The Three P's of Success

Everyone wants to be successful. The truth is, only a few have experienced it. Among the few are those who are not just successful but have achieved massive success. These people are often called the "one percent." The question is, "Why do some people become so successful while others aren't?" 

Interestingly, the big difference between successful people and those who are not is that successful people do what unsuccessful people won't do. In other words, successful people are extraordinary at what they do. Put another way, if you do "ordinary" work, you will get "ordinary" results, but if you do extraordinary work, you will get extraordinary results. The truth is we all can become successful. As Motivational speaker Jim Rhon puts it, "success leaves clues" we just need to find out what successful people do and do it. With that said, here are three characteristics of successful people. I call them the three p's of success.

Passion

Successful people have passion for what they do, which drives them forward. Likewise, to succeed in life, you must find out what you are passionate about and relentlessly pursue it. Interestingly, your passion generally keeps you up at night and gets you up early in the morning. Also, passion is a deep conviction about a cause or something you must do - your purpose or sense of calling. It is driven by your unwavering and relentless answer to the "why" question when pursuing your dream

Passion is, therefore, a game-changer in the lives of those who succeed. Hence, when you have passion, you will be self-motivated. As a result, you will not only be good at what you do, but you will work harder and become a master of your craft, bringing you the success you want. 

Persistence

On the road to success, you will encounter various obstacles and challenges. Many things will compete for your attention, but history has proven that those who stay focused and remain persistently win the prize. Persistence is pursuing a course of action despite obstacles or challenges with a pinpoint focus. It is giving that one thing you are passionate about your full attention until you get the desired result. In this approach, there is no plan "B" regarding the goal to be achieved, only plan "A." The strategy may change, but the mission remains the same. It is having an "I must" attitude. According to Gary Keller, author of the book, "The One Thing," this laser-like focus produces extraordinary results. 

So as you pursue your dream, you will have many reasons to give up. But don't quit! Don't give up! Be Persistent! Success doesn't come to those who wait; it comes to those who seek it and refuse to give up. I like how Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) put it when he said, "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are; it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!" Be persistent!

Patience 

According to Jean de la Fontaine, one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century, "Patience and time do more than strength and passion." In other words, success is not possible without patience. Successful people have patience - "staying power." Year after year, many people give up on their dreams just before they have a breakthrough. On the contrary, successful people, whether the storm and wait actively and patiently for the right opportunity to show up. 

Some years ago, I learned a lesson about farming the Chinese bamboo tree, which illustrates patience's importance to success. Accordingly, after the seed of the Bamboo tree gets planted, the farmer waters and nurtures it, even though for years, it doesn't outwardly grow more than an inch. For the first year, nothing happens. No sign of growth. Not even a hint. In the second year, again, no growth above the soil. The third, the fourth, still nothing. Finally, in the fifth year, the Chinese bamboo pops out of the ground and grows to 80 feet in height within six weeks. Here is the big question. Did the growth happen in year five or before? Of course, growth took place all these years until year five, when the bamboo finally unleashed its potential. As the farmer patiently waits for his bamboo tree to grow, similarly, those who will be successful in life must continue to water and nurture their dream as they patiently wait for it to become realized. 

As you pursue your dream, remember success leaves clues. Remember, successful people are passionate about what they do and are persistent and patient. So follow the clues, and like those who have been successful, you will too.