We toss around “success” and often don’t look into the meaning. Are you successful at your job? Or did you hit a successful golf shot last weekend?
Perhaps you host a party and everyone says if “was a success”. Success is many things. For some it is closing a deal. Others may think their favorite team had a successful season because it was better than last year.
Online marketers measure success in clicks and purchases. Dieters measure their success when stepping on a scale. What we do know, no matter what success means to us, is it is not at the end of a straight line. Success is not a destination.
I believe success is the change from a condition we want to escape. If we learn to accept the small increments of change we become successful people.
Success is not where you are, but how far you’ve come from where you were. Some top online marketers take this path to their success.
I read a fascinating article online recently by venture capitalist Andy Goldfarb. In that article Goldfarb explains the Biblical story of Jacob’s ladder and what it means to personal growth.
“The geometry of a Ladder is that only 15% of the surface area is comprised of the rungs and ladder structure. 85% of the surface area is air – the space between the rungs. All of the growth and development of the ladder takes place as you climb, from one rung to the next rung. The growth actually occurs in the empty space between the rungs.
In today’s hectic world, too many of us fill our lives with so much, yet for so little. Endless and repetitive meetings that are not necessary. Over scheduled personal lives. Multi-tasking without a break. It is truly like a ladder which has a rung to space ratio of 50:50 instead of 15:85. In such a 50:50 ladder, there is no place to put your feet and hands as you climb. The structure of the ladder is so filled and compact, that you cannot even climb it.
He recommends “minimizing the structure of your ladder. It should be sufficient to have structural stability. However, maximize the space between the rungs where you can find growth and spark creativity.”
Using a ladder figure of speech is another way of telling us we need to inject air in our work lives. Perhaps not just air, but space and time. You cannot physically move if constricted in a closed space.
Creativity also needs space or free time to let your mind work out what you need to work out. Help yourself greatly by scheduling free time; space for creative thought.
Try turning off your phone for a few hours each day. Focus completely on the work at hand. Or schedule no meetings on certain days. One day a week work from a different location.
I do that. I do not answer my phone before noon. Mornings are my most productive hours. I rarely meet face-to-face, not because of Covid-19. For a long time I’ve conducted video conferences. I’m not happy about the virus, but it forces many to employ greater efficiency that will carry beyond the pandemic.
Working from different sites increases my productivity. Most of my audio recordings are done in my car. For some reason my audio juices flow better sitting behind the wheel. Often I’m not driving, but sitting in the garage. Seem strange? I imagine it does, but it works for me.
Use this virus shut down period to drop unproductive habits and routines. Learn how a different ladder benefits your success.
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