How to be successful? I believe that success at work is inextricably tied to one’s personal idea of success, and that one’s attitude will ultimately get you to that place you want to be.  

Get rid of the idea that you are too old to…

I am going to tell you right now that whatever your age is, you are not too old to start something new. During my years in media I worked with a number of golden oldies; scriptwriters, producers and so on. The interesting thing I observed was that because there is no official retirement age for filmmakers, they start new projects all the time—and I am talking about people in their eighties. If you think you are too old to start something new at forty or fifty, you are sabotaging an odd thirty or forty (or even fifty) years of your life.

Get rid of the idea that you must have it now

If you are writing a book you write it one sentence at a time, over and over again, for as long as it takes to finish it. There is no other way.

If you have a goal in mind, stop spending all your time demotivating yourself by calculating the amount of time it is going to take you to reach that goal. Instead, take a few minutes each day and start working at it.

Get rid of the idea that you must be the best

The chance of you being the absolute best at anything is one in a few million. I am guessing of course, but that does not make this statement any less true.

If you think you must be the best at something to do it you are in a ‘be the best or don’t even bother’ space. This is a dangerous idea to have floating in your mind, and one that puts you at risk of devaluating essential and often rewarding milestones. You do not have to be the ‘best’ programmer in the world to have a successful career in software programming, and you do not have to be the ‘best’ artist in the world to exhibit and sell your work. You also don’t have to be the best artist in the world to just sit and enjoy painting.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash