Now that the New Year has rolled in and the first decade of the 21st century is in the rear view mirror, I’d like to ask a question of you: “what does it take to achieve success and are you aware of its formula for your life?” Countless numbers of books and articles have been written on the subject and there are even more answers. The answers, one might think, depend on how you define, redefine or measure success as it relates to your life. This, by no means suggests that you should look at success through a selfish set of lenses, but regardless of your definition or yardstick, achieving success in business or in life requires a specific set of core elements and essentials. 

The first element to tackle is honesty. Being honest with yourself requires standing in front of your very own “Snow White’s Mirror.” Not until you can be honest with yourself are you able to be the same with other people, about what you truly want and what holds real meaning for you. This is essential and if you’re not focusing your efforts on a greater good that is consistent with your core values and beliefs, you are most likely not putting forth your maximum effort. 

The next element is to call on your own sense of courage to answer the four victory questions in life (regardless where you are in your perceived level of success): (1) Why Am I Hurting? (2) What is it about “me” that influences the hurt? (3) How do I prevent re-injury – although I know that it will be revisited? (4) And, how do I change my circumstances, current and future? It not only takes courage to be honest with yourself when answering the four victory questions, and when you decide to deeply examine what is valued in order to get what you are working to achieve. But, once you decide and set meaningful goals, it takes courage to actually do the required work. At times you will find yourself navigating uncharted waters and it will take courage to overcome your fears to continue making progress. The courage needed to achieve this element is both emotional and physical; in most cases, it requires a decision to undergo an attitude adjustment that for most people is long overdue.  

The third element delivers a triple punch; Enthusiasm, Self-control and Focus (Concentration). Enthusiasm enables you to “engulf” everyone with your interest and your ideas for success. It not only keeps your momentum moving in the right direction, but it keeps you looking a few steps ahead in the chess game of life to achieve your next accomplishment. Enthusiasm is the foundation of a pleasing personality: the hinge that you must bust wide open with your efforts, and when done with intelligence, it enables you to remove the many obstacles from your path. Possessing a pleasing personality is as important to you as your blood running through your veins when it comes to your growth as a leader. A pleasing personality also allows you to influence others to cooperate with you. 

Then there’s self-control, the balance wheel that controls your emotions when enthusiasm is high and you are filled with excitement – directing it where you wish for it to be led. Self-control is all about discipline and without discipline; enthusiasm can run as wild horses out of control. Afterward, there’s focus and concentration. These two characteristics make-up a significant part of the element and focuses your attention upon one subject or issue at a time until you have worked out practical plans for mastering that subject and winning over the issue. Concentration will teach you how to ally yourself with others in such a manner that you may have the use of their entire knowledge repository to back you up in your own plans and purposes. Combined, the three attributes make-up the third element, which offers an awesome combination that anyone can use to win their formula for success. 

The fourth element also delivers a powerful combination; Persistence, Tolerance and the Paradigm of Influence. Success comes to those who are persistent, yet tolerant in their efforts. The line between success and its opposition is a very fine one. Often, it is when the roadblocks appear the biggest and the prospect of success seems the most distant that you are about to step across that line. This is when tolerance, as a dominating attribute, must take center court.  Tolerance teaches us how to avoid the disastrous effects of failure and prejudice, which can translate into the prospect of defeat for most people. A lack of tolerance means the beginning of “entanglement and foolishness,” thereby poisoning the mind and closing the door on opportunity for further reasoning and investigation. 

One should think about persistence and tolerance as a significant set of principles for accurate thought to determine situational awareness. No one can achieve integrity for establishing accurate perception to his/her understanding for situational awareness without practicing tolerance before persistence. Intolerance destroys opportunity, collaborative relationships and positive influence of the mind that too causes doubt, mistrust and further prejudices. 

Then there’s the Paradigm of Influence. Success comes to those who persevere and, rather than throw their hands in the air in face of chaos or roadblocks and barriers, people using the paradigm with a clear understanding of its dynamic power, learn to exert more effort, with a little more patience, and an uncanny ability to endure the hardships of fatigue to keep momentum moving forward.  

The Paradigm of Influence offers an illustrative tool used to explain the strategies identified to achieve high levels of success on the personal level – that will also translate into the professional levels in your life. This paradigm is for individuals and organizations, and explains how ordinary is the evil of extraordinary and how moving throughout life using “who you are” versus “who you should be” is no longer merely an option; survival requires much more – and persistence and tolerance is at the top of the food chain. But, to thrive, excel and lead into the future, people must be willing to move beyond extraordinary, which includes fulfillment, strategic and flawless execution, and significant contributions made to become exceptional. Gaining access to the elite club that permeates success through life and stimulates individual growth to a higher level of human genius and motivation requires a new reality, a new mindset, a new skill-set and new habits. This is what the paradigm is all about; causing a shift in life to recharge progress.  

This paradigm shift becomes apparent when the individual finds the significance and purpose within their own voice to be courageous in taking a stand in life, and inspire others to do the same, using the entire fourth element to initiate the shift itself. Using the Paradigm of Influence, people begin to truly understand the very nature of their inner person and voice – one who inspires the will to transform the way they think about “self,” the purpose of their life, the strategy forward for the communities they are a member, and inspiring the people within their sphere of influence to transform as well. It boils down to the bare bones for the individual to make the best decisions to determine “needs” over “wants” to achieve highly successful outcomes. When the fault lines are moved to cause the shift in your life, you will experience a new awakening, or rebirth of sort to become a “Lighthouse” to carry the light for others; a “Quarterback” to communicate more effectively; and gain an unending supply of “Energy” to identify your passions, strengths and weaknesses, while learning to use them to your advantage. 

The fifth and final element is one that teaches the value of teamwork in all you do; “cooperation.” This element instructs on the value of coordinating your own efforts with others by putting aside friction, jealousy, strife, envy and greed. Cooperation helps us to make use of the great universal law of human conduct in such a manner that anyone can easily get harmonious cooperation from any individual or group of individuals. Cooperation simply stipulates; “do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.”

When you are successful in cooperating with others, you will be well on your way to living your Five “Ps” in life as seen in the Paradigm of Influence above: Learn to reach beyond effectiveness toward fulfillment to thrive, innovate, excel and lead in a new reality, a new mindset, a new skill-set and a new habit. The Five “Ps” allow you to understand that: (1) There is something to “Prevent” – the Flee; (2) There is something to “Pursue” – the Chase; (3) There is something to “Portray” – the Model; (4) There is something to “Perceive” – the Read; and (5) There is always something to “Pronounce” – the Hold.   

So what’s the formula for success? I wish that I could tell you that it’s a simple one, but it really is not: Success = Honesty + Courage + Enthusiasm, Self-control and Focus + Persistence, Tolerance and the Paradigm of Influence + Cooperation x “YOU!”

Are you ready to redefine your success in 2010?

The choice is controlled ONLY by you! 

Happy New Year!!!

For nearly 10 years, Damian D. “Skipper” Pitts has been helping organizations like the U.S. Film Industry, the City of Philadelphia, Wachovia Banks, Hilton Hotels, HSBC, and Affiliate offices of the National Urban League develop and grow leaders at all levels. His message is grounded on a simple, yet fundamental principle: “First learn to lead yourself and then lead others to find their voice.” A U.S. Marine turned business professional and author, he continues to provide the essentials for anyone to keep striving for excellence no matter where they are or what they are doing. The lessons and advice benefits anyone in a work or non-work situation that is pressure-laden, but ultimately lacking in real personal satisfaction. Basically, Skipper teaches what to do when you find yourself out at sea and in the water alone – “you put your head down and swim through the rough waves” – leaving all they touch extraordinarily much better than the way they found it.

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