“We cannot always change what has happened to us, but we can change how we react and how we live in the future. Living with no regrets is living successfully.” -Dr. Ellen Taricani.
I stumbled on this quote while i was going through some contents on the internet and it caught my attention so much that i will be writing about it. Taking a close look at the quote, i observed that it has all a man needs to be successful at what he does. I am quite sure the person who dropped this quote was not probably looking at it from this angle, but was only talking about why it is good to live without regret, but here i am, giving another meaning to this quote.
Many a times, we see people who have become strong forces to reckon with in their chosen field and there is this strong urge in us to be like them. But as intelligent as the human mind is, we forget to look at the amount of efforts these people have devoted to become what they are today. As sweet as success tastes when a person has finally achieved it, the journey to success is an arduous one.
Talking about the success tips i extracted from the quote above, which are : WE, CHANGE, REACT, LIVE, FUTURE, REGRETS, SUCCESSFULLY. After a thorough research on these 7 words, i discovered that they are some lessons to learn from this quote. Now, let us carefully examine these words and the kind of lessons we can learn from them. We, Change, React, Live, Future, Regrets, Successfully
1.WE – The first on my list. As simple as this word may sound, it plays a huge role in a man’s life depending on how it is used. It can help positively in the journey to success and it can also be a hindrance in the journey to success. Now, let us look at the positive implication of this word. One of the many things that is holding most of us back from being a success is that we think of people before we think of ourselves, before we take certain steps, we think of what people around us will say.
One thing that we tend to forget is that it is us before the world. Most of the steps we have refused to take because we are scared what people will say would have actually brought us success if we had taken them. One thing we should always note is that whether we are winning or loosing, whether we are doing something right or wrong, we will always be somebody’s topic, so why bother about what others will say ? You don’t want to be criticised and trolled , the only way to achieve that is to sit and do nothing. When you do nothing, take no steps then you will achieve nothing. Take that step you think will bring you success bring today.
Talking about how “we” can cost us our success is through over confidence. You need to know that no man is an island of knowledge, we all need each other to survive. Seeking the opinions of people when we want to take a step does a lot of good to that step. It is in your own power to decide if you are going to follow that step or not.
2. CHANGE : The age old maxim that says “change is the only constant thing” is very correct. You cannot be successful at what you do when you trust everybody with your life or your business. Yes, i know they are your friend but they might have gone through change. Be very careful who you tell your secrets, because they may later become your undoing. We have seen lot of scenarios where brothers kill themselves, friends betray one another and the likes. In all your dealings, either business or general, you must be careful of who you deal with.
3. REACT: They say first impressions last longer and you think it’s just a mere saying ? No! it is not. You can’t be a force to reckon with in your field if you don’t invest in your first impression. Many people have lost huge contracts, life changing jobs and valuable opportunities all because of first impression and you think the saying is a joke.
The way you present yourself when you meet people for the first time is very important. Yes, i know some people will say investing in your first impression does not mean you should put on a facade, of course it doesnt. No guest want to meet a harsh waitress on his first night in a hotel, no prospective investor wants to meet an aggressive business partner on the first business meeting. Inasmuch as you don’t want to carry a false version of yourself, you actually don’t need to. Doing things the way a 21st century human should does not mean you want to deceive your first time guests. Put on a whole nice mood, be welcoming and not hostile, be hospitable and not rigid, pass nice compliments and not lewd, doing this to not only the person you are meeting for the first time but to everybody really puts you in their good books, in that case , you are bound to receive a life changing gesture from them.
4. LIVE : Most people nowadays don’t live their life the way they want, but rather they live their life the way others want. You cannot live by the dictates of others and expect to be successful. If you are not a success yourself, how then do you want to rub your success on your business and in turn become successful? The maxim says live your life today because no body is promised tomorrow. But mind you, don’t live the live of today that will later put your tomorrow if eventually promised into jeopardy. Make plans for your future and follow them to letter, know what you want to get out of life, dictate what life gives to you and don’t just be convienient with what life throws at you.
5. FUTURE: People without a comprehensive outline of what they want their future to look like always end up becoming miserable when the future eventually comes. You can’t just continue to enjoy today and nurse nostalgic feelings and pretend tomorrow is going to be fine, No ! it does not work that way. Planning ahead of the future requires your dream, vision, goals, focus, determination and then persistence. You can’t jump the step. If you are determined without a dream, then it is as fruitless as trying to carry water with a basket. Know what your dream looks like, put your plans in motion, never leave God out of the equation and you will be fine.
6. REGRETS: In one of my recent posts, i talked about how to cope with mistakes. In our casestudy quote, we are asked to live our life with no regrets. Living a life filled with regrets honestly brings a lot of setbacks to the amount of success we make as humans. When we always think of things we should have done or incidences that has caused us pain, the human mind automatically makes those things draw us back, instead of them becoming a propeller for us to improve ourselves and achieve more feat.
7. SUCCESSFULLY: When a man has become successful in his ways, the mind of an average man allows those success to get into their heads. When God has made your ways successful, one thing you should avoid is making those achievements get in your head. Of course, it is nice to rejoice over your successul feats, but always remember to give God the praise he deserves. Helping the needy, helping others, thanking God, living our lives to the fullest in a modest manner are some of the things we can do when we finally become successful.
I hope you find this piece very helpful even as i have found it very helpful. Best wishes.
Adekunle Gbenga 