APRIL 27, 2020

When modelling someone’s success formula to achieve success in the same field, don’t just copy the actions, understand them and bring changes in actions so that they are in alignment and in support of your current situation.

-Prabhsimrat Gill

I am sure we all have heard that in order to achieve success in what we want to do, we should be clear about our goals, we should be committed towards our goal and we should take solid actions. Well, all of this sounds very easy to do but it is easier said than done. So, then the question arises, does this formula of success actually work or is it just written in the books for the sake of it?

   Well, the answer is – it does work. When we are committed towards achieving our goals and our actions are in alignment with what we want to achieve, then we will achieve it. Our mind tries to act over-smart and it always tries to find shortcuts rather than taking the long route to adapt, understand and experience. How many times has it happened with you that you watched the video of how to make your favourite dish and you got all charged up to make it? You followed every instruction and waited for the appropriate time only to find out that the dish had not cooked properly or that it had burnt or that it was completely spoiled. Well, you would have been in this situation and the context might have been different, making you question that does being committed towards doing something and taking appropriate actions towards it also lead to failure?

   This is not true. How can taking the right actions with full dedication and commitment not lead to achieving success in doing that task? What leads to failure in doing a specific task is just following the steps given to achieve something with full commitment and excitement, but not understanding the process and the situation and not making the required changes to adapt to your current position. By this I don’t mean that modelling someone else’s success formula is bad. Actually, modelling is a great way to achieve success because you are sure that this method will work, but you also need to understand why this method works and if your situation is similar to that of the successful person’s when he/she started to take actions towards it. If not, then how can I mend the formula of success so that it suits me and my situation? Understand your situation and the formula and make amends if needed, but be aware of what you are doing and be committed to doing what you want to achieve and you will be successful in that task.

   Let me give you an example so that you can understand this better. Imagine that you want to be healthier; you see how one person successfully gained back his health by only eating salads at night, going to the gym at 5:30 in the morning, waking up at 4:30 and sleeping at 9:00 in the night. Completely avoiding any fried food and only eating boiled meat with blanched vegetables seasoned with salt and pepper. A walk for 45 mins after dinner and a jogging session for 30 minutes before gym. And he came into shape and all healthy within 4 months. Now, this kind of effort requires you to make a belief system that supports your goals and your actions towards it by believing that you are starting to get the results you want. Along with this you need commit to yourself that you are taking these actions for the betterment of your own self and that you will do this no matter what. Now that you have read this man’s story, you start to model his actions just as they were without taking anything into consideration. You are doing everything he has done, but this is affecting your job as you are reaching late to work and you are sleeping at 9 even if you have to finish your presentation and mail it to your boss by 10. You are forcing your family to adjust according to you without taking their viewpoint into consideration and just not giving time to your family members when they need your presence. Unconsciously, you have affected your work and family in a negative way with your actions to becoming fit. This is causing you to feel stressful, which is in turn making you less fit. At last, you give up and you are back to your regular life feeling defeated.

    This can be changed. You do need action and commitment to become fit, but you also need to understand, analyse and amend the formula according to your life so that it does not affect your surroundings and the people around you badly. You can have the gym session at 6 or 5 or 4 but not necessarily 5:30 if it doesn’t fit in your schedule. Maybe you can have the 30 minutes jogging session in the evening instead of the morning and you can have 45 minutes of walk at night even 2 hours after dinner if you have to spend some time with your family at that time. Instead of forcing you family members to cook the food for you, you can learn to cook it yourself and spend some time learning the new skill, or you can amend the diet according to your family and your condition. Maybe gym will not be as effective as running or yoga would be for you. So, my point here is that understand your situations and amend the model of someone else’s success to achieve your own unique success.

   What is the work of your fingerprints? They act as an identity for you. But when you use them the same way someone else uses them next to you, both of you will be successful in what you want to do (that is proving your identity). But, your success in this task will not be the same as his and the result will be different, because you have not completely copied him in doing this. You have just seen him do this and you have used your own fingerprint maybe at a different time and place and you have successfully proved your identity. If you used his fingerprint to prove your identity because they proved his identity for him, that will be modelling someone’s success plan, but in a foolish way which will lead to sure-shot failure…

   Use the formulas of success for achieving something, but before committing and taking action, understand the formula, and change it to adapt to your situation and position in life. Then take actions in alignment with your goals and commitment, and sure-shot success is guaranteed…