Success Secrets 
 

8 Success Secrets from Motivational Experts

by Michael Jeffreys

The views on success of many of the nation's top motivational speakers and authors can be summarized into 8 success secrets. These ideas were taken from interviews with 15 of the nation's top motivational speakers and authors, including motivational speaker Brian Tracy, authors Les Brown and Dr. Wayne Dyer, sales motivator Mike Ferry, seminar leader Patricia Fripp, and "Chicken Soup" authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.

This is an effort to study how successful people think and uncover what drives them. If you truly understand their belief systems, levels of commitment and positive attitudes toward life--and integrate these ways of thinking into your own belief system--you should be able to succeed at anything you put your mind to.

These 8 "secrets" are:

1. Take 100 percent responsibility for your life
2. Live your life "on purpose"
3. Be willing to pay the price for your dreams
4. Stay focused
5. Become an expert in your field
6. Write out a plan for achieving your goals
7. Never give up
8. Don't delay

1. Take 100 percent responsibility for your life

In a society where people blame everything from their parents to the government for their failure to get ahead in life, these men and women refused to buy into the mentality that says "I could succeed if only it weren't for _____."

They realized that when you say someone or something outside of yourself is preventing you from succeeding, you're giving away your power to that someone or something. You're saying, "You have more control over my life than I do!"

Successful people don't buy into this victim thinking. Rather, their personal credo is "If it's to be, it's up to me!"

Example of Les Brown

Consider Les Brown. Abandoned by his parents at birth and labeled "educable mentally retarded" by his schoolteachers, he had every reason for giving up on himself and his dreams. But when a high school teacher told him "Someone else's opinion of you does not have to become your reality," Brown realized in that moment that his future lay in his own hands. He went on to become a state legislator and author, and today earns $20,000 per hour as one of America's top motivational speakers.

What Brown understood was that there are certain things in life you can't control, such as nature, the past and other people. But there are things you absolutely can control, such as your thoughts and your actions. Taking 100 percent responsibility for your life is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself.

2. Live your life "on purpose"

Perhaps what separates these motivational superstars from others more than anything else is that they live their lives "on purpose." That is, they are doing what they believe they were put here to do.

Dyer has purpose

Professional public speakers will tell you that the time they feel most alive is when they are on stage, connecting with an audience. Says Wayne Dyer, "Having a sense of purpose in your life is the most important element of becoming a fully functioning person!"

The difference between living your life on purpose and not living it on purpose is like night and day. The latter consists of simply getting through the week with the least amount of problems while expending just enough effort to get by.

Do the job now

But, when you live your life on purpose, your main concern is doing the job right. You love what you do--and it shows. Your conviction is as evident as it is persuasive. And you will find that people want to do business with you because they sense your commitment to giving your all.

Mike Ferry found purpose

How do you live your life on purpose? By finding a cause you believe in and creating a business around it. For example, Mike Ferry, who was once a top salesperson selling audiotape programs, believed realtors needed help developing sales skills. So he started The Mike Ferry Organization, a seminar and training company for the real estate industry. Today, he earns more than $10 million a year from seminar and product sales. Like Ferry, once you get your life on purpose and focus on providing value for others, the money will take care of itself.

3. Be willing to pay the price for your dreams

Wanting a big house, a luxury car or a million dollars in the bank is all very nice, but the problem is that practically everyone wants these things. The question then is, "Are you willing to pay the price to get them?"

This is one of the major differences between the successful and the unsuccessful. Successful men and women find out what it's going to cost to make their dream come true. Then they find a way to make it happen. Most importantly, they don't complain about the work it takes to achieve their dreams.

Les Brown says he has a callus on his left ear. Why? "When I decided to get into speaking, I had no credentials, no reputation, no credibility and no experience. So I had to call a lot of people," Brown explains. "I called over a hundred people a day, day in and day out, to ask for an opportunity to speak to their group. This callus is worth several million dollars!"

You can get practically anything you want in life--if you are willing to pay the price.

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