The Success Equation (How to succeed when life gets hard)

bySaraPoyner

1.7K followers

Updated 5 years ago

This article is written mainly for me, but hope many of you will find value in it too. After declaring my 'Goodbye' to the WA community for the four months I thought I needed to focus on my website, I packed up my backpack and started my adventure to go mine for the 'gold'.

The problem was a day after setting off on my journey, life got really hard. I got sick with an infection, that I just couldn't seem to shift, even after having a course of antibiotics. So had to spend a week in bed. Isn't it funny how the body and mind senses that point of rest and then hits you with a nice illness to make you really rest!

Also, financially life got really hard, I won't go into details here, but lets just say, it is a daily struggle. Everyone around me and maybe part of me, were all saying, 'Sara you can't go on like this, the website is not bringing any money'.

I know many of you here at WA are struggling financially and understand the daily battle to survive, along with the problem, that you want to follow the dream of freedom, but it's not a 'Holy Instant', it doesn't put money in the bank account to pay the bills (Yet).

So when I recovered, I was left with this internal and external battle and struggle. However, I decided to continue my journey and decided I would start writing a blog a day for my website, however I was blocked. I had no motivation to write and I was stuck, camping out in 'the valley'. I could see the Gold mine in the distance but I was comfortable just sitting in the valley enjoying the view. I have stood with good intentions many times but just couldn't seem to write that first word (for my website).

I figured, just write something, so, here I am writing this blog about a success equation, to motivate myself to take that first step back towards my goal, my dreams.

The Success Equation

Whilst sick in bed, I read several books, mainly motivational ones about success. The second one being 'Three Feet from Gold' by Greg Reid. (quite Ironic as here I was, camped out with a view of the goldmine in the distance). In this book Greg was advised of an equation to success and this was;

The sum of P + T x A x A = Success

This was then amended later in the book to

The sum of P + T x A x A + F = Success

This peaked the interest of the left side of my brain. My Financial Advisor thinking and analytical brain loves a good calculation. So what Greg Reid discovered was that most of the top successful business leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, leaders and sports people had, was their own personal calculation for success, and most agreed it was:

The sum of PASSION + TALENT x ASSOCIATION x ACTION + FAITH = SUCCESS

Passion

This starts with a dream. What keeps you going is your sense of purpose. This keeps you going, no matter what, and inspires you never to quit and be committed to the dream. Without passion there is no fuel, no fire in your belly to actually achieve that dream.

However, being a dreamer with a big heart is not enough. 'A dream is just a dream until it is written down, only then does it become a plan' Greg Reid. I had already written down my plan in my 'Goodbye for now' Post. So I was good (tick).

Everyone's dreams and the passions to complete the equation are completely individual so Greg Reid suggest you List the 10 things you would do for free, that make your heart sing. So here are mine:

1. Traveling the world
2. Meeting new people
3. Writing
4. Motivating and coaching others
5. Healing myself and healing others
6. Making and watching theatre
7. Singing
8. Reading and researching
9. Raising and guiding my children
10. Financial Freedom

So now write your list of the things you are passionate about, what makes your heart sing?

Talent

This is the part of the equation where most people struggle, I certainly did. There are two types of talent, a talent that you work hard to develop and talent that is naturally present in you, and talents that are developed over time through repetitive work and practice.

I have many 'talents' I have developed over my lifetime. 'They' often say if you want to know what you were truly destined to do you need to go back to the first seven years of your life, before life's programming kicked in.

When I thought back I remember I always had a camera and documented everything I did with a photo. I had a typewriter that I used every day, to type letters and scripts and I remember even back then, writing my own magazine on loads of coloured bits of paper with pictures glued onto them. I also remember music and drama was incredibly important to me as a child and I sang every day, sometimes all day.

Yet once the world had 'programmed' and judged me I took the path of finance and worked for twenty years as an Advisor in many financial fields including property, mortgages, insurance, pensions, investments and banking. When I asked My Mum what I was talented at she said Drama, Finance, Driving, and being a Mum. I finally was able to compile this list:

1. Making Theatre
2. Being a Mum
3. Writing
4. Singing (Music)
5. Managing and organising
6. Reading and researching
7. Advising about Finance
8. Coaching and motivating and training others
9. Traveling (Including driving (thanks Mum))
10. Healing myself and healing others

What were you talented at before the world programmed you? What talents have you gained through work and practice?

Now the key is looking at both lists and finding the correct combinations. It helps to hand the list over to others, because often they will immediately say one. Or it can be like a rubiks cube, twisting to eventually find the right combination.

'Find your purpose, find your destiny. If you can dream it, you can do it. If you can dream it, it is already a reality, just waiting for you to get there.'

Association

In order to be truly successful with the combination of passion and talent, you have to find the right people to learn from and to be inspired by. They may come in the forms of guides, friends, partners, mentors, associates, employers or investors or even strangers.

It is said that 'the people you meet and the books you read contribute to making you who you are'. I have experienced both changing the direction of my life. Motivation and inspiration can come in the form of a one minute conversation, or a lifetime relationship.

I remember a half an hour speech by Sir Ranulf Feines at a work convention, motivated me to quit my job as an independent financial advisor to go and be an entertainer for a year in Majorca.

The Alchemist advises us that 'Wherever your heart is, that is where you will find your treasure', and whenever you are on a journey to your treasure, the whole universe will conspire to make you meet the people you need to fulfill your destiny. So be open to the signs and the associations and the assistance they bring to your success.

Action

'There is only one way to learn, it's through action. Everything you need to know you will learn through your journey' (The Alchemist, Paul Coelho)

It is great to have a dream, to know your passion and what you are talented at, but without action this knowledge is wasted. Action is the difference between your dream and the success you dream of.

The Olympian Ruben Gonzalez advises us that 'consistent daily actions are what are needed for success. Keep rehearsing and practicing it over and over until it becomes,muscle memory'

He tells us 'First comes the dream, then comes the struggle, then comes the victory.' Most people give up at the struggle stage and never get to experience the victory. He also tells us that, great people have two types of courage:

1. To take the leap of faith, to take action
2. To develop the courage to endure, the courage to persevere the struggle

You must conduct yourself every day 'as if' you are already successful. You have to have the energy, the drive and habits of someone who is successful. 'When you call upon your sub conscious mind, you must conduct yourself as if you were already in possession of that material thing' Napoleon Hill

Ask yourself, what does it take to be successful in what you want to do? What actions do successful people in this field do? Then act and do those things over and over. Within a short time you will reprogram your subconscious mind and it will believe what your conscious mind believes, that YOU ARE a success.

Faith

This is the real key to success in anything. If you know your why (your passion), if you know your talent and you have faith, then the 'how' will reveal itself to you. Faith is everything, tap into it.

To succeed you have to take that leap of faith, to take action but you have to also have the faith that there is a diamond in that lump of coal, no matter how many times everybody else tells you, it is just a worthless lump of coal.

To be successful you all have to have faith that sometimes, the hardest times are the greatest opportunity. Just because you get knocked down, doesn't mean you have to stay down. Have the faith that you can get up again, and again, and again no matter how hard the 'hit' was.

Most people need to see something to believe it, however success comes by having the faith to believe it before you see it.

What does this have to do with affiliate marketing? Back to me camping in the valley.

I came to WA with a Passion for gaining financial freedom, I believe I have a talent for writing and advising/helping others. I found associations with the people who could mentor and guide me, right here at WA.

However, life knocked me down, it got hard. I managed to get back up but haven't taken action to take a step. So today I need to write something for my website, even if it is only 500 words. I also need to have faith that all of this struggle is part of the journey to success, and that by overcoming this phase of being stuck in the valley, will make me successful already!.

I can see the gold mine, I have faith that there is still gold in it to be mined, I just need to take that first step towards it again.

I hope this has inspired you to work out your very own success calculation. What is it you are passionate about?, What are you talented at? Are you willing to read the books, get the training and associate with the relevant people? Are you willing and able to take action? and most importantly can you keep an unwavering faith that you can and deserve to be successful?

Life is one big opportunity to overcome challenges. If you are going to play in this game of life play big!

Time for me to go take some action.

Much Love

Sara