Slinkard On Success – The ABCs of Success

To achieve anything in life worth having takes doing something the regular person is not inclined to do. Whether it is health, wealth, or reaching a particular goal, there is one key ingredient every person must have to be successful in business and in life. The term success means something as different to each person as our core values are unique to each individual. No matter the differences in the person, I believe you can find both success and bliss through a process I refer to as the “ABC” principle.

“A” stands for Action
“B” stands for Believe
“C” stands for Commitment

Action: This is where the magic happens when you want to achieve success. Too often people miscalculate the amount of effort needed to accomplish success in a particular area. People misjudge the necessary steps required in order to achieve their dreams and instead of re-evaluating what they should be doing differently, they keep doing the same things over and over again expecting a different result. This is the definition of insanity.

To break through the barrier and generate the success you desire, you need to take what you think should be the necessary steps and multiply your effort. You understand me correctly in that too many people are doing just enough to get by. Too many people are staying busy enough to say they’re working towards their goals, towards their dreams, but in reality, not enough people are taking the necessary actions to achieve what they want.

When you know what you want, you must map out the actions you want to take and then think about the additional actions you are going to have to take for the speed bumps that will come along in life. As long as you have a heartbeat, there will be unforeseen obstacles that you didn’t expect.These distractions will pop up and you must be prepared to handle them. When these distractions occur you must rely upon the next step of the “ABC” principle.

Believe: Taking action is not enough to find success. You have to combine the right amount of effort with the belief process that you CAN achieve your goals. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.”

You must believe you will accomplish the goal, otherwise you are going to continue the failures of your past. Whether you realize it or not, we all follow through with this process. We either believe we will accomplish our goals or we believe we will not, but either way we believe something.

What is your belief system telling you about your goals? I have people tell me they believe they can achieve their hopes, their dreams, their goals, but then “reality” sets in. You know what I’m speaking of, that small voice of reason that begins to plant the seed of doubt in your mind. This small seed begins to grow and just like weeds choking a beautiful flower bed, the seeds of doubt have stifled your ability to believe in yourself. One way to continue believing in yourself is in the final stage of the “ABC” principle.

Commitment: This is the 3rd portion of the ABCs, and commitment is important to combine with the Action you take and the Belief you have in achieving success. Commitment is almost as important as taking action because even though action helps you achieve success, being committed to something is what helps you achieve your goals. In the beginning of any new hope, dream, or goal we all have a sense of belief we can achieve our heart’s desire. Yet over time these thoughts begin to wane, and this is why we must utilize the commitment towards our goal. I would rather be 100% committed to the wrong thing, than 50% committed to the right thing. When you make a decision to go after something you need to go all in, leave no stone unturned to make sure you hit your target.

When you utilize Action, when you Believe, when you have Commitment in your life, you will find a new utopia for your hopes, dreams and goals. There will be times you will need to re-evaluate all 3 stages but focusing in on these 3 words will help you be great in business and life. Take the necessary Actions, Believe in yourself, and make a Commitment so that your future self will thank you.
By: D. A. Slinkard
D.A. Slinkard is the manager of the Athens Staples store