What results will your life produce? How do you define success? Remember that success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. Success doesn’t happen overnight and neither do results. By the time we see results, the outcome will have pretty much been determined. You can’t wait for results to determine your actions. Results come last.
We live in a society where everything is results oriented. Everything we do seems to be focused on results and the problem with this thinking is how do we figure out the course of action were taking by its results when the results come last. Since results live in the past, the only thing they are good for is to learn from them. Your results are valuable feedback and you can use them to inspire and guide your actions in the future.
So what about your actions? Actions by themselves won’t guarantee your success or your failure. So what about your attitudes? Most people that are into personal and professional development understand that attitude is extremely important but Jeff Olson who wrote The Slight Edge, says that’s still not the whole story. Jeff says the only reliable, consistent way to control your attitudes, that control your actions, which control your results, is to control your thoughts. And the source of your thoughts is your philosophy.
I remember early in my career, when I worked for W. Clement Stone and Combined Insurance Company, one of my favorite quotes that he gave us was “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” Our philosophy is simply everything we believe. It is the base on which we build our lives. It is fundamental to all our attitudes, our actions, and our results. Our philosophy comes first, our results come last.
What is your philosophy? Does it serve and empower you or does it limit you? What results will this produce for you in life?
Have an awesome day and be successful.
Sam
