9 Lessons for long-term Success & Accomplishment

Introduction

Chasing your dreams and passions is one of the most inspiring and freeing things but also can be intimidating. Finding the start may seem unclear. Afterall, how can you expect to know how to do something if you have never done it before?

This blog is meant to inspire you and give you helpful advice for accomplishing your dreams and finding long-term success.

Lesson 1 : Set small goals

Instead of giving yourself lots of new things to start. Pick one and get accustomed to that first. For example, if your goal is to start going to the gym in the morning. Start by adjusting your sleep schedule. Set your alarm for the morning and add an alarm for your bedtime. Give your body a while to adjust to this. Once you have nailed that, then you can add on a morning routine, the gym, etc. Although, you may be anxious to start doing all the things. Starting with just one and building your way up builds the trust with yourself and sets the foundation for you to successfully implement new changes.

Lesson 2 : Learn to see the big picture

As you start going to the gym, you will start to notice changes. Changes in energy levels, confidence, and true adjustment to your new schedule. As time goes on you will start to shift towards a more specific focus. When you first started the goal was to go to the gym. Now that you have been going, you want to refine your training and focus on specifics. These specifics could be developing a training split (organized), increasing reps or weight. You may be disappointed when one of your workout sessions you didn’t hit a new weight, or you got less reps than last time. But remember that you started going to the gym. Focusing in on specific is a good way to progress and analyze. But don’t lose sight of the huge progress you have already made.

Lesson 3 : Consistency over everything

You will inevitably face setbacks. You might have not been consistent for a week with the gym, or gone off your healthy eating habits, or had several nights where your sleep schedule wasn’t on point. But that’s okay. Get back on, and don’t give up. People who have made substantial progress in anything have all experienced setbacks or a period of inconsistency. But what ultimately made them successful was continuing to pursue and do the things it took to get them to where they are over a long period of time.

If you miss one week of the gym, or your diet has been horrendous for the last two weeks. Sure, you will have immediate effects, but over time you continuing to adhere to the goals you set for yourself will make those seemingly huge slip ups almost irrelevant. You are having a bad day, week, or month carries a significant impact on that time. But a year from then, you being consistent will make those times much less impactful. Keep on going despite setbacks, your future self will thank you. You can always get to where you want to be.

Lesson 4 : Use setbacks to make you better

A setback or a failure is discouraging, and depending on the severity can be the reason why people ultimately quit. Realizing that setbacks and failure is also a great opportunity to grow is what makes them so beneficial.

Examine your failures or setbacks. Look into why they occurred and come up with a plan to avoid them in the future. Learn what you can do to improve, not only will this allow you to prevent the same mistakes but also develop your skills to be able to overcome new ones. If you learn this skill, you will develop the potential to become successful over the long term.

Lesson 5 : Establish your “why”

Everyone has an initial source of desire to do something. It can be a wish to change or improve. It can be a passion or fulfilling your sense of higher purpose. If you want to accomplish great things you must have a reason great enough to carry you the lengths. If you are doing something because someone else wants you to do it, it is unlikely it will be strong enough for you to stick with it. Your reasoning must mean something to you and drive you to do it. The bigger the goal, the stronger the reasoning.

If your goal is to get up earlier, then your reasoning can be small, like just wanting to see the sunrise. Or to be more productive during the day. But if your goal is to become the next Lebron James or Micheal Jordan, your “why” must be strong enough.

You will know you have found your “why” when thinking about it gives you all the energy you need to do the things that your goal requires.

Lesson 6 : Create the environment conducive to your goals

As much as we might like to believe that we are unaffected by others and what goes on around us, we are not, our environment can stifle our goals or to progress them. Who you are around, what you listen to, and what you see are all huge factor when it comes to your ability to accomplish your goals.

If you are around people who don’t support your goals or live in opposition to them, it makes you accomplish them more difficult. If you listen to people who complain or believe that your goals are impossible, you will start to believe that they are right. Surround yourself with people who are also accomplishing their goals. Surround yourself with people who have positive things to say. Surround yourself with people that have the life that you want.

In the beginning, you might not know anyone who has your same goals, or aspirations. You may not know anyone who is trying to progress their life. It can be a lonely path. But realizing that having people in your life that are making it harder or unlikely for you to stick to your goals is one of the best things you can do to find success.

Lesson 7 : Become your biggest support system

The road to accomplishing your goals can be lonely. I have found that many people don’t understand what they have never done. As a competitive bodybuilder most people don’t get how important my meal plan and timing, gym sessions, cardio, and recovery are. I’ve had many people think my meals are unimportant and that going off the rails “every once in a while” wouldn’t hurt me. I get many comments or looks when I bring my meals places, or when I leave events to either go to the gym, get to bed, or do cardio.

All these comments can be discouraging and make you feel like you are alone. Because so few people really understand what I am doing, so few really give me the support that I felt I needed. Or so I thought.

Once I realized that no one was going to care about my schedule or my goals as much as I was. I started to see how important it was that my drive, motivation, and support all could be derived from within myself. Learning how to become your biggest supporter, and how to be there for yourself when nobody else is has been one of my biggest hurdles. But in the end, it can provide more value, more self-confidence, and a level of accomplishment that, so few understand.

Most people clap for you after you have accomplished something. They don’t see the hard work that it took every day to accomplish it, and they weren’t there clapping for you while you were in the pursuit of accomplishing it. You have to be the one that claps for yourself the loudest during these times.

Lesson 8 : Rely on discipline over motivation

Motivation is usually the catalyst for change. But motivation however powerful, is fleeting. Earlier, I mentioned the importance of having a powerful “why”. To tell you the truth, there are going to be days when you don’t want to do what it’s going to take. You’re going to be tired, unmotivated, or in a bad headspace. But it is in these exact moments that champions are made. The ones who are successful show up even when it’s hard. They do what it takes even when they don’t want to do it.

This is when you can revert to your “why”. It is the strongest reasoning that will get you through these times, setbacks, and failures. Doing things when you don’t want to do them is one of the biggest things you can get good at for long-term success and achievement. This is the power of discipline.

Lesson 9 : Do the things that somebody who has what you want is doing

If you look at somebody who is in the position that you want to be in. Ask yourself what they did to get there. This will tell you exactly what actionable steps you need to take. You don’t have to copy someone else exactly, but your attempts should mirror their actions.

If you look at some of the most successful athletes, you can gather that they have put in the most amount of dedicated practice to achieve their level of success. It would be reasonable to assume that they got up early in the morning, and that most of the time in their day is spent working towards their goals.

You shouldn’t listen to or take advice from people who haven’t accomplished what you want to. Afterall, how could you expect them to know? You should however take advice from someone who has. Although, your path is your own and will vary slightly from somebody else. You can bet that by living your life the way that somebody who has what you want will inevitably get you to where you want to be. If you practice every day, you will get better, and if you live your life like the person who has what you want, it will become your life to live too.

Conclusion

The road to success and sustainability is built on failure. Learn from your mistakes and use them as tools to improve. Don’t focus on the small details too much, see the bigger picture. Be your biggest supporter. Start with small goals. Establish your why. Learn and cultivate discipline. Derive support from yourself. Surround yourself with things that help you to get to your goals. Be consistent consistently. Most importantly, live like the person who has what you want.