Is There A Secret To Success?

As a business owner, and trainer/coach to other business owners, I have figured out the one step that is absolutely required for success.  I have taken all kinds of classes from other success coaches and trainers, I have even read their books.  Every one of them has a slightly different take on the issue.

Most recently I was listening to an audio program where the speaker listed 42 different elements of success that he had discovered.  He said a business plan was absolutely essential.  Funny I know a few multimillionaires with good businesses that never had a real plan.  He also said that written goals were required.  I know a few guys that don't have any written goals.  In fact, I know a couple of guys who got rich, are still getting rich and by most peoples thinking continue to become more successful every day and yet they have neither a business plan or a written set of goals.


Don't get me wrong, both a business plan and a written set of goals help you move towards success faster if and only if you put to use the only step that matters.  That step is action.  If you don't take any action, your goals and business plan are just ink on paper.  Action is the driving force that moves the world forward.

Many times an opportunity presents itself, and no action is taken.  How many times have you heard someone say “I should have” or “If I'd only”?  If they took that action in the first place those statements couldn't ever be said.

So the next question is why don't we take action?  Everyone has a different reason, but the number one reason is fear.  Fear of failure, or fear that you won't be accepted are the two most common fears causing action paralysis.  Over analysis is a result of these fears as well.

If you take action you will make progress.  The next step after action is to find direction.  If you take action and do so in a consistent direction, you are guaranteed to make progress.  There is a saying that “Every decision you make takes you toward your goal or away from your goal”.  In many ways this is true.  Even if you don't write down a goal, when you pick a direction you have started to define a goal without knowing it.

There are no secrets to success.  The book stores have aisles of books on business success, relationship success, life success and so on.  Anything you want to know about how other people achieved success in these books.  There is a success secret though, and that secret is action.   Take action and find a direction.  Action is what separates the successful from the “I should have's”.  The rest you can work on while you are on the move.