“Don’t waste your time living someone else’s life”

Most people wish to ‘walk the walk’ and ‘talk the talk.’ They yearn to get more done in life and increase their chances of success. Yet they remain far away from their cherished goal. The reason they don’t succeed is because they don’t take responsibility of their life.

You CAN do amazing things in life and accomplish all your goals. The secret lies in being organized and focused. Success does not come to anyone. You have to actively work your way towards success. The first step to success, thus, is to be proactive.

In order to be proactive, you must change your mindset and be in control of yourself. This small change can mean all the difference in your life. Regardless of what your goals are, take the remote control of your life in your own hands and be in total command of yourself. There is nothing more empowering than being in the driver’s seat when you are taking the journey of success.

Next, give yourself a few tangible goals. Be driven by your goals and have resolute determination to achieve them no matter what it takes. When you have concrete goals to achieve, you will give them your undivided attention and put in your best efforts in line with achieving them. This will help you translate your dreams into reality.

There can be no results without an action plan. Chalk out your working strategy down to the minutest detail. This will give you a blueprint and also help improve your odds of success.

Avoid distractions at all costs. They are the biggest stealers of your time. Mentally block out the things that are not relevant to the achievement of your goals. Always ascertain whether what you are doing is taking you towards your goal. Fine tune yourself; cut out the rest.

Learn to sift the important from the unimportant, separate the essential from the avoidable and filter the useful from the redundant. Preferentially imbibe all that is vital for your success; take what you want and not necessarily what you get.

Make the best use of your time. Your time is limited, focus on yourself, and concentrate on achieving your goals. “Don’t waste your time living someone else’s life,” as Steve Jobs once rightly said.

Make the optimum use of your skills, talents and endowments. Remember, your personality is the sum total of positives and negatives. If you have some virtues, you will also have a few shortcomings.

Skillfully use your strong points and showcase your talent while underplaying your negative or weak points. You cannot totally get rid of your flaws and limitations but if you admit them to yourself and make conscious efforts to overcome them, you can minimize them, dilute their negative effect; even turn them into assets.

Be enthusiastic about your goals. As Emerson has remarked, “Nothing great will ever be achieved without enthusiasm.”

Enthusiasm will help you believe that your goals are possible and make you put in hard work towards their realization. It will also keep you energized, buoyant and optimistic when you encounter difficulties. All your problems will then look smaller and easier to handle.

Do away with anything that undermines your confidence or damages your self-esteem. Negate all negativity in your life and fill your mind with positive and motivating thoughts. This will go a long way in building a proactive mindset.

Always expect the best outcome of every effort but be prepared for the worst. Keep the faith and never give up hope. If plan A doesn’t work, you can always have a plan B. And if that fails too - there are 24 more alphabets to go!

There will always be obstacles and hurdles which will be beyond your control. But if you are mentally braced to face them, you will be able to skillfully navigate your way through them. This will not only increase your self-confidence but will also give you an edge over others.

The path to success may not be easy. But it is not all that difficult either. It’s all in being proactive. Being in control of yourself at all times and being proactive can be THE DIFFERENCE between being able to just make it in life and being able to make it BIG.

If you want to follow through with your goals and attain what you desire in life, stop procrastinating. Move past the distractions and irrelevant trivia; concentrate on your goals. Proactive attitude will help you get done more and lead you to success in every field of your life.

Success is possible and it is possible for you to achieve. You just need to motivate yourself and this motivation has to largely come from within. So don’t just sit there and wait for things to happen. Be proactive. Make things happen.


The Author is a Motivational Counselor, Speaker, Ophthalmologist, and Author of 'Principles of Success Made Easy-14 Easy Steps to Climb the Ladder of Success'