Beyond Expectation And Enjoy Success
You want to be successful, and you're ambitious enough to take responsibility for your destiny. You've learned that success is not about luck or other people, but about the choices we make and the actions we take. There are three ways to guarantee success: do what's necessary, expect more than anyone else would expect from you, and enjoy every aspect of life.
Most people look at success as an accomplishment reached once a goal has been accomplished. They go through their days taking action that doesn't move them closer to their goals because they don't realize what it takes to get there in the first place. In order for a goal to be reached, individuals need have talent plus time plus persistence in order for it become reachable. In the US, 15% of high school graduates have the aptitude to go to college. The other 85% will either not go to college or struggle when they get there. Most people expect that it's going to be easier than others, but once they get out in the real world, they realize that what it takes to be successful is hard work and persistence. This is because Americans are raised with a sense of entitlement; we expect things to come easy and don't realize how difficult it really is until we jump into the real world.
The willingness and ability to do whatever is necessary in order for a goal to be reached doesn't happen by chance; it's planned and orchestrated. Successful people have planned out the actions necessary to reach their goals. They have mapped out actions for anything that is currently important or will be in the future. They know what it takes to reach their goals because they have planned it out and know exactly where they are in the process of reaching their goals. Unsuccessful people don't do this because they are too busy living life as they go and later realize that they've taken a million steps back from where they wanted to be.
The other factor that successful people take part in is expecting more than anyone else would expect from them. Most people expect great things from themselves, but there's a difference between setting high standards for your life versus expecting more than anyone should expect from you.
Conclusion
You have to take action and plan on reaching your goals. It doesn't matter how big or small a goal is; if you want it, you need to make an effort in order for it to be reached. You also have to understand that not every goal is going to be reached because things happen that are out of your control, but there's nothing wrong with not successfully reaching your goals as long as you gave it everything you had before it was officially over.
Understand that anything less than doing what's necessary and expecting more than anyone else would expect from you will result in a failure to reach any goal at all.