Strategies For A Successful Life

Initially I thought about titling this article strategies for financial success in 2024, but then it dawned on me. The same strategies that apply in 2024 and for financial success will apply in any year and for any type of success you desire in life.

Here are my top 10 strategies for a success.

1. Take Responsibility: You are responsible for everything that happens to you in life. Your happiness and your success in life is your responsibility. The moment you blame a situation or someone else for an outcome you don’t like, you have given your power away. From a pure psychological perspective, whenever you begin to take responsibility for everything that happens to you in life, you gain power, you start to see options on how to reshape your life the way you want.

2. Be Selfish: Be selfish with your time. You will not live forever. Time is what life is made of, don’t give away your time so cheaply. Your time is your most precious asset. Be kind to people, look out for your loved ones but protect your time like your life depends on it, because it does.

3. Use Inversion: This is one of the biggest tricks to solving life’s most difficult obstacles. Inversion is the art of inverting your problem to solving it. For example, do you want to be happy? It is difficult to know what you need to do to be happy, but if you inverted the question, what do you need to avoid in order not to be unhappy. That is easier to figure out. Do you want to live long? Avoid things that you know will certainly cut your life short. Do you want to be successful? Avoid things that will ensure you are unsuccessful.

4. Create Pain: A well-developed goal must have a few things in order to be effective, 1. It must be quantifiable. There must be a number to it, i.e. measurable. 2. It must have a deadline, time bound. There are other tricks to help you achieve your goals in life. 1. It must have a real benefit, i.e. what will you gain if you achieve the goal, 2. It must have an implication, what will you be missing out on if you don’t meet the goal, but the most important aspect is 3. Create a painful event that you will be subjected to if you do not meet the goal. As humans, we are more motivated by avoiding pain than by achieving the benefits of goals. For example, if you do not meet your goal at the allotted time, you will shave your hair until you achieve the goal, or you will sell your nice cars and drive a hooptie until you achieve the goal.

5. Consistency: 100% is easier that 97%: Create goals that are generally short-term. You can have multiple short-term goals that are staggered to attain a large goal, but break your long-term, large goals into small, short-term, digestible goals. Once you make this goal, do not take a break in your pursuit. In life, it is easier to be 100% than 97% in your actions. Once you take a break and go to 97%, then you will slide to 90%, and then to 50%. Stay consistent.

6. Accountability Partners: You can’t hold yourself accountable. No one can. Don’t even try, you are not special. You need systems and people to hold you accountable to the goals you have set for yourself. Share your goals and actions with and accountability partner to help you stay on target and achieve your goals.

7. Personal Board of Advisors: Everyone needs a personal board of advisors. Assemble a team of 3 – 7 people that you look up to as your board of advisors. Report to them once a quarter and compensate them for their time. Let them advise you with your big life decisions, ask them to open up their network and resources to help you achieve your life goals. This will probably be the biggest thing you can implement to achieve success in life.

8. Plan of Action and Milestone: Every goal without a plan of action and milestone is not a goal. It is just a wish. There are several templates of this online. Please make sure you use one for all your goals. You need to breakdown your goals down to actionable milestones.

9.  Goals & Focus: Do not have more than one or two big goals at a time. In order to achieve greatness, you have to say “No” a lot. You might end up saying No to some good ideas and opportunities, but without saying No, you will be overwhelmed with so many goals that you wouldn’t achieve any of the goals. Few goals successfully achieved is more important than lots of goals that are never achieved. 

10. Audacity: Nothing is impossible for you in life. It is only up to your perspective, tenacity, will and focus on your goals. If Elon Musk can emigrate from Africa to the United States and build an electric car empire, space exploration empire, become the richest person in the world, nothing is out of reach for you if you desire it. Have the audacity to dream up the life of your dreams and go for it.

11. Bonus: Celebrate, don’t compare: Celebrate others, don’t compare yourself to anyone. You are unique, live your life on your own terms. The life is not greener on the other side. Be grateful for everything that you have or don’t have in life. Be genuinely happy for others, promote others and you will soar.