“Never abandon the fundamental concepts that stand the test of time. Consistently applying those fundamentals brings success. [People] need to go back to the basics.”
Jim Collins
Last week I wrote about the importance of adhering to and applying the fundamentals of life in order to guarantee success. To reiterate, these fundamentals have been proven over time to work, and although there may be more than the items listed below, I believe these five are core to increasing success and happiness in life!
#1 Hard Work
Hard work is the bedrock of success. Few if any ever achieve success without hard work. On the other hand, many successful people can attribute their success almost entirely to working hard. Some say hard work is becoming a lost art with each new generation. Though in some ways there may be some evidence of this, I still believe many hard workers exists and will continue to find success as they commit their many efforts to it. Hard work is a fundamental in life that cannot be overlooked, diminished, or forgotten. Hard work works!
#2 Selflessness
An outward focus on people and others rather than an inward focus on self has proven to be a basic fundamental that leads to success. Many studies have proven that people who give more of their money, time, talents, etc. have greater happiness and success in life. In our minds this is often hard for us to comprehend as we can’t understand how focusing on others actually helps us in the end but it has been proven to be true. Somehow, an outward focus on others creates an inward strength that can’t be matched, duplicated, or found in any other way. Thus, when we effectively build relationships by caring about others, and giving back, success comes.
#3 Positive Thinking
You may have heard of the Law of Attraction from the famous book The Secret. For the most part, the secret found in this book is a fundamental that leads to success and this is the power of positive thinking. We are and become what we think about. If we think we can’t we are usually right and if we believe we can then we usually are also right. Positive thinking or faith in our abilities to be successful is an important fundamental that will greatly impact and influence our success in life. Pessimism, fear, and doubt surround us constantly and seek to obliterate this fundamental. However, if we can focus on the good, truly believe, and then put forth the effort necessary—we can accomplish anything. There are no limits for the person that truly believes.
#4 Honesty
This core fundamental has greatly become regarded as naïve or impractical. Honesty however leads to success. When we are honest, others will want to work for and with us. When we are honest we have an inner peace that allows us to focus and put all of our energies toward what we working for. Honest people do not have to waste any time on worrying about what they may have said or done. When we are honest, our ability to reach our full potential and be successful is maximized.
#5 Persistence
It has been said that it is impossible to beat the man that never gives up. Persistence is a fundamental in life that can be overlooked or ignored. All of us face roadblocks in life but only those who are willing to put forth the effort to scale the roadblocks will be successful. And always in the end, persistence pays off.
Again, these basics of life are tested, tried, and true fundamentals that if practiced and applied will lead us to success and greater happiness and satisfaction. Through history we can see how these and perhaps other “fundamentals” have proven to work. We don’t need any secret formula or superior wisdom or skills. Each of us can apply the fundamentals and find success. Therefore, when we find we are not making as much progress as we’d like or we can’t seem to find the success we were hoping to have, it’s probably an indication that we need to get back to living the fundamentals!
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