Happy Sunday to you, reader. This the final installment of our 3 part series on mapping the Universal Traits of Successful Humans. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. I’d like to start by giving a big shout out to

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Preamble: I am defining a “Successful Person” as someone who lives a fulfilled life. One who accomplishes honest work, exhibits antifragility in the face of life’s inevitable suffering and is able to bring people together with their words & actions. I do not define success solely based on the accumulation of wealth or an elevated social status, although that certainly could be a byproduct of a life well lived. I also refer to “The Path” at times during the essay. This just refers to the journey all of us embark on in the pursuit of truth, growth and self-mastery. Those not on The Path are stagnant or going the opposite direction - the Road to Hell 🔥.

Trait 3: Successful People Never Stop Working Towards Achieving The Goal

Successful People:

1. Know Themselves: Self-Discovery

2. Know What They Want: Self-Awareness

3. Never Stop Working Towards The Goal: Self-Mastery

It is the arduous - sometimes monotonous - daily activity that achieves the beautiful end result. At the base of the mountain your outlook is constrained to seeing the long, lonely path up. As you climb towards the pinnacle, your perspective begins to widen towards the full scope of the horizon. At the base, you know little and you see little because you haven’t yet taken your first step on The Path. Your journey of Self-Discovery has not begun. Climbing up, we begin to understand the long road ahead. We encounter the obstacles, we run out of supply and every fiber of our being tells us to quit and turn back. You become aware of yourself through this experience. What went wrong? How can I fix this moment so I can keep going? You can’t control the storm that just drenched you and your supplies. But you can control yourself. You begin to understand clearly about yourself and the things you want. You want to continue. So you keep going. Each step takes you closer to your goal. You know there is no turning back. You keep stepping towards the pinnacle. Then, the horizon opens up. Your journey of self-actualization has taken another giant leap forward. You see other mountains to climb, other obstacles to overcome and more peaceful valleys to find love & fulfillment in. You only got to the top because you didn’t quit. Consistent and deliberate action got you there.

Consistency is the fuel that powers success. Without consistent, habitual work towards a high, hard goal - there can be no victory. There is an expression in Jiu Jitsu:

The Black Belt is just a White Belt that kept showing up.

I’ve been a white belt (lowest rank) for several years. Why? Because I have not consistently shown up to class. I’ve trained on and off for about 4-5 years. My instructor has never even given me a stripe on my belt. Who’s fault is this? Mine. The Black Belt just kept showing up.

The ‘overnight’ business success is rarely that. We are only glimpsing the tip of the iceberg. What is never seen are the grueling days and nights of hustle that helped get that person to the pinnacle. Do some people experience faster success than others? Of course. But this is the exception, not the rule. We fetishize young talent in our society. We've all seen the 20-something year old Silicon Valley founder on the cover of Forbes. The data proves this is a myopic and unscientific perspective. Most success is built over time. Specific to business success - the majority of founders are aged 40-49 & older founders are more likely to succeed than their younger 20-30s counterparts.

It takes time to reach the outcomes we desire. Athletic achievement is an easy, stark example of this. Show me the ‘young’ pro and I’ll show you years of training and commitment to their craft from the time they could barely tie their own shoes. Just like a successful founder, the successful athlete started at 0 and worked for many years to achieve their outcome.

Consistency. Consistency. Consistency.

This newsletter will grow if I keep writing. Your weight will drop if you keep making the habitual lifestyle choices that will get you there. If you know yourself, what you want and you institute the daily habits to get you there - your chances of success will continue to improve over time. This is not new. This is not groundbreaking. This is the same, boring and repeated mantra that you will see in absolutely every self-help book, course, journal, youtube video, etc. Most of the time it’s just dressed up or tweaked in some way to get you to click, buy or engage with.

Start Now

Remember, the very best time to take the first step on The Path was yesterday. So start now. Engage with content and activities that aid in self-discovery. Do difficult things that teach you something about yourself. And then repeat the cycle. Comfort is your absolute enemy on The Path. The shady tree looks appetizing. Don’t go sit under it. Earn your comfort through the day’s work. You will undoubtedly come to conclusions about yourself and what you want. Then you can keep going up. It’s not a straight line. Success is not linear. You will double back, fall down, and take detours. But, with consistent steps towards a clear goal - backed by a bulletproof strategy - you will get there. Start now.

Conclusion

I purposely made sure this week’s article a bit shorter because I believe the message is very clear. The previous 2 (self-discovery & self-awareness) have a depth and nuance to them that require some more digging. But ultimately, on the continuum, step 3 is: doing the damn thing. Start that podcast. Go for that walk. Just know that there’s no real ‘end’ to it. That’s why the expression the “journey is the destination” is so profound. Walk The Path. Stay on The Path. Embrace The Path! Consistency will be your energy source. The amazing thing is, you control the energy source. Until your light fades away to the next stage of our existence, you can control all the energy you put towards a goal. That’s why ‘wasted potential’ is such a sad and frustrating crime. You’ve been given this gift to do something as we float on this rock through space. Don’t waste it. Find success, fulfillment, love and appreciation through your work.

Just so you know I’m trying to stay on The Path too, here’s some things coming down the pike:

• Launch of my personal website: Career/Life Transformation coaching & consulting for individuals & companies. Based on my 3 step program: Discover, Build, Transform.

  • 1) Discover your unique personality, values, motivations (software included)

  • 2) Build your strategy, goals & habits (software included)

  • 3) Transform with 30-days virtual habit tracking through my personalized coaching app

• Launch of my free Community: dedicated to providing a space for modern professionals seeking Career Transformation resources, tools & community. Ever consider building a newsletter, starting an online business, launching a personal brand, or just trying something else besides the 9-5? This community is for you!

• Launch of my Platform: SaaS for e-learning, coursework and self-improvement resources dedicated to providing individuals the tools for their Career & Life Transformation journey.

… see a consistent theme? 🤭

See you next week, friends

- Tobias