Soul Seraching Saturday: Steps to Achieving Success

Post number eleven in my #30IN30 challenge is a book I picked up at the library recently, Take the Stairs: 7 steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden. I don’t know about you, but I have been questioning a lot of my career moves and lack of success despite my hard work and hustle especially in the writing world. I still hold down a daytime job while trying to achieve my writing career goals due to a lack of sustained financial success and the infrequency of opportunities.  In this book, the author gives these seven steps along with great stories and anecdotes as examples of becoming closer to fulfilling your goals and being truly successful. The idea of taking the stairs instead of the escalator is a great image throughout the book to illustrate the road less travelled and the hard-work plus commitment you need in order to be successful.

Here are the steps: 1. Sacrifice, 2. Commitment, 3. Focus, 4. Integrity, 5. Schedule, 6. Faith, 7. Action. None of these principles are that shocking or earth-shattering but the way in which he conveys the message speaks to myself and will to others in a way which a counselor, mentor or close friend may roll out a plan of action. One quote in the first chapter reads, “Success is more a matter of choice than circumstance.”  This is a statement I have heard from other people before but the examples along with it really drove it home. Another quote this time from the commitment chapter, “We need to stop spending so much of our time trying to make the right decisions and instead start spending our time making decisions and then making them right.” This especially was a profound statement as I find myself second guessing past decisions or maybe pre-empting future decisions because of possible “incorrect” choices that it may yield in the short or long-term.  A quote from the schedule principle is also a very timely one, “Balance shouldn’t mean equal time spent on equal activities. Balance should mean appropriate time spent on critical priorities.”  Most of us think we are balancing our lives with activities that we need to accomplish but we sometimes are filling up our days with things that can wait while putting off the most critical things that will lead to a successful life.

Like with other similar books I have read, only when you start implementing these ideas into your daily routine is when you will truly reap the benefits of the time you spent to read this book. By adapting and modifying the principles into your plan for your life, will mean yielding positive results.  Hit me up on Twitter @Stormsez to share any books or plans that have helped you to achieve your goals and success in life!