They lied to you about success

You probably would have heard that success comes at a certain age in time. Or you must have heard that success comes after graduation from the university. Well, they've lied to you. Don't feel bad.

The truth is that success does not happen accidentally. Winners live their lives according to proven principles that guarantee their success in all they do.

Success is a lifestyle and not a mere title.

Instead of pursuing success by trying to go after the things that come with it, decide to attract success by doing what successful people do. Successful people have a code of conduct that helps them stand out and make a difference.

In this post, I'll share 5 top winning secrets successful people have in common.

1. Goal Setting

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. ~ Tony Robins

Setting SMART goals helps you define your result from the beginning to maintain focus and avoid distractions.

2. Knowledge

There is more power in your mind than in your muscles. What you know is what gives you an edge in life. You cannot produce results beyond your current level of knowledge.

3. Implementation

He who knows but doesn't act is not better than he who doesn't know. ~ Jonathan Isah

Taking action on knowledge acquired is where the magic happens. Successful people take immediate action on all they learn hence stand out. Same knowledge rightly structured and excellently delivered still yields different results. The main cause is the implementation level which varies from person to person. If you learn 10% and implement 90% you'd be better by far than folks who learn 90% and implement 10%.

4. Collaboration

Teamwork makes the dream work ~ John Maxwell

You would not be able to do everything by yourself. Collaboration helps you work with a team to achieve more in a short time.

5. Consistency

Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently. ~ Marie Forleo

Consistency is not perfection but refusing to give up. Everything that has value in life is a product of consistency.

It's not an exclusive list but it would get you started on the right track.

This new week:

- Start setting SMART goals. If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail.

- Go hard on yourself when necessary. Realize that you need to PUSH yourself to do what's necessary most of the time. Don't pamper yourself.

- Don't do everything - maintain focus. Follow one course until you see results.

- Leverage social media to make legitimate money. Likes, comments, and reactions to your posts are great, but they won't pay your bills.

- Don't borrow money to spend on liabilities. It's not wisdom. And if you've borrowed money from someone, go and repay them with a note of gratitude. They trusted you before giving you the money. Stop using your hand to lock doors at yourself.

- Make friends with Google and YouTube. They Are resourceful enough to answer most of your questions.

I'd like to know other secrets to winning you know. Feel free to add them in the comments.