Would you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
- I wish I had fewer problems in life.
- I wish I didn’t have to struggle so much in life.
- I wish I had the opportunities that other people have.
If you agreed to any one of the above statements, then you are not thinking like an incredibly successful person. Success leaves clues. What clues can we glean from incredibly successful people? Let’s break down each of the above statements.
1. I wish I had fewer problems in life.
You learn some of the best lessons in life from struggles. So instead of wishing things were easier for you, become better. Learn what you need to learn to overcome the challenges in your life. Then teach what you know to others.
The only way you grow in life is when you face your problems head on. Stop wishing for fewer problems. Whatever you focus on grows, so instead of focusing on your problems, focus on the solutions. A great way to do that is by becoming more skillful. Get useful advice from a mentor. Attend that seminar. Make the needed changes.
Iron is sharpened when it is refined by fire. Challenges will sharpen you when you learn how to cope with them. The best way to cope is to gain wisdom. Wisdom will help you defeat challenges and enable your growth.
Incredibly successful thinkers are a lot like Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born into poverty and struggled to overcome every setback in his life. His mother died while he was young. He accumulated debt and struggled to pay it back. Lincoln ran for office and lost more than once. A fiancée died, prompting a nervous breakdown.
Still Lincoln did not give up. Finally he ran for president of the United States — and, of course, you know the rest. Lincoln failed numerous times but did not stay down in defeat. He learned, pivoted and is remembered as one of the best presidents in history.
If Lincoln had not encountered all those setbacks, would he have known how strong he really was? Most of us have no idea what we are capable of until we have no choice but to be that way.
2. I wish I didn’t have to struggle so much in life.
Incredibly successful thinkers are a lot…