3 common myths about success and why they’re embarrassingly incorrect.
We all know that there’s more to success than what we’ve been told. We’ve been told that success is an exercise in elite living; measured by dollars and millions of followers – and that if we own sports cars, mansions, and being followed by paparazzi, then we’re someone. If not, we’re just regular people who envying the success of others from afar. For those who believe it, this concept of “success” is killing the dream.
There are a number of timeless universal principles that can guide you to success, which usually involve setting goals, being determined, and having a clear vision. And then there’s advice that sounds great and seems to make a lot of sense, but backfires when put into practice. It’s important to be aware of these misguided beliefs and bad habits, so you can avoid pitfalls in your journey. In this article, we will walk through 3 common myths of success.
Myth 1: Follow your passion and you will be successful.
This myth is something that we’ve all heard before; if you do what you love, you will naturally advance and become successful. This sounds great and seems to make a lot of sense, but there are other important factors to keep in mind.
Research by Stanford entitled ‘Instead of “finding your passion”, try developing it’ suggests that “finding your passion” presupposes that interests and passions are fixed, rather than fluid and evolving as we age and gain wisdom and experiences. Those who follow the fixed mindset are much more likely to give up when obstacles arise.
As Harry Briggs, Venture Capitalist and former Partner at BGF Ventures put it, “If you just want to pursue something you enjoy, that might be a sign of laziness rather than genuine passion.”
If you love doing something, but there is no market for your skills or products, you have a significant hurdle to success. Unless you have a trust fund waiting for you, you’ll have to feed yourself and others. Chances are, if you take stock of your strengths and weaknesses, and consider all possibilities, you will discover that there is more than one path to success. You may find there is something else you like nearly as much, and one with a better market and a higher chance of success.
Myth 2: An expensive education will jumpstart your success
For many years, it has been believed that any worthwhile career begins with attaining a four-year degree. The bigger and more recognized the school, the better your chances for success and taken into consideration.
The truth is, attending a traditional four-year university is simply beyond many people’s budget, thus not everyone is cut out to do it. However, it does not mean that they are doomed to an unsuccessful life.
Education can come in many forms and be gained in a variety of ways. There’s no longer just one way to do it; an unconventional education, vocational schools, or entrepreneurial class can become alternatives and just as valuables. According to Mark Henrics on Entrepreneur.com, business owners with most of its growth ahead of them are suggested to go back to school, if they want to go finance the expansion and manage it – to be exact: entrepreneurship school. Young growth companies tap into the activity surrounding a university and find themselves awash in the kinds of resources including capitals that help turn great ideas into great companies.
The key is to absorb knowledge and gain life experiences that will teach you how to apply your wisdom. Even the most expensive four-year school only gives you the tools to help you learn and grow. It’s up to you to come up with a plan and execute it.
Myth 3: Success is “having it all”
The last myth is believing success is having it all – the six-figure CEO job, the family, the beach house, the expensive cars, and many other variables.
Like we have mentioned earlier, many of us think that someone else’s definition is valid for us, as we often feel a little uneasy if we’re not successfully doing something that someone else thinks we should be successful in. Many children allow their parents to influence their choices of career and later find themselves miserable as a result. In other cases, many people feel the need to be overworked just to receive the paycheck and results in them getting sick.
As written by Brian Tracy, the fact is that life and success are very much like an ‘all you can eat’ buffet. If 100 people went to the buffet and each put food in their plates, the quantity and mixes that each felt would be most pleasing to himself or herself, as every single plate would be different. Even a husband and wife would take the food and have completely different foods on the plate.
Success is the same thing. It is composed of a great variety of ingredients, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Each person requires a particular combination of these ingredients in order to feel the very best about himself, or herself and life.
We must set our goals, objectives, and trajectories based on what we desire, not what someone else wants for us.
Some people find that helping people brings them the most joy, and therefore success looks like a life given to others. Some realize that building a business or product brings them happiness. Some prefer isolation and others prefer constant activity.
The simple yet profound truth is that what makes me happy doesn’t make someone else happy, and vice versa. My vision of success probably looks nothing like yours, and that’s how it should be.
If you don’t define success, someone else will define it for you. What mountain are you climbing? Is it the right one? Or are you going to reach the summit and see your mountain off in the distance?
Start on the right path today, and own your definition.
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