In this podcast episode I’m going to give away the secret to success. I’m going to share the one thing you need to know to be successful at learning a language.
What is most interesting about this secret is that it has remained unchanged for more than 2000 years.
But, before I give away the secret, I have to start with definition. And as a hint: definition is part of the coveted success formula.
So What Is Success?
Have you got it already? Have you had it before and lost it? What did you do to get it?
Success is elusive and depending on what studies you read, a large majority don’t have it. Why? Because they haven’t defined success for themselves.
It many ways the term ‘success’ is a lot like ‘fluency‘ the definition can depend on the person.
But the problem is people sometimes let society dictate the definition of success for them.
The Best Definition Of Success I have Ever Heard
Earl Nightingale has written in one of his books my favourite definition of success that I have ever read or heard.
It goes…
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal”
He said that the reason that most people are unsuccessful is they haven’t figured out what a worthy ideal.
One thing I love about this definition of success is that it is based around process not outcome:
- Step 1 is to define a worthy ideal.
- Step 2 is to progressively realize that worthy ideal.
What this means is once you have defined a worthy ideal, then when you start making progress towards that ideal you are being successful.
So if you want to be ahead of the majority of people that aren’t successful just work out what your worthy ideal would be. Then start working towards it.
What Do The Other Motivation Experts Say
When you start to look at what a lot of motivation experts say, you will start to see a pattern emerge:
- Start with definition
- Take action
- See if that action is moving you towards or away from your definition
- If it is working keep going, if it is not go back to step one and start with definition again.
What you will also notice is that it isn’t just the motivation experts of the last 100 years that have been saying this.
Aristotle lived between 400 and 300 BC and he said:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Also, Epictetus said:
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
These two men lived around 2000 years ago. And as you can see, when it comes to thinking about success not a lot has changed.
Other episodes mentioned in this podcast:
Quote from the episode:
“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.” – Bob Dylan
What does success mean to you? Is it an outcome or a process? How will you know when you are being successful?
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