I have had the pleasure of meeting, interviewing, working with and reading about some incredible, inspiring and successful people. This week is no different as Fashion Week hits Sydney and designer after designer presents their new collection to media and buyers from around the world.
The journey to a Fashion Week show is not an easy one – the ladder climbed to the final moment of lights, camera, action – as with all journeys in life – has its ups and downs. Through it all, however, the vision and the goal has been set, the course correction happens and the ultimate destination is reached.
Speaking with these incredible visionaries and creatives reinforced for me the key strategies to achieving personal success.
1. Find something you are passionate about and set a personal goal. You absolutely have to love what you do to have a sense of being and a mission. Only when you have this does work become fun. If you are passionate about what you do, you have endless energy which in itself becomes contagious. Some of the most influential leaders in the world go on record as saying they haven’t done a days work….and this is because they are passionate about their purpose and achieving their goals.
2. Maintaining a high level of energy is critical. Today, more than ever before, the role of a leader or manager has never been so demanding. Think about it – 24/7 communication, international and domestic travel, cross functional working, endless office meetings, conference calls, skype calls, smaller teams, increased workload…I could go on. Maintaing the energy to keep going is critical. Passion and high energy and identical twins. If you love what you do, you will have high energy.
3. Work out your own value system and also your non-negotiables. Be prepared to stick to your value system. Walk the talk. Maintain your integrity. Trust yourself.
4. Build a strong support group around you. There is an old saying that you are the average of the 5 people around you. This isn’t just friends and family who naturally want the best for you and see the best in all you do. Find a mentor and networking group of like minded people, look to those you admire and spend time with them. Learn from them. Listen to them. Be open to advice and feedback. Have the courage to ask questions and seek advice.
5. Invest in yourself. As Jim Rohn said “Formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune’. To not invest in you is a waste of you. Most successful people read incessantly, continually increasing their knowledge base. Read, listen, learn and become an expert in your field. Learn, Learn, Learn
6. Find your own inner peace. Successful people all have a solidity about them, a calmness, an ability it seems to take on more than your average joe blogs and this stems from his or her inner peace. They are more self aware, less stressed and think about it – its far easier to get what you want when you can see clearly.
7. Strength and self confidence. It’s not about being strong but having the strength, confidence, determination and resiliance to succeed. To ask the questions when you don’t know the answer. To have an opinion and be confident enough for others to not agree. To put yourself out there. To face your fears and failures head-on. To continually learn. To course correct and ultimately to keep going.
Success is an individual choice.
Go on – choose to live your own version of it.