The Success Factor!

If there is one ingredient that sets the successful apart from the rest, I would have to say it would be their passion. The dictionary says that passion is a strong liking or desire for, or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. One thing I have noticed over the years is that anyone that I have known or met that was successful had a passion. It didn’t matter if they were successful in sports, business, non-profit endeavors, family life or any other area. If they were successful, they had an unwavering passion.

On January 3, 2007 Oprah Winfrey had a show called “What class are you? Inside America’s taboo topic.” I thought it was handled in a wonderful and very well balanced way. In fact, I loved the way Oprah stood her ground, as she disagreed with the “luck equation” to success and said that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity!

One thing did get my goat though. One of the guests said that it is harder to get ahead today than ever before. Tell that to my grandparents and countless others who lost everything during the depression. My grandparents went from a beautiful home on Long Island to a two bedroom apartment, over a shoe store in Brooklyn, where they raised six very successful and productive children.

Oprah’s guest also said that the ladder of success is so much longer today and that it is almost impossible to climb. My burning question is this “Is the ladder longer? Or are we just weaker and more tired as a society?” He stated that twenty and thirty years ago it was easier to climb that ladder than now. I say the problem is the obesity and lack of energy in America that has turned into an epidemic over that same time period. So is the ladder longer or are we just finding it harder to climb because we are physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted? I agree with Oprah, opportunity is still alive and well in America today. You need to prepare for it and work toward your goals. All of which takes, energy, patience, persistence, determination and most importantly passion. And never, ever let anyone else dictate your future, even the experts that write books or end up on talk shows. They are just telling you that they know THEY can’t do it!

It is passion that gets us out of bed in the morning before the alarm. It is passion that keeps that spring in our step. It is passion that pushes us when others quit. It is passion that others notice when speaking to you. Passion comes through to others. In fact, it will inspire others. Adlai Stevenson said of Cicero, “When Cicero spoke, the people stood and cheered. When Demosthenes spoke, the people stood and marched!” I wasn’t there when Demosthenes spoke over 2,000 years ago, but I bet he spoke with passion, a passion that inspired the people of his day to march and not just cheer.

I want you to march. I want to meet you one day at a seminar or at an airport and have you tell me that you read my articles and book and got up and got going! You took control of your life with these principles and made your life better for you, your family and your world. You didn’t just read... you used it! That is my passion.

Passion and enthusiasm are transferable but so is a yawn. I want to transfer my passion for living life to its fullest to you. When you experience the results of living a healthy and vibrant lifestyle your passion will flow over to your family and friends. Anthony Robbins says that success leaves clues and it does. Success also requires energy. You are part of everything you do. If you don’t have the energy to pursue success, you will run out of gas while climbing your ladder of success. When someone is yawning look away, but when someone is excelling take notes. Hey I like that! That is worth repeating. When someone is yawning look away, but when someone is excelling take notes. In other words, model the successful people and you will get similar results. Over the coming months we will get into many of the tools that you can use to enhance not only your life but the lives of those around you.