Few days ago I decided to throw on paper some rules for success
I’ve
discovered and implemented in my life over the years. I’ve come up with
about fifty rules, many of which are very similar or duplicate, many that
are not so impactful.
Here I share with you twelve rules I picked which I consider to be the most
important and actionable. I believe these are necessary to use in your life
and business to achieve great results and get the most out of life. I think
of this rules as a cheat sheet that you can take out when you encounter
any situation and check what to do.
1. Never say “I can’t” and ”It’s hard”.
You may be thinking what difference does it make what I say.
In my experience it makes all the difference.
When you say “I can’t” it creates a habit of saying “I can’t” and you will be
saying it more and more until you truly start to believe that you can’t do it.
I’ve seen many times people persuade themselves into thinking all sorts of
things. Persuading yourself that you “can’t” and that “it’s hard’ is the worst
mindset you could get.
To deal with this problem be conscious of whether you are saying it. Catch
yourself saying it and quickly replace it with “I can” and “it’s easy”.
2. Always think that you can and you will be right.
Henry Ford said it best:
“Whether you believe you can, or you can't, you are right”
Nothing is impossible.
This is the basic of the basics. The biggest change in my life occurred when
I realized I could do anything I want if only I invested enough time and effort.
I believe this is the most important thing for success - knowing, beyond
a shadow of a doubt, that you will succeed no matter what.
Next time when you think that you can’t do something ask yourself - Why
can’t you do it? Many people throughout the history have done things no
one had done before them. They were pioneers in whatever areas. That’s
how we got all the inventions today. That’s how we got world records, first
man ever to climb Mount Everest. Why not be that man?
But, you don’t need to do something no one has ever done before to be
successful. Do something good that many people have done before you.
If someone has already done it - it’s easy. Just follow his steps and do
what he has done and you will get there for sure.
3. When you fall – immediately get up.
This is a no-brainer and one of the most important if not the most important
rule. One of the simplest definitions of success is getting up one more time
than you’ve fallen down. As Rocky said “It’s not how hard you can hit but
how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward”.
It is so easy to stay down and give up and so hard to persist and move forward.
It hurts to persist, but if you give up you will be in pain forever. It is extremely
tempting to give up, to take the easier way out. The danger of going to the
other side is lurking constantly. We need to remind ourselves all the time why
are we doing what we are doing and keep moving forward.
Also, if you give up once, you will give up again, you will always give up,
it creates a habit of giving up.
If you persist, it creates a momentum, a habit of going forward and you will
always go forward.
4. Everything you do, do it the best you can, give your 100%.
This is the simple but often overlooked rule and in my experience hardly
anyone applies it. So many people just want to “get by”, to get the job
done, without making the effort. If you are already doing something why
not make the effort and do it the best you can. That would immediately
put you above your peers who won’t make that effort.
5. If you want something - go get it, nothing ever comes free.
This is for all those waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone
to give them something. Waiting to win the lottery, for government to give
them job, for economy to get better.
How come some people don’t mind the economy? How come some people
are successful no matter what?
They don’t wait for anything to happen – they make it happen. You think you
are better than others and that you deserve more? – Go out there and prove it.
6. Accept responsibility for everything that happens to you –
- never complain, never explain.
This one is tightly connected to the previous one.
When you complain about something you only succeed in creating negative
energy. Nothing is going to change with complaining. Instead, if you have
energy to complain, put it into something productive. If you think something
is wrong then take responsibility, go change it, or just forget about it. You
won’t achieve anything with complaining.
Another common consequence of not taking responsibility is blaming others.
It is much easier for people to find someone to blame than to admit and
accept that they are not good enough and that they are the problem. It
can be incredibly hard to accept and admit your shortcomings. But, it is
the only way to improvement.
The biggest problem with blaming others is that you will persuade yourself
that it’s not your fault. You are right but others are wrong. You are perfect
others are flawed. It’s always someone else’s fault.
Needless to say, by believing you don’t have a problem you will never solve
it. By believing you are perfectly fine you are unable to see the flaws and
work on improving yourself. In such circumstances you are doomed to stay
where you are and not move an inch. It’s a surefire road to failure.
7. Don’t cry about loss, nothing ever lasts forever.
This is something I don’t see often discussed but I feel it is essential for happy life.
All too often we burden ourselves heavily when we lose things. Juice spills,
glass breaks, shirt tears, computer stops working, show gets canceled.
What do you achieve by doing it, what is the purpose?
It is gone, it stopped existing, accept that and move on.
I’m no scientist or something but this I know - one of the basic principles
of the universe is that everything must have a beginning and end. That’s
how things work. Even our planet will not last forever. Don’t let what you
don’t have prevent you to appreciate what you have.
8. Appreciate what you have, be happy about it.
Many people often say “If I had this thing I’d be happy”. Then they get
that thing and immediately forget about it. Again they say “Now, if I only
had this thing I’d be really happy”. It’s a never-ending circle. We have
probably all done it at some point.
As soon as we get what we strive for we immediately forget about it and
focus on the next thing we don’t have. That’s a deadly mindset that is
very common and to get out of it you need to step back and recognize it
when it appears so you can effectively eliminate it.
See what you have. It is good to write it on paper. If you do that you will
see that you have much more than you thought you had, and much more
than the majority of people have.
Having a family is one of the greatest things in the world and one of the
most under appreciated. Next time your parents or kids make you angry,
think about people who would give everything they have just to have kids
and about people who never knew their parents but they so wish they did.
On the flip side, don’t let being content with what you have stop you from
wanting to improve and get more. In other words, you need to be both happy
with what you have and want to improve, to get more, to be even happier.
9. Always think positive and look for good in everything.
Positive thinking.
You don’t do the world nor yourself any favors by thinking negative.
Everything has at least two sides to it. Nothing is inherently good or bad.
It is what we make of it. Choose to see the good side of everything and
you will see great changes in your life.
There is already so much negativity in the world. Don’t add to it. Instead,
be a beacon of light and think of the best even when things look the
worst. By shining like that you will help not only yourself but also your
family and people around you.
Also, only by thinking positive and being open to the world will you see
opportunities that are everywhere around us and be able to act on them.
10. Take those shots. You miss every shot you don’t take.
This is the quote I heard from Michael Jordan, considered to be one of the
best of all time in his area. It comes to the basic principle of taking action,
taking chances, taking shots.
All too often we hinder ourselves in our actions. You want to do something,
your brain comes up with thousand reasons why you shouldn’t do it and
thousand horrible things that could happen.
You have to get out of your comfort zone. It’s not easy, but there’s no
other way. Give yourself a little courage. Think rationally about what’s the
worst that could happen. Chances are, it’s not nearly as bad as you thought
it would be. Act as if it were impossible to fail. If you can say “I don’t care
what happens I’m gonna do it”, you win.
Then, you realize that you are still standing, that nothing happened of the
things you thought it would. Now you can do it again and it is a bit easier,
then it creates a momentum and every next time it gets easier and easier
until it becomes the integral part of you.
11. Don't fear difficult moments, the best comes from them.
It’s those hard times when we grow the most. it’s those challenges that
we have to overcome to improve. It’s when hurts the most you need to
work the hardest to succeed. Embrace difficulties, work to overcome them,
learn from them and become a better man when you emerge victorious.
12. Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
This may be a bit controversial and many probably won’t agree. Often you
will hear to set realistic goals. Even some of the most successful
self-development authors say to set realistic goals. But what goals are
realistic? How do the others know what is your limit? How do you know
your limit unless you push it?
I say don’t be afraid to dream big.
The biggest issue with so called “unrealistic” goals is the fear that you won’t
be able to achieve them.
What if you don’t hit your goal? Won’t you get disappointed and give up?
Should you give up on it since you didn’t reach it when you though you
should? Absolutely not. All you need to do is set a new deadline! That’s the
beauty of it. If you don’t reach the goal you set a new deadline and
continue working towards it.
If you set a goal you may succeed in reaching it or not, but if you don’t
set it I guarantee you that you won’t reach it.
Without big dreams, even the unrealistic ones, we wouldn’t have many
things we have today. By daring to dream big many people have achieved
greatness and history remembers them.
In this poetic manner I finish my list, please say what you think about it,
do you agree, disagree, what would you add to it.
Best of luck,
Zak Exel War Room Member
discovered and implemented in my life over the years. I’ve come up with
about fifty rules, many of which are very similar or duplicate, many that
are not so impactful.
Here I share with you twelve rules I picked which I consider to be the most
important and actionable. I believe these are necessary to use in your life
and business to achieve great results and get the most out of life. I think
of this rules as a cheat sheet that you can take out when you encounter
any situation and check what to do.
1. Never say “I can’t” and ”It’s hard”.
You may be thinking what difference does it make what I say.
In my experience it makes all the difference.
When you say “I can’t” it creates a habit of saying “I can’t” and you will be
saying it more and more until you truly start to believe that you can’t do it.
I’ve seen many times people persuade themselves into thinking all sorts of
things. Persuading yourself that you “can’t” and that “it’s hard’ is the worst
mindset you could get.
To deal with this problem be conscious of whether you are saying it. Catch
yourself saying it and quickly replace it with “I can” and “it’s easy”.
2. Always think that you can and you will be right.
Henry Ford said it best:
“Whether you believe you can, or you can't, you are right”
Nothing is impossible.
This is the basic of the basics. The biggest change in my life occurred when
I realized I could do anything I want if only I invested enough time and effort.
I believe this is the most important thing for success - knowing, beyond
a shadow of a doubt, that you will succeed no matter what.
Next time when you think that you can’t do something ask yourself - Why
can’t you do it? Many people throughout the history have done things no
one had done before them. They were pioneers in whatever areas. That’s
how we got all the inventions today. That’s how we got world records, first
man ever to climb Mount Everest. Why not be that man?
But, you don’t need to do something no one has ever done before to be
successful. Do something good that many people have done before you.
If someone has already done it - it’s easy. Just follow his steps and do
what he has done and you will get there for sure.
3. When you fall – immediately get up.
This is a no-brainer and one of the most important if not the most important
rule. One of the simplest definitions of success is getting up one more time
than you’ve fallen down. As Rocky said “It’s not how hard you can hit but
how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward”.
It is so easy to stay down and give up and so hard to persist and move forward.
It hurts to persist, but if you give up you will be in pain forever. It is extremely
tempting to give up, to take the easier way out. The danger of going to the
other side is lurking constantly. We need to remind ourselves all the time why
are we doing what we are doing and keep moving forward.
Also, if you give up once, you will give up again, you will always give up,
it creates a habit of giving up.
If you persist, it creates a momentum, a habit of going forward and you will
always go forward.
4. Everything you do, do it the best you can, give your 100%.
This is the simple but often overlooked rule and in my experience hardly
anyone applies it. So many people just want to “get by”, to get the job
done, without making the effort. If you are already doing something why
not make the effort and do it the best you can. That would immediately
put you above your peers who won’t make that effort.
5. If you want something - go get it, nothing ever comes free.
This is for all those waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone
to give them something. Waiting to win the lottery, for government to give
them job, for economy to get better.
How come some people don’t mind the economy? How come some people
are successful no matter what?
They don’t wait for anything to happen – they make it happen. You think you
are better than others and that you deserve more? – Go out there and prove it.
6. Accept responsibility for everything that happens to you –
- never complain, never explain.
This one is tightly connected to the previous one.
When you complain about something you only succeed in creating negative
energy. Nothing is going to change with complaining. Instead, if you have
energy to complain, put it into something productive. If you think something
is wrong then take responsibility, go change it, or just forget about it. You
won’t achieve anything with complaining.
Another common consequence of not taking responsibility is blaming others.
It is much easier for people to find someone to blame than to admit and
accept that they are not good enough and that they are the problem. It
can be incredibly hard to accept and admit your shortcomings. But, it is
the only way to improvement.
The biggest problem with blaming others is that you will persuade yourself
that it’s not your fault. You are right but others are wrong. You are perfect
others are flawed. It’s always someone else’s fault.
Needless to say, by believing you don’t have a problem you will never solve
it. By believing you are perfectly fine you are unable to see the flaws and
work on improving yourself. In such circumstances you are doomed to stay
where you are and not move an inch. It’s a surefire road to failure.
7. Don’t cry about loss, nothing ever lasts forever.
This is something I don’t see often discussed but I feel it is essential for happy life.
All too often we burden ourselves heavily when we lose things. Juice spills,
glass breaks, shirt tears, computer stops working, show gets canceled.
What do you achieve by doing it, what is the purpose?
It is gone, it stopped existing, accept that and move on.
I’m no scientist or something but this I know - one of the basic principles
of the universe is that everything must have a beginning and end. That’s
how things work. Even our planet will not last forever. Don’t let what you
don’t have prevent you to appreciate what you have.
8. Appreciate what you have, be happy about it.
Many people often say “If I had this thing I’d be happy”. Then they get
that thing and immediately forget about it. Again they say “Now, if I only
had this thing I’d be really happy”. It’s a never-ending circle. We have
probably all done it at some point.
As soon as we get what we strive for we immediately forget about it and
focus on the next thing we don’t have. That’s a deadly mindset that is
very common and to get out of it you need to step back and recognize it
when it appears so you can effectively eliminate it.
See what you have. It is good to write it on paper. If you do that you will
see that you have much more than you thought you had, and much more
than the majority of people have.
Having a family is one of the greatest things in the world and one of the
most under appreciated. Next time your parents or kids make you angry,
think about people who would give everything they have just to have kids
and about people who never knew their parents but they so wish they did.
On the flip side, don’t let being content with what you have stop you from
wanting to improve and get more. In other words, you need to be both happy
with what you have and want to improve, to get more, to be even happier.
9. Always think positive and look for good in everything.
Positive thinking.
You don’t do the world nor yourself any favors by thinking negative.
Everything has at least two sides to it. Nothing is inherently good or bad.
It is what we make of it. Choose to see the good side of everything and
you will see great changes in your life.
There is already so much negativity in the world. Don’t add to it. Instead,
be a beacon of light and think of the best even when things look the
worst. By shining like that you will help not only yourself but also your
family and people around you.
Also, only by thinking positive and being open to the world will you see
opportunities that are everywhere around us and be able to act on them.
10. Take those shots. You miss every shot you don’t take.
This is the quote I heard from Michael Jordan, considered to be one of the
best of all time in his area. It comes to the basic principle of taking action,
taking chances, taking shots.
All too often we hinder ourselves in our actions. You want to do something,
your brain comes up with thousand reasons why you shouldn’t do it and
thousand horrible things that could happen.
You have to get out of your comfort zone. It’s not easy, but there’s no
other way. Give yourself a little courage. Think rationally about what’s the
worst that could happen. Chances are, it’s not nearly as bad as you thought
it would be. Act as if it were impossible to fail. If you can say “I don’t care
what happens I’m gonna do it”, you win.
Then, you realize that you are still standing, that nothing happened of the
things you thought it would. Now you can do it again and it is a bit easier,
then it creates a momentum and every next time it gets easier and easier
until it becomes the integral part of you.
11. Don't fear difficult moments, the best comes from them.
It’s those hard times when we grow the most. it’s those challenges that
we have to overcome to improve. It’s when hurts the most you need to
work the hardest to succeed. Embrace difficulties, work to overcome them,
learn from them and become a better man when you emerge victorious.
12. Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
This may be a bit controversial and many probably won’t agree. Often you
will hear to set realistic goals. Even some of the most successful
self-development authors say to set realistic goals. But what goals are
realistic? How do the others know what is your limit? How do you know
your limit unless you push it?
I say don’t be afraid to dream big.
The biggest issue with so called “unrealistic” goals is the fear that you won’t
be able to achieve them.
What if you don’t hit your goal? Won’t you get disappointed and give up?
Should you give up on it since you didn’t reach it when you though you
should? Absolutely not. All you need to do is set a new deadline! That’s the
beauty of it. If you don’t reach the goal you set a new deadline and
continue working towards it.
If you set a goal you may succeed in reaching it or not, but if you don’t
set it I guarantee you that you won’t reach it.
Without big dreams, even the unrealistic ones, we wouldn’t have many
things we have today. By daring to dream big many people have achieved
greatness and history remembers them.
In this poetic manner I finish my list, please say what you think about it,
do you agree, disagree, what would you add to it.
Best of luck,
Zak Exel War Room Member
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