as a recreational activity; however, ever since 2005 reading has become more of a self-educational mandate. I have to read in order to succeed.
When I made the decision to become a professional speaker, the first question I asked myself was "What do you have to say?" The next question I asked myself was, "What's it based on - how are you gonna' back it up?" The answer for me was to commit myself to reading because it would broaden my ideas and views.
You can succeed at almost anything you set your mind to, but it's not going to come to you just because you want it. Whatever it is you want to do, you're going to have to learn how to do it. Whether you teach yourself or take some kind of formal training, the first step towards succeeding is learning.
In many trades, you're not considered a "professional" unless you served as an apprentice for a period of time. Donald Trump had a #1 television show named just that, "The Apprentice." On this show, a group of young hardworking businesspeople would compete for an opportunity to work for and learn from Donald Trump.
As I said in the beginning, reading is my primary source of learning. As a speaker and Life Coach, my messages are focus on the opportunities people have or must create in order to improve themselves. The books I read contain centuries' worth of wisdom. The information contained within those books provide all of the tools necessary to make life better. However, before I can give that information to my audiences and readers, I have to validate it to some extent myself. This leads me to the next rung on this ladder.
IMPLEMENT: In 1998, when I was 18, I bought a book entitled "UNLIMITED POWER" by Anthony Robbins. I bought the book because I was moved by an infomercial I saw late one night. I read the first few pages; after which I put the book down, not to pick it up again until some ten years later. At 28 years old, I read that book from cover to cover, and in those pages I learned lessons that - had they been learned and applied at 18, I would have saved myself a whole lot of grief!
When I read that book, I was going through a few things, so I also picked up a couple of other books; "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie and "Think & Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. The lessons I learned in those books changed my life; not just because I read those books, but because I implemented those lessons and effected changes in my life.
I learned how to change my moods and formulate positive outlooks, how to deal with all kinds of people, and how to see people for who they are - especially in spite of how they think they may be portraying themselves. In a short period of time, I began to see changes take effect, both within myself and in those around me.
There's a saying that goes, "If you don't use it, you're guaranteed to lose it." What good is served by not taking advantage of using what you have learned? This is why if learning is the first step towards success, implementation is the very next one. You have to use what you have learned in order to prove or disprove its effectiveness in your life. This brings me to a very important point; that being, you are not bound to the path you're on. You are allowed to change your mind.
There are two reasons why people say and believe that politicians lie. One reason is that many of them do, and the other reason is because people delude themselves into believing that what is said today is going to be what they will hold the politician to for his or her entire term.
For example, a politician - while campaigning may say something like he won't raise taxes and get elected because of having taken that position. Two years into his term, his constituents complain about things like rising crime rates and the quality of sanitation throughout the city.
They also want a summer jobs program for teenagers so that they're doing something constructive over the summer. How does the city government pay for more cops & their necessary equipment, more garbage-men and their necessary equipment and that jobs program? They might have to raise taxes. Now, is that politician a liar for now having to tell the people in order to get what they want their taxes are going to have to go up? I don't think so ... but that's just me.
I use that as an example to show that there are times when you must realize there may come a time when you will have to change course. The only way you'll be able to rightfully make that determination is by implementing what you have learned and seeing what works versus what doesn't work.
When you see what works for you, you know you can keep going with it and even improve upon it. When you see what doesn't work, you can evaluate it and determine if what you're doing can be repaired by making minor changes or if it needs to be replaced entirely by making greater changes. What is the act that allows you to make that determination either way? Implementation.
SUCCEED: This is ultimately what happens when you put in the work necessary to learn your craft and implement the skills you've learned. One of the things I have learned in my studies is that those who are successful got there by doing all of the right things; however, they learned how to do all of the right things by having done many of the wrong things.
Success is more than everything going all well and hunky-dory. Success does not come easy, nor is it supposed to. Success is not a destination to be reached; rather it is a series of accomplishments to be appreciated while on this journey we call "life." Success exists to show us what's possible when we do good works.
I have a confession to make. I have this guilty pleasure of watching all kinds of reality shows. The reality of this genre of "reality T.V." is that it is anything but reality. How is someone surprised to see who's on the other side of the door when there are cameramen in place on both sides of the door?
In any case, the types of shows I watch are the ones featuring celebrities or rich people. I kind of study them. I can watch some of these shows and tell who has actually earned their money, and who just caught a lucky break. All in all, I like seeing how people who have money handle their money.
I always encounter people who talk about how unimportant money is when it comes to having a good life. Now, I will stipulate that it is very important to have loving relationships and spiritual fulfillment, but if I have to choose between having those things living in an apartment or a in a nice house; taking the bus or driving a car, and either feeling nothing but my thigh when I reach into my pocket or being able to reach in and pull out a money clip holding a couple hundred dollars ... I'm going to take the latter choice every day of the week and twice on Sunday!
Many people who talk the most about money not being important don't have much of it and are not willing to (1) learn or improve their skills, and (2) implement or put that knowledge to work. Because of this, they do not get to partake in (3) the success. Now for me, I have no problem seeing money and all of the good I can do with it as a measure of success; but again, that's just me!
Ultimately, success comes when you do what you do well and it not only shows, but it rewards you. The "rewards" are reflective of whatever your endeavoring to succeed at and does not have to be about money.
Finally, I want to share with you why I believe many people choose not to learn, implement, and thus succeed. Many will tell you that they don't put forth "x" amount of effort because they don't want to fail. No offense, but that's just a load of crap. No - seriously, that's a cop-out and I'm not going to accept it.
People don't strive to succeed because they're afraid of failing; they fail to strive because they're afraid of succeeding. You see, learning takes work. Implementing is work; and while success is a manifestation of a job well done, once achieved it has to be maintained - otherwise it was just a fluke, a stroke of blind luck.
Additionally, in order to succeed even further, it's going to take even more learning, even more implementation ... even more work! You see, becoming successful takes work. Staying and becoming more successful takes more work. So I submit to you that people aren't afraid of failure. They're afraid of succeeding because of the work involved in achieving, maintaining and ascending even higher.
PROFESS: Now almost every other week, someone comes to me asking how they can go about getting their book published. What's funny to me is that when I began my journey as a writer, I didn't really have anyone I knew whom I could ask for advice.
There was one guy on my MySpace buddy list (yeah ... that's how far back I'm going) who pointed me in the direction of the company I chose to self-publish the first edition of my book. In any case, I don't mind passing on what I have learned. If it serves to make the next person's path a little easier to travel then I am fulfilling a valuable service while on my journey.
The best thing you can do for another human being is to teach him or her something. Pass on your knowledge. It can be showing someone what to do and how to do it, or even showing someone what not to do. Many tactics used by police around the country and around the world stem from having learned from a previous tragedy.
When you profess what you have been able to accomplish, you show people all throughout the world what's possible for them. Anyone can become successful at just about anything if they first believe it to be possible. Sometimes a little bit of faith is all it takes.
As long as you have something to learn, you have something to teach. After all, what are teachers in college called? PROFESSors ... Professors teach what they have learned. When something good happens to you, it is human nature that you "profess" your good fortune. Even when something bad happens and you share that experience as a warning, you are "professing."
If a man gets taken to the cleaners in a divorce, he professes that experience to someone who is about to get married and advises the person to get a prenuptial agreement. Something I always say to people is, "If you see me scraping dog-mess off my shoe and I tell you to watch your step, are you going to go marching blindly into the area to find out for yourself or are you going to take my word for it?" Yeah, the visual is graphic, but it's equally effective.
There's a program used in prisons all over the country to attempt to keep at-risk youth out of the prison system. It goes by many different names, but the first one was and is still called "Scared Straight," and was started at East Jersey State Prison in New Jersey. The way it works is simple. A group of teenagers are taken to the prison and shown what goes on inside, but this ain't no ordinary tour!
The reason why is because the "tour guides" are the inmates ... convicted felons who are serving anywhere from a few years up to multiple life sentences. These are people who are using the L.I.S.P. formula to the max! How you might ask? Well let's examine that. Many of them:
LEARNED how to break the law.
IMPLEMENTED what they learned to keep on breaking the law.
They SUCCEEDED at breaking the law (until they got caught).
And now they PROFESS their experiences; past and present, to the youth with the hope that they will be "SCARED STRAIGHT."
If you've never seen the documentary of the same name, let me tell you that for the most part it's highly effective. In fact, I would say it's as effective today as it was when it was filmed in the 1978.
The L.I.S.P. formula serves a variety of purposes. It improves you and allows you to improve those around you. It has been employed for centuries all around the world. It has even been used in your family. If you used what you learned from the experiences shared with you by your parents; then created and endured your own experiences, and then taught or presently teach your children accordingly, then you are knee-deep in the use of the formula ... as were your parents and their parents before them.
If you are looking for a way to improve your life, this is it. It doesn't matter how you want to better yourself; nor does it matter in which area you want to improve your life, this formula works! It's become a way of life for me, and can be for you as well; however, as with everything else in life, in order for the formula to work ... you are going to have to work! As Jack Canfield says in and about his book, The Success Principles, "The principles work, but only if you work them."
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