Finding the Keys to Success

Many people are searching for the key to success. I hear people talk every day about how others found success, then they describe what they did as if they could speak it into existence in their own lives; “He built his business on Amazon” or “she climbed the corporate ladder by combining her passion with risk-taking.” Most people seem to be able to spot the success in others like it is a simple 1-step process. Wouldn’t the world be an easier place to live if we could duplicate other’s success?

I was at the local hardware store the other day making a copy of my house key. They now have self-service machines that will duplicate a key in a matter of minutes without even the hint of a store employee around. (Which is good for this particular store, because customer service is not their strong suit!) It took a total of 3 minutes and I had a brand new key, identical to the one I started with. Without having to remember a PIN, it was easier than getting money out of an ATM.

This is what people think you can do with business success. They think all you have to do is grab someone else’s key to success and enjoy unlocking all the doors that they find. Instead of a physical key to copy, they buy a book or webinar and expect success to drop out of the door in the bottom of the machine. Unfortunately, this isn’t the way success works! Books, webinars, courses, and conferences are all beneficial and you can learn parts of other’s success, but it doesn’t come as easy as it looks.

Despite what it looks like now, there are years of hard work and failures before success is evident. The pockets and desks of successful people are littered with old keys and new keys that just didn’t open the right doors. They’ve tried key after key, again and again, on different locks until they found the match that opened their way to success. Despite what the television or your Facebook feed tells you, there is no single key to success.

But don’t get discouraged. Just because THERE IS NOT ONE KEY TO SUCCESS, there are many keys that will lead you there. You just have to find the right one that unlocks your door to success.

Here are three things you can do that will unlock your success:

1. Keep Adding Keys. Read books, listen to podcasts, dial into webinars. You won’t find the golden key in any one spot, but you will add more keys to your keyring and a combination of those few keys will eventually lead to success.
2. Fail. Try as many keys in as many locks as you can find. You may not be able to unlock every door but you won’t know if you don’t try. You will find success faster with the more times you try and fail.
3. Share your Keys. Get in a community with others who are searching for the same success you are. Share your keys and lead others to new doors. We can all accomplish more together than we can individually.