How to increase chances for your success? 30 points to note!

From the time of our birth, we are all running behind success. And in some cases not being successful in the eyes of our peers is one of the main reasons for most of our frustrations.

Image showing a person who has achieved success

So if that is the case, then how much time do people invest in understanding what exactly does being successful mean?

Do you want all your friends and relations say that you have made it?

Or is it being rich enough to stop working for the rest of your life? If that is so, how many of the successful people who have made a lot of money, stopped working?

Or does success mean that people realise who you are and start praising about you? Well, for that, you have to be a celebrity or a person who has done loads of charitable or humanitarian tasks.

I wonder from the above options which or what you would consider to be a success.

I personally have the following as my own definition of success:

Being able to help people who come to you with a problem of theirs.
Making enough money to take care of your needs and that of your family, friends and relatives. I need to be in a position where if required, I would be able to help the ones I care about financially.
Being able to make at least 1 person every year to step on to their path of success or profession.
Working towards making my family and home a self-sustainable one. A house which need not rely on electricity grids for power, no dependency on piped water or gas or waste disposal. I have been working on this pet project for the past 18 years. With just over 1% of progress, there is a long way for me still.

Most of my criteria for success would seem tame and lame for many. I agree too. But right now, taking in to account my earnings and financial position, if I'm able to achieve the four points I would be satisfied.

But hey, over 95% term success to be equated to an immense amount of money and fame. So let's get to the hit formula for success which everyone knows but never accepts.

Activities that can increase your success chances:

Wake up early: There are many popular books such as The Five AM club and others which explain how waking up before your slot, makes you successful. Just do it. It'll not really make you successful. You'll have more time to work towards your success. So how should we go about it? Small steps at a time. If you wake up at 7 am, then try to wake up at 6:45 am. After a week, push towards 6:15 am. Then 6 am after a week. This will make your body slowly accustomed to the new wake up routine. Keep waking early as much as possible. If you can only wake up as early as 5 am. That is fine. If waking up at 6 am itself is difficult, then keep waking up at 6 am. In these extra hours work only on those things that will make you successful - whatever it is for you. If it's money, then work in those extra hours on how you can earn more money. If it is being a great player of a sport, put efforts in mastering that sport.
Get sunlight and fresh air: Imagine your mobile phone was out of its battery. What will you do then? Put it on the charge, right? Does it mean that next day again you'll not need to charge it? Similarly, your body needs different kinds of energy charges to function at its optimum efficiency. Our bodies derive energy for mental and bodily functions from sunlight. Do read this article on sunlight and health benefits. The next most important thing is the fresh air. Spend around 30 minutes every 3 hours once in an area where you get loads of fresh air from. Preferably, in a garden. It helps get you going.
Exercise: We are so happy with our mobile phones and all that we can do with them. But hey do we really know if we are using our bodies to their fullest extent? I certainly don't think so. The main reason being that most of us are overweight or underweight, majorly due to our sedentary lifestyles. We hence, need to clock in at least 20 minutes to 60 minutes working out to be fit. The fitter you become, the better your confidence and your overall peak performance increases. Trust me, this will make the maximum impact on your life and improving the probability of success.
Plants: Take care of growing at least 3 plants on your own. It is the essence of life. In a way, we are all versions derived from farmers. Now coming to the reason why 3 plants. Have one plant to be grown indoors. This will improve your air quality inside the house. Then have one plant at your workplace, whether it be an office or your home office. The remaining plant is for outdoors. You can place it in your garden or neighbourhood. If you start caring for them, you'll become a more pleasant person. Being pleasant makes you approachable. Being approachable will eventually make you successful.
Ensure cleanliness and be organised: Having things cluttered in your room spreads negativity and sticks to you. Many do not believe this. But it has been proved more times than needed that by having your surroundings clean and organised can make you better. The main factor is the rhythm you set for yourself. If you can get up early, make your bed, clean up and be ready as soon as possible, you get more confidence in taking whatever life throws at you. At least you will have those tasks out of your way. Being organised improves your productivity and efficiency. You will spend less time finding things.
Pray: I know, it is again something some might not agree with. For those, let's just say that - make your own personal quote or pick one of your favourites and stare it at the start of your day at a specific time. For those who do pray, make it a daily routine at a fixed time. The key here is praying or seeing your favourite quotes at a specific time slot daily. This can be considered as tuning your mind and body for the battle ahead in the day.
Be humble: We are all entitled beings. We are all high-end consumers now. Press a few buttons we want someone to answer all our questions. Press another bunch of buttons, we want people rushing to pick us up and wait on us. The convenience and comforts we have in this modern have not really made us happier. Instead, everyone is busy. No one really has time to spend with others meaningfully. And that is why we are not able to be successful. Be humble, compassionate and emphatic. Just try to be calm and see the wonder that the world is. Imagine if your great-great-grandfather had access to iPhone or Uber. How their life would have changed? How happy would they be? Are you feeling that happiness when you use those services? Most people get frustrated at traffic jams or delayed flights. Just imagine if you had to travel the same distance on a horse. Even worse, on your own foot! How long would it take then?
Be helpful: Help not just your friends, family or colleagues but even random strangers. A help done at the right time can take you forward by a long way. Not just that. If you keep helping others, you are becoming exceptionally good at solving other's problems. That is a skill which is exceptionally valuable and treasured.
Save, spend and donate: Savings have to be a part of your life. And it is not just money you have to save. You to conserve your energy, thoughts and peace from getting lost in this hustle life. Donate money regularly for a variety of causes. Every donation matters, no matter how small or big it is. The world has a way of giving back the help you do. And that is the way I'm suggesting. At the same time, spend your time and effort for the welfare of others and your close ones. If you know where to spend, where to save and donate, you are on your way to success.
Appreciate others: Genuinely appreciate hard work and consistent performance. They deserve it. If you can recognise talent and celebrate it, you are on the step to success.
Note-taking: We are highly forgetful, our actions are decided by the circumstances we are in. But what really helps is if you can take notes of those great thoughts & ideas you have. When such things are relooked periodically, taken action on a realistic priority basis, success is near.
Be fair: The current scenario has made all of us highly opportunistic. We just pounce on offers and do not really think about the impact it can have on others. Hence, you must look at things holistically. Give credit to others where they deserve, be fair in all your activities.
Take opportunity from negativity: Things do tend to become negative. But the point I do not understand is why are not humans expecting bad things to happen? We have a day & night. Similarly, there will be good times and bad ones. We just have to celebrate during good times and prepare for the upcoming bad ones. There should not be any surprise for that. What matters is that during the bad times, you have to look for opportunities and ways to come on top of them. This positive approach is key to success. Let's the current pandemic scenario as an example. Most automobile manufacturing employees are out of work. The industry is in a slump. But what should be the approach of such employees? Learn a new skill, fall back to your hobbies - make revenue from them.
Be smart & look smart: Appearance, ambience and thoughts play a major in improving your chances for success. We do not know when who is observing us and what their thoughts are about us. Being dressed appropriately and being good at your work will have the necessary positive uplift not just for you but for all those around you.
People: People are the most essential part of anyone's success. At the same time, it is a given that not everyone is going to like you. So stick with the ones who appreciate you. Be loyal, friendly and take care of them. This will majorly up your chances for success.
Self-motivate: Do not expect someone or something to keep motivating yourself and your achievements. You have to pick yourself up and move on to the next level. It just has to be that. Every day, every moment, push yourself to make the best effort possible.
Stop multitasking: Multitasking is to be avoided at all costs. Try reducing distractions while you work. Attend only phone calls. You can browse the internet or social media at a later time when your work for the day is done.
Plan ahead: Always plan ahead in your activity and tasks. Have some buffer time and scope for everything that is getting done. This way, you are accounting for failure, which, as I have explained earlier, is a 100% guarantee.
Burnout: Do not overwork. With planning, plan for work detox as well. It is necessary to wind down and take a break every now and then for a healthy mind, body and relationships. Plan this too!
Clarity: Often, the main reason why people are successful is that they know what exactly they want. Clarity of thought and vision is essential in achieving success. If having clarity about your success is difficult, then try and bring about more meaning in your daily tasks. If you can clearly specify what you will do at home, at work and outside, you will soon be able to able to envision what you need and work towards it.
Self-belief: Strong resolution to succeed at all costs and belief in your abilities is key to achieving your dreams.
Do more with less: The ability to get more done with fewer resources is what everyone wants. If you can keep looking for ways to improve a process or your work, you are on the path to success.
Expect difficulties & adapt: Do not expect life to be easy going at all times. Problems will be thrown at you when you are tasting success or least expecting it. Adapt to the new rules/scenario and rework your plans. Get back on track.
Work with deadlines: Most of us do not have deadlines as we become anxious and then do not really follow them. But that is why you need them. Unless you measure your progress with a realistic deadline, you will not be able to understand what's happening and the position you are in. So always work towards your goals with deadlines. Try to achieve them within the deadline.
Be calm & observant: Make it a rule every week, for a set period, you will try to observe your surroundings and talk as less as possible. This way, you'll get better insights into people, work and what's happening around. Unless you know your surroundings well, you cannot take maximum advantage of your scenario for the best outcome possible.
Remove mistakes: Mistakes happen. But put in place systems and checks to prevent them in future. That being said, new mistakes will keep coming. All you have to do is learn, remove and do not repeat the old ones.
Learn every day: Learn something new every single day. It can be even a word. But please keep learning. You never know what will come handy, when.
Take feedback: Feedback is essential in improving yourself. Keep getting feedback from relevant people and always take it with a pinch of salt. Do not blindly accept all feedback. At the same time, do learn from the feedback and become a better person.
Keep your promises: The most common ingredients for success are trustworthiness and ability to deliver on time. The more reliable you become, the better your chances are of being successful.
Cultivate happy habits: Cultivate habits that will help you become more appreciative of yourself and others. Check this article of 25 HABITS to add to your routine.