“God gave us two ends: One to sit on and one to think with. Success depends on which one you use. Heads you win, tails, you lose.” - Anonymous
Let me guess.
You're in the midst of chasing your desires. You're unsure of what exactly you're chasing, but you're after dreams larger than yourself.
Greatness awaits you, and you know it. You're a diamond in the rough waiting to be uncovered from the final layers of soil.
But you're unsure of how to escape the darkness of the dirt and breach into the light.
You come to the internet seeking advice and inspiration on turning your dreams into reality.
The problem is, most of the advice you find isn't very good.
The information you get is boring, mundane and obvious. It's been regurgitated from one article to the next. You've heard it all before.
You spend hours clicking through websites looking for someone else to solve your problems, only to walk away feeling disappointed and helpless.
But in reality, it's your fault. It's not up to the internet or writers to solve your problems.
It's up to you.
You expect to find the perfect advice tailored for your situation and then you'll have the confidence and motivation to do what you need to do.
It's never gonna happen.
It's not up to anyone else to motivate you or make your dreams come true.
Once you accept that you can focus on turning those dreams into reality.
The False Victory Of Inspiration
Now that it's out of our system, I'll admit I was that guy googling how to be successful or how to be a writer expecting to find motivation and a step by step guide to perfection.
Eventually I'd find an article that gave me instant gratification and inspiration. But I never did anything afterwards. The immediate satisfaction drove me to a screeching halt.
Humans are emotionally wired. When we experience another person doing something mirror neurons fire in our brain, giving us the feeling of action when really we're only observing.
It's why we become so invested in movies and sports, our brains place us into the moment. We experience the sensation without any action.
So when I read about someone else's success my brain ignited a feeling of achievement. Which ultimately led to doing nothing.
Only when I stopped looking for inspiration from others and began looking inward could I truly identify what success meant in my life.
The battle of success comes down to three things: Defining what success means to you, learning from the best and working towards your goal every single day.
These are non-negotiable. Neglect one and you'll be forever stranded from reaching your max potential.
1. Define Success
“If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up some place else.” - Yogi Berra
Modern society has accustomed us to a one size fits all view of success that everyone should desire.
It doesn't have to be that way.
Having lots of money doesn't mean you're successful, true success is about doing what you love and loving what you do.
If you're rich but miserable, own a business but are unhappy and out of shape, you're not successful.
You don't have to know how you'll get there, but before beginning the journey of success you must gather a picture perfect image of where the trail will lead you.
2. Study The Experts
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” - Albert Einstein
The difference between seeking inspiration and studying the experts is you're not looking for gratification but rather implementing a strategy from those who've already accomplished what you desire.
If you're a writer, learn from people like Stephen King, Jon Morrow and Jeff Goins – Some of the very best at what they do.
Instead of searching what you need to do look for those telling what they did.
Any expert in any field reached their level of success because they followed a system that works. They didn't waste their time with wannabes and posers, they learned from the best who came before them.
If you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best.
3. No Days Off
“Seventy percent of success is just showing up.” - Woody Allen
Defining what you want is great. Studying the experts allows you to live through their success for the time being, but when it comes to actually doing the work most will saddle up and run back to their safe and boring lives.
The true test to knowing how bad you want what you say you do is how you respond to the following question:
Are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices in your life to make room for doing what matters most?
Not just today and tomorrow, but each and every day from here out.
If you answered anything but yes, stop here, continue with your life as is and never look back. If you're one of the few who said yes, keep reading.
In the beginning you can't afford to waste a single moment towards your goals, let alone 24 hours.
Since I started writing I've set a requirement to write 1,000 words a day, everyday. No matter what. As long as I can move my hands I can write on my death bed.
Whatever you desire, you must dedicate yourself to doing it everyday.
You won't be very good at the start, but that's not the point. Creating a daily habit allows yourself the opportunity to get good.
The difference between the runners who cross the finish line and the spectators cheering them on is the months of training put in before the race.
Your Greatest Success Awaits
“Do or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda
In the end, it comes down to doing the best you can with what you have.
We're bombarded with so much information you'll forget most of what you read moments after you finish. Life long inspiration only exists from within.
The way I see it, after you finish this you have two options.
You can keep surfing the web, desperately searching for inspiration while you continue to put your life on hold. Or, you can get to work.
True success isn't about making a lot of money or having a big house with fancy cars.
It's about doing what sets your soul on fire, and doing it every single day.
So that when you reach the end of your life you can look back and say nothing ever stopped you from doing what you love most.
One Last Thing
After defining success, studying the best and showing up everyday, the rest is easy.
Nothing I or anyone else says can give you more influential motivation than you can give yourself.
The power is in your hands.
Maybe this all seems like a lot of pressure.
But it's the same pressure of nature that takes ordinary chunks of coal and transforms them into beautiful diamonds.
George Mortimer packed his van and drove cross country in pursuit of freedom. His goal is to inspire people like you to live life on their own terms. You can start now by downloading his Free Ebook: 5 Steps To Freedom - The Quick & Simple Guide To Creating A Life You Love
The post The Horrible Reality Of Online Success Advice (And How To Be Successful For Real) appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.