I am going to tell you the 3 keys to success.

It’s a simple formula.

1. Say yes to almost everything
2. Say no to most things.
3. Provide value to someone else

Now how do these 3 things work together?  How can you say yes and say no?  Let me explain.

yes

First, when you are starting on your journey, you need to say yes to almost everything.  You need to make yourself available.  If you throw yourself into all the new projects that come your way, you will soon build a reputation as the person to go to.  The person that can be trusted.  The person that will get the job done.

Success will breed success.  You can’t just go out and say “hey I am a hard worker”.  You have to prove it.  And the truth is, most people are not hard workers.  Most people want to put in a day, and go home.  They have no interest in doing anything extra. So, it will be easy for you to surpass the majority of people on your way to success.

During this stage, you will be doing things that other people don’t want to do.  Initially, some things won’t seem worth the effort.  That’s likely why others aren’t doing them.  But if you get creative, you may find better ways to complete these tasks and thus become more efficient, and increase your worth.  Increasing your worth to those around you, is never a bad thing.

The things you say yes to should always align with your values/core beliefs.  Never do something that goes against your values.  Read these 2 sentences again.  So, say yes to everything (almost).  But, don’t forget who you are and what your beliefs are.

no

Now, you will find yourself extremely busy.  Busy, can be OK for a short time, but it is not practical long term.   When your plate is full, you need to start slowly paring down your projects.  You need to start saying no and you need to start valuing your time.

Saying no will be difficult at first.    You have become so valuable, due to the first phase of saying yes, that people will want to throw money at you to keep you saying yes.  You will try to rationalize saying yes.  You will think that you are already successful.   You will think that it would be stupid to lose these opportunities.   But the great thing is, now you can pick the opportunities you want to follow.  If you keep saying yes here, you will actually miss out on the fun things that will bring you purpose.

By consistently saying no now,  you will be able to narrow things down, and work only on the projects you enjoy the most.  This is key.

This will give you more time on less projects which means more thought, creativity, productivity poured into one thing.  Which should translate into better quality.  Now, you are starting to build a niche.  You will become the “expert” at your niche.  You will be able to value your time more.  You will be able to name your cost.

value

You need to provide value to someone.  This is actually the most important part.  The other steps can help make you money.  But that in itself is not success.

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be the best at something to be successful at it, but you do have to be persistent at providing value.  This is the key.  You must provide value.

You need to be proud of your work like a craftsman.  At the end of the day, you need to be able to look back and think of something that you did that helped someone else.  If you don’t think it is possible for you because of your current situation, then you are just not being creative enough.  You should be able to find a way to help someone else every day.

There you have it.  The keys to success.  Seem too easy to be true?  Try it and see.

Put these 3 things into practice, and I guarantee you will be successful.

p.s.

If you’d like to know the ultimate tool to being successful.  The one that precedes the 3 above, then watch this short video