The BIG 10 Mandatory Pillars for success in personal and professional life.

If there is one thing the world lusts after, it is success. Those who haven’t tasted it, obsess for it. Those who have it, crave for more.

Not surprisingly, there are many definitions of success. For some, it is about wealth and possessions. For some, it is about professional achievements. For yet others, it is social status and reputation.

I say, success is a state of the mind. It’s about being fluid and thinking liquid.

My years of experience as imagining, designing and implementing success for organizations and individuals has enriched me with leanings on success that I want to share with you.

The first batch contains 10 such learnings.

They are not strategies. They are not tricks. They are not tips.

Rather, they are about attitude. Sensibility. Approach.

They don’t guarantee success, but make sure you don’t get hijacked by the trappings of failure.

Having said that, if you are mindful of them and practise them everyday, you will experience…

Real improvement in life…

Real enhancements in relationships…

Real growth in business.

Finally, let me add that you cannot have lasting – or real – success without them.

Come, let us take a closer look at the 10 essentials of ace-ing the success game.

Come, let’s start DKODING success.

PILLAR 1 :

GO FROM SCARCITY TO ABUNDANCE

Success is about constantly replenishing scarcity in the heart with abundance.

When there’s scarcity in the heart, there is despair. Despair makes us lose hope in humanity, in possibilities, in life.

When there’s scarcity in the heart, there’s desperation. Desperation makes us take decisions we regret later.

When there’s scarcity in the heart, our system produces venom. Venom is a bitterness multiplier.

The antidote of scarcity is abundance.

Abundance draws from the inner well of positivity. It is the voice of gratitude, empathy and gladness. Abundance makes room in our heart for others. It provides the cushions to take on life’s arrows, darts and barbs. It lets us forgive and forget. And makes us the bigger person in
the equation.

PILLAR 2 :

GET READY TO GET EMBARRASSED.

If your heart is set for success, it must also be ready for its fair share of embarrassment.

That’s because life doesn’t come with a manual. Each of us has to find our way through trial and error, through falling and faltering. And it’s ok to be embarrassed.

Embarrassment acts as a moral compass for course correction.

It points us to our own flaws and acts as a tool of self-improvement.

But most importantly, embarrassment validates our desire to rise about the ordinary. It confirms our passion to soar a bigger sky. It proves our desire to pursue greatness, no matter how brutal, awkward or uncomfortable the journey.

So the next time you feel embarrassed because you have failed or stumbled, remember that you could actually be closer to victory than ever.

PILLAR 3 :

OVERTAKE OFFENSES QUICKLY

Being offended is a natural. Being able to get over it, is super-natural. Yes, it’s a super-power that separates exemplary leaders from mere achievers.

It important to kill the sense of offence immediately. Else, it will fester, turn toxic and poison your entire system in no time.

Being able to control, manage and conquer the sense of offense, immediately helps you bypass confrontation and negative feelings.

It helps you get a grip over the situation.

And prevents you from burning important relationship bridges.

It’s only when you trump the feeling of being wronged, you will end up doing the right thing.

PILLAR 4 :

DON’T LET BITTERNESS TAKE ROOT.

It’s okay to be fall and be embarrassed in life. But it’s not okay to be bitter. Instead, be better.

Life will bring us a million occasions to go bitter at people. Convert those occasions into opportunities.

Opportunities to be fair. To introspect and look within. To analyse whether we are to be blamed as well. To forget the enemy, but remember the lessons and learnings.

The next occasion to go bitter could be just round the corner. When it strikes, don’t fall for the trap. Be better.

PILLAR 5:

IF YOU WANT TO WIN, LEARN TO QUIT.

Every idea, every project in life, comes with an expiry date. The wise identify it, accept it, and when the moment arrives, let go.

Quitting is nature’s way of telling you stop the old. And start the new.

Amitabh Bachchan said NO to his sales career, so that he could pursue his dream of acting full time. Walt Disney said NO to his career as a newspaper editor and so that he could start up his entertainment company. Colonel Sanders said NO to his job as a gas station operator, and the result was the legendary Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC. They all started by quitting. And ended up legends.

Quitting toxic relationships and embracing the company of nourishing minds is growth. Quitting negative emotions and embracing the positive vibes of empathy, generosity and gratitude is happiness. Quitting the temptation to make excuses and standing up for what you believe in, is success.

Life’s too short to keep doing things that don’t resonate with your soul. It’s too precious to squander away chasing goals you don’t cherish.

PILLAR 6 :

BE A PERSON OF STUBBOR HUMILITY.

If you have to be stubborn in one thing in life – let it be humility

Being humble opens doors, because it takes away the ego and makes room for others in our life, opening up new possibilities for personal, career and business growth.

Being humble makes us a leader. A wise person once said, “When I talk to a boss, I feel he is important. When I talk to a leader, I feel I am important.” By being humble, we generate confidence in others – the quality of a true leader.

Being humble makes us selfless. It brings friends and well-wishes into our lives. It builds inner well-being by detoxifying negative emotions.

And turns us into an example worth following.

PILLAR 7:

DON’T COMPETE – COMPLIMENT.

When Life’s a journey, not a competition.

Complimenting wins you friends who help you at every step and take you closer to success. Competing creates resistance, enemies and roadblocks that make success harder to achieve.

Complimenting relaxes the situation and lets you concentrate on important tasks. Competing makes the atmosphere tense and adds to the confusion, panic and bitterness.

Complimenting brings out the best in others and multiplies productivity. Competing sucks the juice out of the system, bringing down morale and efficiency.

The urge to compete comes from a position of ego, fear and scarcity. It is the law of the jungle. The ability to compliment comes from a position of abundance, attainment, maturity. It is the sign of a leader.

Most importantly, why compete with people who can be your elevator in life?

PILLAR 8 :

CONVERT AN OCCAION OF INTIMIDATED
INTO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR INSPIRATION.

Whenever we feel overwhelmed in life, we have a choice. Be intimidated, or be inspired.

When we are intimidated, we retaliate with panic, aggravating the offender further, leading to more intimidation.

When we are intimidated, we don’t give the other person a chance to create a positive impression, and lose an opportunity to build a potentially profitable relationship.

When we are intimidated, we let fear cloud our perception, perspective and judgment, which makes us prone to bad decisions.

An occasion of intimidation is an opportunity to turn the table. Instead of being intimidated, look at the brighter side. Be inspired.

Trust me – you won’t just flip the moment, you’ll turn your life around.

PILLAR 9:

PICK YOUR BATTLES SHREWDLY.

Life is like an exam syllabus. Not every chapter is equally important. Depending on the exam and suggestions, you prepare for some harder than others.

When you pick your battles with judgement, you prioritize your life’s goals, thus maximizing the chances of success.

When you pick your battles with wisdom, you save your energy, resource and time.

When you pick your battles with care, you avoid needless confrontations and roadblocks.

When you pick your battles with foresight, you display abilities of analysis and judgment.

When you pick your battles expertly, you practise the art and skill of patience.

So the next time you face a moment that demands a decision, don’t rush head-on. Stop and evaluate it first. Next, do a cost-benefit analysis. Activate your conscious brain. Measure the real need to engage. And then take your step.

PILLAR 10 :

CONVERT PATIENCE INTO A SKILL.

They say patience is the mother of all virtues. I say it is a skill that can be developed by regular practise.

By being aware of our emotional triggers. By managing our emotions. By having an open mind. By being interested in the other person’s story. By replacing judgment with curiosity. By building tolerance levels. By embracing the uncomfortable. By backing our own abilities.

When you gain patience, you have the advantage. Because you know when to hold your hand, and when to roll the dice.

When you have patience, you realize that being a little late is not just OK, but great. Because when you are late, you are latest. You can acquire a better latest version of the car, house or possession you missed out on earlier.

Success doesn’t follow our clock. It tick-tocks to its own timeline. And comes only to those… who have mastered the patience to wait.

There you have it – the 10 mandatory pillars essential for tasting success in your small and big personal moments, and your short and long term professional and business career.

They will stop you from looking behind when the need of the hour is to accelerate. They will help you overtake not just the competition but inner shortcomings. They will show you how to take setbacks with a pinch of salt, even as they set you up for long lasting success.

If you practise them mindfully everyday, these 10 will help you evolve from the world of the average and ordinary majority.

And welcome you into the glittering universe of the exceptional minority of winners, leaders and legends.