From a young age, I’ve always been addicted to something.
NO…….I was never addicted to drugs or anything of that nature.
My addiction was that I wanted to be the best in any activity I chose to partake in.
Whether it be sports, juggling, weird hobbies, or even playing yahtzee with the family, I always wanted to excel. (ask my best friend. He’ll tell you about the 6 month period around 11 when I jumped on my pogo stick for 2 months straight).
We all have addictions that help shape us….which ultimately can help lead us to success.
Addiction Leads to Success for 3 Reasons
1. Setting routines
In order to be successful in any endeavor, whether it’s a hobby, business, etc, one must continually practice to get good at their craft. You don’t become a master in your field over the weekend. Successful individuals understand that there’s no magic elevator that will take them to the top of the hill.
You will get to the top one step at a time by setting daily routines…..and sticking to them.
Michael Jordan retired from the NBA after his father’s passing to pursue a childhood dream of his father’s. The goal was to play professional baseball. Even though Jordan was the best in the world at basketball, he struggled to cut it immediately as a baseball player. Each day for a year, he woke up before the sun rose and stayed late until everyone else left to work on his skills in the sport. This eventually led to improvement in his game. The next year, he returned to the NBA, but this story goes to show you that no matter how good you are in one activity, it takes consistent routines to be the best you can be in another.
Take a minute right now to think back on an activity, sport, or hobby you have excelled at in the past.
This could be anything from being being a master at checkers when you were young to being good at a sport. Chances are you dedicated a solid amount of time to this, regardless of if this was intentional or not.
If you plan to be successful in another pursuit in your future such as this one, you need to set the same type of routines in order to reach your desired goal. This goes without question.
2. Focus
Individuals with amazing focus become enthralled with what they are doing so much that they tend to forget everything else that is happening around them. This is popularly referred to as “being in the zone.”
We often hear of this scenario with world class musicians, performers, and athletes, but this focus relates to all areas of life. Whether you want to excel more in your work, education, or an activity you partake in, you need that same unmatched focus.
Ever met a successful person who watches hours of TV and checks social media every 17 minutes?
I haven’t. This is because successful individuals prioritize their time on a daily basis.
If you better prioritize your time, 2 things will happen:
- you’ll be more productive on a daily basis
- less stress in your life
In my post on productivity here, I discuss setting 2-3 main objectives a day, which allows you to better prioritize what needs to be done.
3. Stubbornness
“He is able who thinks he is able” -Buddha
This simple Buddha quote explains how stubbornness can help lead to success.
At one time, every successful person has been stubborn in their efforts to greatness.
Sylvester Stallone sold his dog to afford food because he truly believed he would make it as a hollywood actor.
John Paul DeJoria sold shampoo out of his car because he felt he could make it as an entrepreneur.
These 2 examples are of individuals who eventually became very successful, but their stories show you that they come from a place that is no different from where you & I may be coming from.
Successful individuals don’t give into defeat, doubt, or criticism along the way, no matter what.
I hope that you were able to take something away from this article. If so, please share this in order to encourage others to do the same.
