There are many factors to success and getting what you want in life, that probably clear to you by now. However there are certainly things that make a bigger difference and a small difference. Here I want to address something that we’ve covered in passing before but I want to take a deeper dive into it, because it’s such an important concept. Now like we were talking about, there are many factors to success.
But how can we determine what the biggest is? I think the first thing to do is talk about what isn’t and get those out of the way from the start. What isn’t the biggest determinant of success, and by success we’re using the dictionary definition “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”, just to be clear. So what are some common things that are considered important to success that, while they may have an impact, are not the most important things?
False Factors For Success
The first thing we think of when we see someone succeeding is natural ability or luck. When we see someone succeeding at something we general think “Oh, they must have been born with a talent for such a thing.” and while there may be a grain of truth to this, especially when it comes to say, athletics, with other things that’s not the case. Often those who stand out in their field and gain success are those that had the hardest time with it in the beginning. But it lit a fire in them and they persevered until their weakness became a strength.
What’s achieved easy is rarely treasured. So while natural ability is well and good that’s not the biggest factor for success. What about intelligence? I don’t think we need to spend too much time on intelligence to point out that other than a working level of intelligence it doesn’t help all that much. Being smart is well and good but when we look at those that are successful whether in business, life, or fields of competition it’s not intelligence above all else that separates those that are successful from those that are not.
What about hard work? Hard work is great and without hard work you’ll never be successful. But is it the greatest factor for success? No, we all know plenty of hardworking people who never get anywhere in life. At some points it almost seems like a rule, if you work hard you won’t be successful. Now obviously that isn’t true however hard work has to be combined with other factors to go anywhere, like working smart.
Otherwise your just a hamster on a wheel, work as hard as you want you’re still not going anywhere. However even combining working hard and working smart and not the number one factors for success. I should also point out that just because these things we’re talking about natural ability, intelligence, working hard, working smart, and everything else, that why they may not be the number one factor for success, that they’re still important and should be cultivated to what extent they can be.
Getting Closer To The Core
So if it’s not those things what is it then? Success that you’ll have in any endeavor is proportionally to your capacity for tolerance for this on simple thing. And no we haven’t discussed that thing just yet. So what is it? What is the thing that when we have a high tolerance for it, success is just a matter of time?
That thing is failure.
The more tolerance we have of failure and failing, the higher chance we have for success. Meaning that our chances for success is essentially proportional to our tolerance for failure. To more we fail and aren’t afraid to fail the more that we’ll succeed. Most people believe that opposite and are limited by this false belief. They feel that failure means that they won’t succeed when it’s the opposite.
Humans fail their way to success, that’s how it works. We fail our way forward. Stumbling along, making mistakes, righting those mistakes, then making new ones. In order to be good at anything, to succeed at anything, you have to be willing to fail at that thing again and again and again. If you’re not failing then you’re not putting yourself in the right place to have success either.
We’ve talked about this a little bit but I wanted to expand on it more. Take everything else away but a man’s capacity to tolerate failure and he’ll eventually succeed again. Don’t fear failure, court it. Go after it. Put yourself into positions where failure is a possibility because that’s the only way that you’re going to succeed.
Fail Your Way To Success
Because having a high tolerance for failure is the best way to succeed. To get to the top of wherever you’re wanting to go in life. Applies to business, relationships, competitions, hobbies, skills, and just about anything else that you can think of. If you want to be great then first you must fail. If you want to be at the top you must not fear going to the bottom. If you want to be the king you have to understand you’ll first be a pauper.
And so on and so forth.
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-Charles Sledge
