To my friends whose child is taking their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), do not forget that “they are not their grades.” The PSLE is but a milestone in their life and milestones are but artificial markers to measure progress along a journey.
If they excel, great. If they fail, it is not the end of the world. This is because success is never final, and failure is almost never fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts as the successful learn lessons from their failures and this is often the steppingstone upon which great success is built. It is therefore important that you frame the PSLE for what it is — a milestone to be crossed with lessons to be learnt. Nothing more. Nothing less.
I have learnt over the years that success is an “inside-out” concept. What is inside you, determines what you achieve on the outside, and if you have the right attitudes and beliefs, you can literally be anyone you want to be.
The following are five key attitudes and beliefs needed for success ….
1. Personal Responsibility. The reality is no one owes us a living and the world is unfair. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you can build the life you want. Sure, you can complain that someone else got the lucky breaks, or that your boss is difficult or that you worked harder than your colleague who just got the promotion. But complaining about it is not going to change a thing. Accepting personal responsibility for the failure empowers you to start taking control for what is happening in your life and do what you need to do to make it different.
2. Take Action. Life is about taking action. You can sit on your couch and plan and strategise all you want. However, unless you turn your plans into action, nothing changes. If you want that dream job, you need to do what it takes to get it. Send that resume, take the courses that qualify you for the job, cold call the boss or network with the people in the industry. Taking action is what makes things happen.
3. Believe in Yourself. The biggest difference between successful and unsuccessful people isn’t their talent. The biggest difference is the self-belief in their own ability to succeed. Few are born with the natural talent to do anything. It takes work and discipline, and this begins with the belief that you can do it.
4. No such thing as failure. We all fail. Only those who do not try anything, don’t. The secret of not failing is to learn from our failures — in other words, fail forward. Learning from our failures move us closer to our goals. Having said that, the smart learn from their failures, while the wise learn from the failure of others. So, while we embrace failure, we should stand on the shoulders of giants and model those who have taken the path before us.
5. Persistence. Indeed, no significant feat has ever been accomplished without the trials and tribulations that go along with it. So, if you want something in life, set your mind to it. This single-mindedness is what separates the successful fool from the failed genius.
