Axiom 96: The Path of Success

"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination." -Napoleon Hill

"Change is the end result of all true learning." -Leo Buscaglia

"One repays a teacher badly if one remains only a pupil." -Friedrich Nietzsche

To imply a person is successful implies they have conquered one subject or another. A path that involves just three phases: Observation, Education, and Mastery.

Observation is the first phase. It is when a person is on the outside looking inward. It is a state of knowing what is only on the surface. For example, It could be someone that has no musical training in awe of a guitar player at a concert. Everyone must make a decision (conscious or unconscious) if they wish to go beyond this first phase into the next phase.

The next phase is a phase of education. It is where a person goes deeper than what is on the surface and starts actively learning. The romanticism from the observation phase starts to fade and the hardships of practice appear. To continue from our previous example, it is where a person was so inspired by a concert they went to that they decide to buy a guitar and start taking guitar lessons. This is the phase in which most people end their quest.

For the few that continue on their journey the final phase is mastery. It is where someone takes control of a craft and remolds it in their own likeness. It is a complete cycle and return of that original romanticism from phase one. In our example it is where someone practices and learns the skills of playing guitar to the level that they use that skill to changes the lives of others. Whether it be playing a concert, writing music, forming a record label, starting a guitar manufacturing company, etc.

The subject is irrelevant, but the three phases on the path to success are always the same.  

Axiom 95: Methods & Results

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him." -David Brinkley

"If you look really closely, most overnight successes took a long time." 

-Steve Jobs

When you're seeking success it's normal to examine the success of other people. We often use the success of others as a measuring stick or a blueprint for our own path in life. However, it's important to differentiate the difference between methods and results.

For example, you might see two incredibly wealthy people. You might assume their wealth is a result of some successful methods they used in life. However, one might have been born into wealth and the other born into poverty. In this situation you have the same results but two very different methods to get there.

In another example you might see two very poor people. You might assume from their lack of wealth that their methods in life are useless. However, maybe one of them has sacrificed wealth in the near term because they are working on something that could pay off big in the long term. Again, the results don't always reflect the methods in real time.

You must look at results and the methods they used to get those results for a clear picture. Only then can you apply what you learn to your own journey in life.

Axiom 94: Always Do Your Best

"Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom." -Sandra Day O'Connor

At age 16 my very first job was sacking groceries at a national supermarket chain. It was by no means a job I really wanted. It was the only company that I applied with that called me back. The pay was low ($4.40/hr). The schedule was erratic (I'd work various shifts from 7:00 am to 1:00 am throughout the week), and the work was physically exhausting.

While there was little, if anything, redeeming about my first job I still tried to do the best job possible. I had the mindset that the company was paying me for my services and I owed it to them to do the best job possible. My coworkers slacked off, worked at a mediocre pace, and did the bare minimum to get through the day. I always stayed busy, worked as fast as possible, and asked my boss for more work to do when I was caught up. 

Just as I started to lose faith that I was working hard for nothing I got promoted - again and again. Before I turned 17 I became a cashier (even though the company didn't even hire cashiers younger than 18). Then just before I turned 18 I was promoted to customer service manager (probably the youngest one in a company with thousands of employees).

I got promoted because I always tried to do my best at every job I was given. It wasn't from luck. It wasn't because I knew the right people. I never saw my current job as a dead end job. I always saw it as a step to something better and so should you.