Monday, March 25, 2013

The Twelve Pillars to Success

Almost everyone on this planet wants to achieve some type of success in their life, whether it is getting promoted at work or growing their business. However, "success" doesn't happen on its own. It takes hard work, dedication, and self motivation. Over the last couple of weeks I have been reading a book called "Twelve Pillars" that focuses on how a person can become successful in life. The book focuses on a man named Michael who is struggling to understand why he isn't being successful with his life. One day he stumbles upon a mansion that has twelve pillars. He is amazed by this mansion and wishes he could be as successful as the person who owns it. Michael then meets Charlie who tells Michael about how the twelve pillars on the mansion stand for the twelve ways that lead to success. While I don't want to give away the entire book, and would encourage anyone to read it, I do want to highlight a few of the "twelve pillars" that I believe everyone should reflect on.

The Gift of Relationships
Twelve Pillars goes in depth about how we need to value the relationships we have with others. Sometimes we can get so caught up with work or other things in life, and then forget about the relationships we have with our family and friends. When this happens, our relationships begin to fall apart and can eventually lead to relationships ending. If we don't want this to happen, we need to make sure that we put value into the relationships we have with others. This might mean taking some time away from work or the "busy" life. It also might mean taking time out of your day to call up a friend our family member and take interest in what is going on in that persons life. In order to be successful in life, we must first be successful with the relationships we have with others.

Achieve Your Goals
Do you have certain goals you want to achieve in life? If you do, is there a plan for how you are going to achieve that goal? Often, we all have goals in life but unfortunately we don't always achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Most often, it is not because the goal is impossible to achieve, but it is from the lack of effort in trying to achieve that goal. In order to achieve success, a person must be able to set goals and then have a plan on how they are going to achieve that goal. However, goals don't always have to be "BIG".  A person could have a short term goal and a long term goal. For example, if it is a college student, their goal might be to get an A on their next exam. That would be considered a short term goal. Now an example of a long term goal might be a person wanting to build a new house. Whatever goal it is that you set, be sure to have a plan on how you are going to achieve that goal and then be sure to implement that plan. Goals can be achieved as long as a person puts in the effort and dedication!

Be a Leader
When a person thinks of a leader, we often think of someone famous, such as a president. However, a "leader" isn't just a title for someone who holds a powerful office. A leader can be anyone, it could be YOU! If you do something that is selfless, kind, helpful, you could be considered a leader. Anyone can be a leader, and we all know that not only does our nation need more leaders, but our world could use some more as well!

So if you are wanting to be successful in life, be sure to take a look at your relationships, goals, and also how you can be a leader. If you want to learn more about the "Twelve Pillars", be sure to check out the book that was written by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener. It is definitely one that will give you an new perspective on success!