One day a friend gave me this definition of hell :
“On your last day on Earth, the person you became…
…will meet the person you could have become .”
To succeed in life and get closer to the person we would like to become, it is not necessary to do more and more things.
In fact, it's the opposite:we must rather give up the things that prevent us from moving forward .
Even though we all (thankfully!) have a different definition of success, there are certain things that you absolutely have to give up if you want to succeed.
Which ones? This is what we will try to discover together in this article.
You'll find that some of these things are easy to stop while others take a bit more time and effort.
Without further ado, here are the 13 things you have to give up to succeed in life:
“Take care of your body, it's the only place you have to live.” —Jim Rohn
If you want to achieve anything in your life, it all starts here.
Before anything else, you need to take care of your health. And for that, there are only 2 things to remember:
1. Have a healthy diet.
2. Practice regular physical activity.
Yes, nothing more than two small steps to follow. But, you'll see one day, you'll thank yourself for taking care of yourself, that's for sure.
“You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough.” —Mae West
Successful people set long-term goals. But they also know that achieving these goals requires little daily habits.
These good habits shouldn't just be something you do out of obligation, but they should reflect who you are.
Indeed, there is a big difference between:"playing sports to prepare your body for summer" and "playing sports because you know it's good for your health".
“You don't bring anything to the world when you don't play your cards right. There's no point in making yourself smaller than you are, just to reassure others around you. We all have the ability to shine. It's not just for a few, it's in all of us. When we are freed from our own fear to act, our actions automatically free those around us.” —Marianne Williamson
If you never try to seize the opportunities that are available to you or follow your dreams, you will never be able to unleash your true potential.
And the worst part of all this is that those around you will never benefit from everything you could have offered them.
So express your ideas, don't be afraid to fail and, above all, don't be afraid to succeed .
“Fate shuffles the cards, but we play them.” ― Randy Pausch, The Last Speech:Fulfilling Childhood Dreams
Successful people know that they are responsible for their own lives . And this, whatever their origins, their weaknesses and their past failures.
Understand that you are solely responsible of what is happening in your life is both frightening and thrilling.
And when you realize this, you understand that the only way to succeed is to be a responsible person.
Why ? Because finding excuses prevents us from moving forward in life, both personally and professionally.
Take charge of your life because no one else will do it for you.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them creatively.” ― Robert Greene, Achieving Excellence
People who aren't open-minded think their intelligence is innate. For them, success is only based on talent, not on long-term work .
But they are wrong. And, successful people know this very well. Every day, they take a lot of time to develop their qualities, change their mentality and acquire new knowledge and skills.
This is the best way for them to see things differently and thus make the most of life.
Remember that the person you are today is not the person you need to be tomorrow.
“Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better.” — Émile Coué, The Coué Method
Overnight success is a myth.
Successful people know that doing a little bit better every day is what leads to big results.
Why ? Because over time, these small improvements add up and really lead to the goals set.
That's why it's important to plan things for the long term, but above all to focus on the day ahead to try to improve on the previous day.
All you need is to get 1% better than yesterday. No more, no less.
“Expedition exceeds perfection.” — (One of the Khan Academy mantras)
Nothing will ever be perfect, despite our best efforts.
Fear of failure, like fear of success, often prevents us from taking action or sharing our ideas and creations with the world.
The worry is that many opportunities are wasted if we always wait for “everything to be perfect” before taking action.
So don't hesitate any longer, andstart your ideas and creations now . Once started, improve them as you go. Remember, it only takes 1%.
“You will never get to your destination if you stop to throw a rock at every barking dog in your path.” — Winston Churchill
Successful people know this very well. That's why they choose to do 1 thing at a time, to dedicate themselves to it fully and until the end.
It doesn't matter what it is — a new work project, a conversation, or even a workout.
Be fully present and focused on 1 single task at a time is an indispensable thing if one wants to succeed.
“Of the things that exist, some depend on us, and others do not.” — Epictetus, Stoic philosopher
Yes, differentiating between the two is fundamental.
Detach yourself from things you can't control, and focus your efforts on those you can really influence.
Know that sometimes in life, the only thing you will be able to control is the attitude you decide to have in response to something that just happened. No more, no less.
And if you feel frustrated that you can't control a situation, try the "4-7-8" method which is very effective in relaxing quickly.
“He who accomplishes little, sacrifices little. Whoever wants to accomplish great things, must sacrifice a lot. Whoever wants to reach great heights, must sacrifice even more.” — James Allen, A Man Is What He Thinks
Successful people know that in order to achieve their goals, they must learn to say NO to certain things.
Which things ? Well, for example, knowing how to say no to certain tasks at work, certain activities, certain demands from loved ones, family or colleagues.
At the time, you may be resented a little, but when your goals come to fruition, you will see that it was really worth it .
“You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most.” ―Jim Rohn
The people we spend the most time with have a big influence on our personality.
As a result, over time, we end up looking like them whether we like it or not.
Among your entourage, there are surely people who are less fulfilled in their personal and professional life than you. And others who are more so than you.
If you spend all your time with people who pull you down, the person you aspire to become suffers.
As a result, it reduces your chances of accomplishing your goals .
On the contrary, if you spend more time with people who are more talented than you, (even if it requires more effort on your part), you increase your chances of achieving your dreams.
So take a good look around you, and see if it's time to review your schedule and spend more time with the people who lift you up.
“The only way to avoid upsetting other people is to do nothing important.” —Oliver Emberton
Imagine that you are a consumer product. Many people may like this product, while others will never like it.
No matter what changes you make to the product, you will never be able to please all consumers.
You can't please everyone, that's how it is. So, no need to constantly try to justify your actions.
The only thing you can do is stay authentic , to try to progress and improve a little bit every day.
Know that if you disturb more and more people on your way, it is certainly that you are doing things that are of interest.
“The real problem is that you thinkyou have enough time.” —Jack Kornfield
Watching television or spending time on Facebook are the 2 biggest scourges of our society.
These 2 things should never take your life hostage to the point of making you forget your goals.
Unless you work in TV or at Facebook, you should minimize, if not eliminate, your reliance on social media and TV.
Use the time you have freed up to focus on things that can enrich your life.
