First, You Must Decide
Becoming successful is as simple as making a cake. Before making a cake, you must first make a decision on what attributes the cake should have such as its size and flavor. These attributes become the measure you use to evaluate whether the cake you’ve made was successful or not. In the same way, to become successful in life, you must first make a decision on what being successful means to you. Once you have decided, it is only then you can determine whether you have achieved success or not.
The interesting thing about this idea is that only an individual knows whether he or she is successful. We may look at other people’s possessions or achievements and conclude that they are either successful or unsuccessful, but to them, it could be the opposite. In Tony Evans’ words,
“Success is not what you have done compared to what others have done. Success is what you have done compared to what you were supposed to do.”
Next, Gather The Right Ingredients
The next step in making a cake is to gather the right ingredients. What makes a particular ingredient one of the right ones? Well, it depends on the attributes of the cake you want to make. While some ingredients may be used in all cakes, if you want to make a chocolate cake, you’re going to need cocoa powder. But as wonderful cocoa powder may be as an ingredient, if you decided to make a vanilla cake, cocoa powder would not be one of the right ingredients to use.
Likewise, your definition of success will help determine what things are right or wrong to have in your life. As great as a particular friendship, activity or book may be, will it prevent or help you become successful? While comparing our minds to a mental factory, Jim Rohn once said,
“Can you imagine dumping a barrel of trash into this mental factory every day and coming up with a rich, dynamic, positive life? It can’t be done. You might as well try baking a cake with cement.”
Finally, Carry Out The Process
Finally, and most importantly, to make a cake you must carry out the process. You can know what type of cake you want. You can even gather the right ingredients. But until you go to work with making the cake, you’ll never have a cake. It is the same with success. You can know what you want. You can know what it takes to get it. But until you get to work, you’ll never achieve it.
I stated earlier that becoming successful is as simple as making a cake. But by simple, I did not mean easy. Although the steps are simple, being consistent, having discipline and believing in yourself can be difficult. But it’s not impossible. Get cooking!
Good read, I love how you break it down.
Thanks Amanda. I’m glad you enjoyed it!