If you are worried about the price of getting started, you should see the cost of staying exactly where you are
@eliotkellyofficial
George Moriarty, who was an author and a Big Leagues baseball umpire, says in his book — The Road Ahead, Or The Road Behind: “Sometimes I think the fates must grin as we denounce them and insist the only reason we can’t win, is the fates themselves have missed. Yet there lives on the ancient claim: We win or lose within ourselves. The shining trophies on our shelves can never win tomorrow’s game. You and I know deeper down, there is always a chance to win the crown. But when we fail to give our best, we simply haven’t met the test, of giving all and saving none until the game is really won; of showing what is meant by grit; of playing through when others quit; of playing through, not letting up. It’s bearing down that wins the cup, of dreaming there’s a goal ahead; of praying when our hopes have fled; yet losing, not afraid to fail, if bravely, we have given all. For who can ask more of a man than giving all within his span. Giving all, it seems to me, is not far from victory. And so the fates are seldom wrong, no matter how they twist and wind. It’s you and I who make our fates — we open up or close the gates on the road ahead or the road behind.”
What makes most people who claim they want success fail to do whatever it takes?
1. Compromise
2. Lack of a strong mindset
3. Disbelief
4. Fear of failure
The cost of success is paying the price to transform our paradigms around the above four obstacles to achieve our goals. Let’s look at each one in detail and explain how our ability to overcome them can help to accelerate our growth and ultimately our lives.
Compromise
As I write this I am currently in Lagos, Nigeria. The city is beautiful and the surrounding areas are developed, however there are areas that are not as developed and the level of infrastructure in these areas are not classed as modern. One of the common issues in Nigeria is the lack of consistent electrical power. Power cuts mean that hours can pass before the service is restored. Despite this, in the evenings it is not uncommon to see young Nigerian boys and girls doing their homework under lantern lights, candles and even under the security lights of bank cash machines in the neighbourhood.
These young boys and girls ignore the night air temperatures or insects that crawl and fly at night and to anyone that knows, these inconveniences can be annoying and distracting and even stressful. They are determined to do their work. The have decided that a lack of consistent power at home does not justify an excuse for them to fail. They brave the stares of strangers passing by and other inconveniences like street noise and traffic and take action.
Being comfortable with the uncomfortable is the first price of a decision to live life on your own terms. Successful people are prepared to go against all odds and come out as champions. They do what most people are not willing to do.
It requires no major effort to live a normal life. You and I must push ourselves and see how far we can go.
Lack of a strong mindset
Having a success mindset means having a mind that is ready to work towards achieving our goals despite the odds we might encounter. The price of getting started towards living life on our terms involves realising three critical things:
1. If we want to succeed, we must balance the bad fear with good fear (more on this later).
2. We must let go of our resistance to change.
3. We need to start thinking like a leader.
When we can see success through this perspective, we will develop a more profound sense of acceptance and self-confidence, gain clarity around our vision, and find greater drive, focus, energy, motivation, and performance. Make thoughts so big that they become and unstoppable source of energy.
Make the idea of your success so big that you cannot ignore it!
Disbelief
In his 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, he famously shared that, “Whatever our minds can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
The Wright brothers believed in their flying machine when others said it was impossible and now millions of people fly in an airplane every day. Hill went on to state that there is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. “No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not mere hope or wish.”
Beliefs control results because we will never take action towards something we do not believe is possible. Self-belief allows us to take ownership of our virtues through developing our sense of self.
The week the racket rose for the fourth match point, the crowd held their breath waiting to cheer the winner. The ball echoed around the court as it hurled back and forth reaching 108mph. Then it happened. Match point. The seven-times grand slam champion, Venus Williams, had been beaten by 15-year-old Cori Gauff. The teenage sensation showed remarkable composure and belief. A belief in herself that led to her becoming the youngest player to win a main-draw match since Jennifer Capriati in 1991 at Wimbledon. In an interview with reporters, shortly after the match, she said her father had always encouraged her to have a ‘can-do’ attitude. “I just literally don’t play with any pressure. I just tell myself whatever happens, happens.” Cori reassured herself that although the court at Wimbledon was a larger arena than she was used to, the tennis lines were the same, she just had to play.
You may not be able to do everything in life, but you should believe in yourself and find out all you can do.
Fear of failure
The fear of failure keeps most people living average and settling for ordinary. Don’t be afraid to fail, failure often leads to success.
When he was 15 years old, Jack Andraka had a crazy idea. He would create a diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer that was better than the tests developed by scientists, research labs and billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies.
Jack wrote a proposal to develop a better test. 199 research labs rejected him. I will repeat that — 199 labs rejected him. Good thing he didn’t give up and good thing a lab finally said, ‘yes.’ The 200th research lab — at John Hopkins University in Baltimore — accepted him. At the lab, Jack Adraka developed a pancreatic cancer test 100 times better and 26,000 times less expensive than the current test. Jack’s invention will save tens of thousands of lives.
Signs you are afraid of failure may include anxiety, powerlessness, indecisiveness, feeling out of control or helplessness, just to name a few. If your fear of failure us impeding your ability to function normally, it is important to talk to a professional. Instead of worrying about aspects of situations that we have no power over, focus energy on things you can control. Jack was able to change how he thought about failure and you, and I can do this too.
Failure is a part of life and can be an important opportunity to learn and acquire new skills. I am certain it was disappointing for Jack, and it is disappointing anytime we experience rejection, but it is important to maintain a healthy perspective toward the potential benefits of failure. Success is often reached through a series of progressive failures that lead to new information, skills, and strategies.
Do whatever it takes to achieve success. Obey the laws and understand that there is a cost to achieve the success you desire. In order to live life on your own terms, you will have to make some compromises, develop a strong mindset, believe that success is possible for you despite obstacles and rejection and to balance bad fear with good fear. Practice self-compassion and work on taking small steps every day towards building your confidence, managing your fear, and following your dreams.
When we start taking care of ourselves, we start feeling better, we start looking better, and we start to attract better. It all starts with us.
Are you prepared to against all odds and come out as the champion in your story?
Eliot Kelly is recognised as a serial Entrepreneur, Business Coach and Mentor and has been featured on CNN, BBC Three’s Be Your Own Boss and an extensive list of magazines and articles. His four books have been translated in over 7 languages and are sold in 29 countries, recently being shortlisted for Best Self-Help and Best Advice Books 2019 by The Author Academy.
Website: www.eliotkelly.co.uk
Email: info@eliotkelly.co.uk
Connect on Instagram @eliotkellyofficial
