How to Succeed

Summary

The article emphasizes embracing failure as a crucial step towards success, advocating for self-reliance and the creation of one's own path to greatness.

Abstract

The author of the article presents a thought-provoking perspective on achieving success, suggesting that one must first accept and learn from repeated failures. This approach is exemplified by the success of Michael Jordan, who used his failures as stepping stones to greatness. The article argues that success is not reserved for a select few but is accessible to those who are willing to understand, learn, and adapt from their experiences. It discourages blindly following the advice of others, instead encouraging individuals to forge their own paths and become vertically integrated by relying on self-developed knowledge. The author emphasizes the importance of not settling for being merely good, but striving for greatness, and ultimately, success is portrayed as a personal journey that requires independence from societal expectations and the opinions of others.

Opinions

Success is not predetermined or reserved for a special group of people; it is attainable by those who are willing to put in the effort and take the right steps.
Failure is a necessary and integral part of the journey towards success; it teaches resilience and the importance of not giving up.
One should not blindly follow the advice or rules set by others, as this can lead to a lack of success and personal growth.
Self-reliance and the development of one's own knowledge are key to advancing in society and achieving success.
Success is an internal pursuit that should not be driven by external rewards or the approval of others.
Society often misguides individuals by imposing norms and expectations that may not align with personal success and fulfillment.
To truly succeed, one must be willing to break away from the crowd, ignore conventional wisdom, and create something new and impactful.

Fail

Before we begin, I need you to take every word I write as just that and nothing more. My words are simply suggestions. None of it should be honored as truth, yet. In life, people will try to tell you what they believe is true and the most righteous of all. I am not one to sugarcoat my thoughts on any matter. You would be a fool to consider any word of another man to be completely true without first making sense of it. Now go on and read through this thoroughly. This is how you succeed in life.

Welcome Failure

Fail. Fail again. Now fail once more. Have you failed yet? Continue to fail until you accept it. Go on failing until you never want to fail ever again. Fail at everything you do because then, and only then, will you ever be able to succeed at anything. Once you accept failure, invite it into your life and understand its purposes. Still you won’t be successful; success doesn't come that easily, fortunately. As Michael Jordan has wisely alluded to countless times on his way to being one of the most successful athletes in the history of sports, you have to learn from your failures:

We all won’t succeed. Somebody has to be the one who doesn't learn from his failure and put it towards his pursuit for success. That won’t be you. You will understand that you have come too far to fall again. In life, you will fail countless times before you succeed. Between failure and success, you must understand, learn and adapt. You will learn from every stumble that you are too strong to stay down. Notice I didn't say “you are too strong to be kept down”: no force other than yourself can hold you from overcoming the hurdles placed in your way.

By now, you will want success more than anything. Nothing else will suffice. Not even external awards and approval. Success comes from within and you need to marry that truth, and don’t let it go until death do you part.

Understand Success Grants no Reservations

There was a time when I was lead to believe success was reserved for only the special among us. Then I took the second step. I realized that was a complete load of folly from a failed soul. The fact is success grants no reservations. All who want it are welcome, given they know the right route to getting there. Within that second step, I took the most important step. Let us call it step-2-nobody. Step step-2-nobody. That sounds good right? Well don’t let me decide that for you. Step to nobody for advice if you are going to do exactly what they advise. Never do what somebody proposes. Never believe a word they tell you. If you do, you will only be as unsuccessful as them. That leads us to our next fatal step. Step four. Yes, not step three, but step “4”. Rules are rules. Opinions are opinions. Opinions are the truest of all truths, and my opinion states that rules are meant to be broken. Rules are man-made. You are a man. Never should you follow the guidance of another man. If not better, you are just as great as he is. In fact, you are greater than he who creates rules if he truly believes you will follow them. He is foolish. Do not be foolish.

Never Mind Me and the Others

Five? No. We are now at step zero. That is right. Ground zero. That is you; you are ground zero. Know the workings of ground zero. Take a step away from everyone. Learn yourself. You spend too much time getting acquainted with those who wish not to succeed. If you are in college, you are around the most unsuccessful people who plague humanity. However, it is not their fault, it is your fault—society’s fault. Society has told them that they have to seek that degree, walk the line on diploma day, and fall in line in the work (slave) force to fulfill another man’s dreams. And you know what? They believed them. I retract my earlier statement. It is completely their fault they have failed, so subtract them from your life. Ready yourself for the hardest request success has for you. Do not accept anything from anybody. That is correct, disregard everything I have told you.

Don’t Be Good: Be Great

In order to succeed, you need to make your own way. You need to create something new. Add to society. Advance the knowledge of those who are too weak to do so on their own. Never depend on knowledge that is not of the development of your own. Learn everything, that way you will not need to depend on anybody for anything. Be vertically integrated. If nothing else, remember that good is never good enough: do not be good, instead, be great! Do not be comfortable with failure: it is just a starting point.

Success awaits. You have come too far to listen to me now. Its time you go work to your success. If you have made it this far, you are on your way: you have failed.

Note: Thanks for reading my glorified opinion on succeeding. The greatness in being imperfect beings is our desire to perfect. With that said, this guide is by no means complete, so if you feel something is missing, leave a comment and I will act accordingly.

Editor of Inspire the World, Technology and You, & Succeed Togethercollections, among 10 others.

Twitter: @LincolnWDaniel Google+: +LincolnDaniel

Know me? Connect w/ me on LinkedIn

Let’s talk tech, business, success, startups, life LincolnWDaniel.com