Have you
ever watched a dog chase its shadow? It can be a very funny sight. Mistaking
the shadow for something concrete and catch-able, the dog yaps at it and tries
to chase it down. Time after time, the dog dramatically pounces on the shadow,
expecting to pin it to the ground. Yet, no matter how hard the dog tries, the
shadow always eludes its grasp.
We laugh at
the silliness of a dog's futile attempt to catch a shadow, but it's not nearly
as funny to watch a person try the same routine. Unfortunately, that's just
what many leaders do in life. They chase after a shadow of success, not
realizing that what they're pursuing lacks depth, substance, value and impact.
They're running after an illusion of success rather than tracking down the real
thing.
I've found
that there are three core fallacies that cause us to have an unhealthy
perception about success. Join me as we cruise to unveil the root cause of it
in detail with better insight into the development of such perception of
success by a larger number of people in leadership position and also potential leaders.
Fallacy #1:
We see success as a destination instead of a process.
Most people
have destination disease. They see success as a far-off place where they
hopefully will end up in the future. In the meanwhile, they float through life
without a sense of urgency. Lacking a plan to get where they want to go and
eschewing the hard work needed to get there, people with destination disease rarely
arrive at their vision of success.
People with
a proper understanding of success know that it is determined by their daily
agendas and plans. They're aware that success has two main ingredients: decisions and discipline. Decisions pave the way to goal-setting while discipline
fuels goal-getting. The two traits cannot be separated; one is worthless without
the other. Be decisive and discipline if you must attain true success in life.
This is the formula appraisal…
Good
Decision – Daily Discipline = A Plan without a Payoff
Daily
Discipline – Good Decision = Regimentation without Reward
Good
Decision + Daily Discipline = A Masterpiece of Potential
Successful
people know where they want to go. They don't drift; they drive. They press on
no matter the challenges. Along the way,
they pay the price of daily discipline in order to achieve their goals.
Fallacy #2:
We measure success by the magnitude of our accomplishments rather than by the
richness of our relationships.
Many people
envision success as attaining a powerful position, commanding a high salary, or
obtaining luxurious possessions. None of these goals are inherently wrong.
However, distortion comes when, in striving for "success," leaders
elevate getting above giving. Rather than connecting with and serving their
teammates, they slip into self-absorption and start to treat their followers and
subordinates like pawns.
People who
live solely for themselves end up by themselves alone and are disconnected.
Albert Einstein hit the mark when he said, "Only
a life lived for others is worth living." An unselfish life of service
never ceases to be filled with the pleasant company of friends and loved ones.
If you desire true success, then put a high value on people, make the effort to
form relationships, and invest in those relationships regularly.
Fallacy #3:
The perception that success is an accumulation of wealth rather than the level
of impact, landmarks and legacies.
Average
people often times believe that, success in life is the accumulation of wealth
and material things. But far from it, true success can only be measure by ones
level of impact and legacies. I mean your footprints and landmarks either in
your family, society, organization, nation and the world at large. Like my
mentor Bishop David Oyedepo once said, you are never a millionaire until you
have been able to make millionaire out of millions. Live a life of service and generosity. You will only be remembered
in life by your impact, land marks and legacies in the word of Alfred Nobel’s.
Change Your Perception about Success Today and You will Succeed and make Impact…
GreatPrince Ejeh BONIFACE is a growing Nigerian’s
young upwardly Inspired-Motivational Speaker, Trainer, Life Coach, Idea
Strategist and Leadership Consultant with a burning passion to serve God and
humanity. He is the Founder/Executive Director at Great Impact International, a strategic personal, youth and organizational
development and training outfit. The body is committed to help deliver
outstanding results by dramatically reducing the gap between human potential
and performance. We are poised to develop world-class leaders for the 21st
century through a unique transformational process via (Conferences, Seminars,
Workshops, Training and Capacity Building) that has been proven over time and
also help, individuals, youths and organizations to identify and focus on what matters most in executing
desired changes, resulting in increased productivity, effectiveness,
profitability and quality of life and service thereby building better workplaces
and societies and thus becoming a global brand. Great Impact International is
the partner of choice for personal, executive, leadership, management, and
organizational development and consulting. His blog can be read @
www.greatimpactinternational.blogspot.com. He can also be followed @ twitter.com/prince_great
or www.facebook.com/greatimpact... For further enquiries and booking Call:
+2347030786366/+2348051419655.
