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The Secret to Success in Two Words

In my opinion there are two words which embody the secret to success. They are “patience” and “focus.” To be successful, there needs to be almost maniacal focus on the object of success. And there must also be patience to stay focused on that object for the long haul, even when things are not […]

James Shepherd

Apr 20, 2018

In my opinion there are two words which embody the secret to success. They are “patience” and “focus.” To be successful, there needs to be almost maniacal focus on the object of success. And there must also be patience to stay focused on that object for the long haul, even when things are not going as planned. In this episode find out why I think these two words are the secret to success.

I love this quote by Tony Robins: “People dramatically over-estimate what they can get accomplished in one year, and they dramatically under-estimate what they can accomplish in ten years.” That is so true! How often someone declares, “By this time next year I’m going to have quadrupled my income.” Or “I’m going to do this or that.” However, someone more experienced would know that isn’t going to happen. A zealous person just getting started must focus and work hard to lay a good foundation. If the zealot could stay focused on the same object for six or even ten years, where could he/she be then? To attain the success of longevity one must have patience.

If you exhibit maniacal focus and extreme patience for years, you’ll be an industry leader in your chosen field. You’ll be an acknowledged expert. You will have huge leverage. But you must stay at the job for a long period of time. Cary Schmidt, a wise pastor with whom I’ve counseled, assured me that I would begin to gain trust with parents after I had been a youth pastor for FIVE YEARS! Really? To gain trust takes a long time. You must keep waiting and waiting and working hard, working hard.

As I mentioned in a recent previous episode, great actions follow great beliefs.. Ask yourself whether you have a strong belief about your chosen field. Once you have a strong belief, you’ll be empowered to take those actions over a long period of time. You’ll press on even when there’s no pay-off. Have realistic expectations. Focus and be patient!

Find your passion. Decide you’re going to focus on it for several years before even thinking of doing something else. Have the patience to keep working and working and working until the pay-off comes. Get a vision for the long haul. In my opinion “focus” and “patience” are the two words which embody the secret to success.