Do Others Determine Your Success? Always Remember These 3 Tips

Is your success determined entirely by you alone, or do other people actually determine or contribute to your success? Every article and blog entry I have ever written would suggest that we alone determine and create our own potential, are solely responsible for the realization of our dreams and goals, and are ultimately the one’s who control our destiny and successes. While that is absolutely true, one must understand the difference between the words ‘determine’ and ‘contribute.’ To determine is to control, decide upon, or cause; and to contribute is to simply assist, supplement, or help. Thus, you alone determine your potential and success, but remember that others can (and certainly must) contribute in order for your goals and dreams to be realized.

Considering this perspective, it is absolutely essential to understand more fully, and more specifically, how we determine and how others contribute to our success. Let me suggest three essential concepts that must be understood and implemented in order for our successes to be accomplished:

1) You Alone Determine Your Potential: We must first understand that our potential in life is not determined by uncontrollable circumstances and settings, racial or gender characteristics, or even economic conditions or access to knowledge. And it must certainly not be defined or determined by others. Success and potential are created, developed, and determined within ourselves. Because success, greatness, and potential are determined by us alone, we must recognize that all of the characteristics necessary to achieve our goals and dreams already lie within us. If we actually realized how capable, brilliant, talented, beautiful, and powerful we really were (or could be), it would not only astonish us, it would inspire us. And yet ironically, most people are not ignorant of this reality, they just willfully choose to ignore it because they are afraid of their own potential or they are not willing to put in the work necessary to achieve it.

2) Take Advantage of a Mastermind Group: Although our success is determined by us alone, we must recognize and accept the fact that we absolutely need others in order for our goals and dreams to be realized. The talents, knowledge, expertise, services, ideas, warnings, and counsel of others are vital to our success. For an entrepreneur wanting to start a business, for example, a ‘mastermind group’ might consist of legal advisors, financial experts, business partners, co-workers, industry experts, or even family and friends (and ideally a combination of them all). The people included within this type of mastermind group must be trusted enough to share business ideas, and also enhance them. For the person wanting to learn how to develop a talent, for example, their mastermind group may simply be family and friends. This mastermind group must be composed of those people who will encourage, inspire, and assist them – through the good and the bad times. Regardless of what the pursuit is or who forms the mastermind group, the key is to be humble and open enough to go to and receive help from these other people, to both share ideas and bounce ideas off of, and to utilize the expertise of those helping – and be willing to help them also.  

3) Learn How to Network & Who to Associate and Work With: An individual who is unwilling to network with others can still accomplish their goals and dreams – it will just be much more difficult. To ‘network’ is to meet, associate with, contribute to, and be benefited by other people. And yet, for networking to be truly effective, it must be more than just a casual meeting, and it certainly must be mutually beneficial. Thus, those who network simply to ‘schmooze’ or selfishly obtain what they desire will usually fail in their attempts because effective networking entails continual contact, as well as both parties continually benefitting each other. Just as important as networking, one must understand the significance of surrounding themselves with like-minded and more talented people. Those individuals who have accomplished great things will collectively agree that they surrounded themselves with people who contributed to their goals, encouraged them, thought similarly, and did not detract or weaken their ability or resolve. They will also agree that their success was partly due to their own drive, courage, and actions; but certainly, it in large part resulted from the abilities, knowledge, ideas, services, time, warnings, and help of others. They understood and implemented the Law of Attraction. And, they were humble enough (and wise enough) to surround themselves with people who were more brilliant, experienced, talented, and capable.

Your goals and dreams will only be attained when you realize that you determine your own potential, and that others must certainly contribute in order for your successes to be accomplished.