It’s kinda funny when you really sit back and think about success…

… I mean… what does the word “success” look like to you?  What picture do you see when you think about “success”?

Just this afternoon I was getting some work done and finishing up a few things on this little launch that we’re doing over at our private money website (an offshoot of the real estate site)… and I got to thinking about the success that I was *hoping* we would have next week.

And truthfully…

I kinda bummed myself out there for a few minutes.  Weird huh?

My Image Of Success Was…

As my wheels were turning in my mind thinking of the people we are going to help next week… and the profits we’d make in return for our time and effort we’re going to put into coaching our students to success… I seriously didn’t get all that excited about the profits.

Not because I didn’t think our coaching program didn’t rock (it surely will… we’re seriously giving waaaayyy too much for the chunk of change we’re getting in return.)

But… what it was came to me tonight when I was watching a video of a guy a year younger than me who has the freakin’ world by the toe right now… and is “successful” (in my eyes).  He’s in the real estate world… but that’s not what caught my eye… it was how he was out there having fun and doing things that most people wouldn’t do because “man… I’ll never do that” creeps into their minds.

Furthermore…

I’d be willing to bet that this kid still feels like he’s nowhere near where he wants to be right now because his picture of true “success” is bigger and grander than where he is now.

And to tell you the truth… earlier today when I was thinking about how successful next week would be, I was that guy that let the “I’ll never do that” creep into my mind (but just for a second .

Here’s The Thing

This little launch that we’re doing is a very small launch just to our internal list… and this is truthfully the first launch that I’ve ramrodded the marketing strategy from start to finish.

And…

Even at this moment I feel like there are a couple missing pieces in the whole thing that may or may not make a big difference.

You see, all of this crept into my mind and made me compare my “success” next week to a low metric that I had set in my mind as our “ultimate goal”… and this low metric still wasn’t all that impressive.

So, just about half hour ago I got up from my computer (finally) and started to clear my mind and really think of where I am and what success will mean… not only next week but in the next 1, 5, 25 years.

And truthfully…

I realized that I slipped into a trap of momentarily mentally shooting too low and not defining my success to where I truly know I want to take it… and where I know we will take it.

Redefine Your Definition of Success…

Here’s the deal, ever since that little mindshift (about half hour ago) I’ve been looking at the project in a whole new light… and have a new motivation to drive this project to success way higher than I had “hoped” for just a week or two ago.

And in the end, when the dust settles… I can guarantee that the launch will be better off… for my partner and I and for the students because I’m carrying this new definition of success forward.

It’s a small mindshift…. but sometimes all it takes is to redefine your definition of whatever success is… and stop shooting for just “success”… but shoot for “true success”.

What’s True Success?

Pretty simple really.

Think of if its an ideal world and if you could have anything… if your project (or launch in my case) could hit whatever metrics you would absolutely love and be completely thrilled at hitting… you know… that “ideal” outcome.

That’s true success.

Too many people (myself included… in momentary lapses) shoot too low.  Too many people have success in their minds and then over time that vision or picture of true success erodes down to just plain ol’, “Ya, that was a success“.

When in reality, it should be more like, “that freakin’ rocked! If I had to script it I wouldn’t have written it any differently than this!“.

Really, in my opinion… that’s when you hit true success… and thats when you live up to your potential in work, play, and this one and only life we’ve got.

Thats just me though.  How about you?

Okay, I’m sitting at my desk this morning listening to some great inspiring music… and thinking about how I got to where I am.

Yep, I’m still on my upclimb as an entrepreneur… my lifelong goals are still way out in the future…  but this morning I was looking at a goal sheet I wrote up over a year ago (that I haven’t looked at since then)… and my jaw literally dropped…

Why?

Because almost every one of those goals I set for myself over a year ago are either met or surpassed.  Pretty damn cool feeling if you ask me. While I did meet those initial goals… in my mind I’ve already transitioned into going for the next level of goals… so still in my mind I’m not anywhere near where I want to be.

I got to thinking about how I got there… and realized that it amounted to just one or two things… simple things actually… but most entrepreneurs simply don’t do it.

Want to hear those two things?

You’re probably looking for that magic bullet that will solve your problems… I can honestly tell you over a year ago I was too.  We always want a quick and easy way out.

Well…

Here it is…

Making it as an entrepreneur is easy as long as you’re:

• Consistent
• Focused
• Committed

That’s it.  I know… you’re saying, “holy hell… I already knew that!  That’s nothing new.”.

But, this is where I ask you… have you reached your goals yet?  Are you successful in your own mind?

A Quick Story…

Early in ‘07 I was technically “self-employed”… although it didn’t feel like it… nor did it have the cool advantages I was thinking I would have as an “entrepreneur”.

Here’s what the deal was…

I was a contract worker (I’ve never been “employed” by anyone else since I graduated from college) doing marketing for a couple companies.  But the way I had set up my work with them I basically set myself up just like an employee of those companies.  Not a lot of “freedom” (at least in my own mind), I wasn’t doing exactly what I wanted to be doing, and I wasn’t making all that much cashola.

Not an ideal situation…

So, what I finally realized is that there were a couple big constraints to my success that I NEEDED to get past.

1. I needed to separate myself from the way I felt I had “bound” myself to those other companies.  Don’t get me wrong… the companies I was “consulting” for I absolutely loved… I loved the owners, the workers, etc. Great company.   But deep down inside I knew I wasn’t doing what I really wanted to do so I felt somewhat trapped… and felt guilty whenever I would do “my own” work (even on weekends).
2. I needed to finally focus on what made me happy… and focus on moving my most important projects forward with full force.  In the past I’d be working on a project “on the side” for months and months… and never push it forward.  But, finally about 8 months ago I decided to give myself what I deserved and to really pick a project of my own (not one of my clients projects) and focus on it until it was successful.

The funny thing with this is…

As soon as I DECIDED to focus on and get done a specific project OF MY OWN… it took less than 3 weeks to have it make a huge difference in my life and my business.

Separate From Your Constraints and Focus…

So, there it is.

Find out what is between you and your success… separate yourself from those things… then focus on ONE specific project that can immediately produce results for you.

For me, like I said… I needed to separate myself a bit from the idea that I had to always work on my clients work… and I had to learn to not feel guilty if I spent time growing my own business (rather than my clients).  Yes, that thinking was backward as heck… but I’m sure I’m not alone.

As I said… within 3 weeks my whole outlook on my business changed and I actually created 2 new income streams that are completely PASSIVE and pump out more than $1k in income (from less than 2 hours of work) each and every month whether I work or not.  And… just that little bit of money was enough to make me realize that I was really wasting my time doing what I had been doing for the past 2 years.

That’s a liberating moment.

Since then I’ve been able to create multiple other passive income streams (that are enough for most people to live off of) and have several other exciting projects that will boost my business into the next level that will be happening before the end of the year.

Long Story Short…

It’s nothing new… nothing revolutionary… nothing so kick ass that I should write a book over it…

But…

It’s so important that I can guarantee you that if you’re not as successful as you want to be… those three things can make all the difference in the world for you… it did for me.

• Committment
• Consistency
• Focus

Thats it.

Let me know your thoughts… what’s holding you back?  I’d love to help ya find out and blast through them.

Chat soon,

- Trevor