Yes, there really is a No. 1 success factor.
Before I explain it to you in more detail, I would like to make something clear: Every one of us is 100% successful ... or read another way, consequence-rich! Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to equating "successful" with material success, and therefore many people too easily think that they are not successful if they don't have something.
Everything in the universe is based on the law of cause and effect. And depending on which causes we set, we get a corresponding effect. Or as the saying goes: as you shout into the forest, so it sounds out.
If we are not mindful enough, we do not perceive the connections and often look for the solution on the outside, i.e. at the effect, but not at the cause. So the No. 1 success factor must have something to do with setting causes.
It is often said that success has many fathers. Of course, there are many factors that play a role. In Formula 1, it's not enough just to have a good car. Tire quality, the driver, the perfect pit stop - everything has an impact.
Tim S. Grover was a trainer for the legendary Michael Jordan and other top athletes. In his book Relentless - From Good to Unstoppable , he lists 13 factors. He numbers them 1st, 1st, 1st, etc. and wants to make it clear that there should be no rating for success factors. None is more important than others.
I think that's a very good idea. As I said in the Formula 1 example, you can't let a lot of things slide and then only do one area well.
Nevertheless, I will now explain to you what is important and must be adhered to - from my many years of experience, to generate above-average success for myself and my clients and team members.
I have been studying for success since the age of 15 and ask myself: why do some people do so well and others don't get ahead? This study will probably never end, because life still has so much to offer.
When I look back on my life so far, I can only be very, very grateful: Use of private planes, my penthouse in Gibraltar, traveling around the world to the best resorts, friends and meetings with significant and often very wise people. I feel very blessed to have experienced all of this. And, of course, to have learned even more about what truly constitutes profound success.
And after more than 50 years of searching and experience, there is one most important factor for me, the No. 1 factor for success.
Four behaviors of the most successful people
In a moment, I will reveal to you what I consider to be No. 1 and why I have come to this conclusion. Before that, here are 4 important behaviors that characterize the most successful people I know.
- They have a basic attitude that says: "What needs to be done, needs to be done!" Personal preferences play no role. Once they have decided on a result, they do what is necessary to achieve it. No excuses, no matter how good, how honorable they may sound.
- Hence the habit of tackling the most unpleasant things first. It is not just procrastination that should be avoided, but rather energy. There is an energy sitting on the unpleasant that can cause anxiety, promotes avoidance and therefore contradicts point 1. If something unpleasant is postponed, it still ties up a lot of energy. And the energy should be used 100% for the goal. And it strengthens self-esteem if you are not afraid of unpleasant actions or conversations.
- Just as every pilot has a checklist of what they need to check, the successful ones also have a list of what they want to achieve in a day. And before the working day ends, they go through this list. If something is still outstanding, it gets done, no matter how late it is. If it can no longer be done, it has to be carried forward to the next day. But it's the habit of not putting anything off, not wanting to forget anything, wanting to get everything done, wanting to have an above-average level of productivity.
- This brings us to the 20:80 rule: With 20% of your time you achieve 80% of your success. With 20% of your actions you achieve 80% of your success. The successful are very aware of this and concentrate first on the 20% of tasks that already bring 80% of success and do not allow themselves to be distracted by them. Successful people are characterized by the fact that they know their 20% actions. They don't just work through anything. They don't just work long hours. Not just rushing through something under pressure, not just working hard.
The No. 1 factor
I have put the 4 points first to make it very clear why I consider this factor to be the most important. We've probably all heard of time management. But there is no such thing as time management, the very word is misleading. You cannot manage time. You can only manage yourself and your activities. That's a huge difference, especially when it comes to self-programming. Hence the checklists, the 20:80 focus and the focus on "What is it that really needs to be done?" And here comes the big difference! Around 97% of the working population is busy, working through to-do lists. You might be thinking that you are supposed to manage activities. Yes, but which ones? Good questions lead to decisions about which activities to do!
In my own case and again and again with my clients and cochees, I find that the old ego only allows questions that do not bring about any real change. This is the main bottleneck. You have to find out what the real desired result is. And that can sometimes take time. It may require paradigm shifts, inner prohibitions must be dissolved and new habits established. Then we can get into action. But not with a classic to-do list that has to be worked through, but with a list of desired results. We don't have any to-do lists in our team. Only lists like: What is the desired result today; the desired weekly result; the desired result of this project, this conversation, this phone call.
Understanding that you cannot manage time, but can only use it, knowing the result you really want (which is sometimes better achieved by doing nothing), focusing on having no idle time (e.g. "Never go empty-handed") and having consistent intention and action towards the desired result, will lead to a new habit in the long term that integrates the above four points and brings them into the subconscious. These are then habits that are carried out without hesitation and as a matter of course. Just habits! And this is how the causes are set, which then take effect. They cause the desired result to occur with a probability bordering on certainty (typical lawyer's formulation).
There is a lot in this point. In our mastermind groups, we repeatedly achieve above-average results. Results that an old habitual ego could never have imagined.
We therefore first clarify the main life goal and the real life vision so that it is clear what the ever decreasing amount of life time should be spent on and thus create power teams and a very fulfilling and also materially successful life for everyone involved.
After 50 years of studying success and trying out these concepts, I can say that there is this No. 1 success factor. Focus on it in particular. Surround yourself with people who consistently support you on your path.
Simon Sinek says: "Work with people who believe what you believe. I would add: work with people who have the same values and also want to develop further. Just somehow getting through to the grave can't be the point. Just not wanting to be seen means hiding your own light under a bushel and is like suicide.
Sustainable success is based on this important habit. And that's why I like to say: success is just a habit. And a habit is in the subconscious. You reel off the action, without much effort, with ease, like all your routines in life.
I wish you an extraordinary life just the way you want it!
Sincerely,
Wolfgang Sonnenburg
Exponential Consulting & Advanced Leadership
ps. If you would like to know more about how we can get you where you really want to go, please click on the following link and let us know what you are interested in. We'll then be happy to talk about how the Masterminders work together with us and achieve their individual goals. You already know that you have much more potential than you realize. There is so much more in it. And you can! Together we will bridge the gap from where you are today to where you really want to be. Is it leadership or simply a better relationship with yourself and others or great business success? My partners and I have decades of experience and our own success and are sure to take you forward. Write to us and we will explain how it works.