“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
Does life have you down and are you floundering with success?! Today I want to share one key principle that will help us all be successful. Though not revolutionary or unique, this idea can and will help anyone who is serious about finding happiness and success in life.
The Principle
The simple principle is to stick to the fundamentals of life. So what exactly does this mean? Let me try to explain by using an example from the sporting world where there are many instances of how focusing on the fundamentals has helped individuals and teams succeed.
A legendary football coach by the name of Vince Lombardi is someone who taught and lived by the fundamentals of the game. Stories have been told of how he would take seasoned, veteran players who had been playing football all of their lives, and he’d explain to them the very basics of the game. From the shape of the ball to how to hold it, throw it, and kick it, to the length of the field, and to the most elementary rules of the game, Coach Lombardi taught the fundamentals and demanded that his players knew them. Rather than trick plays, detailed plans, or new schemes to gain advantages, simply mastering the fundamentals led many of his teams to greatness.
Likewise, I believe there are fundamentals for life that when focused on and applied, they will lead us to success. These fundamental principles have been proven time and time again to work by many successful people and companies throughout history. On the other hand, if we ignore the fundamentals, I believe most of our other efforts will be in vain. Lamentably, too often we abandon or ignore these proven methods of success and strive to find quick solutions or intricate and obscure ways to obtain success.
A Word of Caution
In today’s world, with more and more distractions, amusements, and easy access to a world of information, I’m afraid the fundamentals are being ignored or forgotten or pushed away or maybe even labeled as old fashion. In fact, some even believe that striving to apply the fundamentals is naïve.
Others claim they are too busy. To be honest, it is easy to be busy—we all are!! Each of us can probably think of all sorts of ways to overwhelm our schedules and appear to be doing all we can to be successful. In fact, many of us constantly try to accelerate our already frantic pace pretending this will somehow help us succeed and make us happy. The truth is however, there is an “optimal speed” in life for each of us and if we can find that optimal speed rather than constantly accelerating, we will find greater success.
We must resist the temptation to unnecessarily complicate our lives by getting caught up in the “rush” or the “hype” or the “trends” of today because this only leads to frustration, exhaustion, stress, and unhappiness. Instead we should seek a steady pace, with focus and clarity on what matter most to us. Simplicity in our lives brings relief, happiness, and joy.
Conclusion
It is so easy for the basic fundamentals of life to be washed away by today’s narcissistic messages and the deluge of information that surrounds us. As we slow down and focus on the fundamentals and become masters of them—even if we do nothing else—we will find much greater success and happiness in life.
In my next blog I will share what I believe to be some of the fundamentals of life…
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