Be careful as you climb the ladder of success.
There are many types and styles of ladders, but the one I wish to discuss with you is… The LADDER OF SUCCESS.
When you use a safety ladder, you make sure that:
you are taking the proper steps
you don’t take a misstep
you have a firm grip
your angle of approach is correct
your timing is on point
Climbing the ladder to success is no different. Consider the following:
APPROACH ANGLE… is when you have the necessary information you need to make informed decisions.
CLIMB CAREFULLY… to ensure you don’t overlook any steps. This is called being “detail-oriented.”
EARNING ELEVATION… Increasing your knowledge and understanding that elevates your thinking.
GOOD GRIP… have a reasonably good understanding of your purpose.
PROPER POSITION… I’ve often said, “If you’re going to swing the bat, make sure you’re in the right ball park.” Stephen Covey said, “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.“
You may hear of people who climb the corporate ladder while others only use a step stool.
What’s the difference? The size of their thinking.
9 rungs on the ladder of Success
9 Rungs On The Ladder Of Success
Success is a subjective term. It means different things to different people.
To me it is accomplishments achieved, great gains and rewards realized.
The rungs on this ladder are listed alphabetically. You will want to incorporate each of them into your daily
life to attain the heights of success you so richly deserve.
1. DECISIVENESS. This rung of the ladder means being decisive to keep yourself on-purpose.
In the same way that you climb a ladder carefully, decision making is no different. Major decisions need to be thought through thoroughly, but even minor decisions can sometimes have more consequences than intended.
No successful conclusions are ever reached by being indecisive. Decisiveness is being firm-minded and assertive when necessary. Procrastination is the decision to not decide. If a bee is stinging you, I bet you’ll make a decision!
Be decisive. Communicate your intentions, in word and in deed.
Author, speaker, and activist Bryant Harrison McGill whose beautiful ideas can be found at Simple Reminders says,
“The world is starving for original and decisive leadership.“
2. DEDICATION. This rung on the ladder calls for wholehearted devotion and single-minded dedication. This kind of allegiance is the way to be fully committed and faithful to your purpose. Of course, this can only happen if you believe in yourself and what you wish to achieve. Apathy is the bane of dedication.
Paul “Bear” Bryant, college football coach, said,
“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.“
Cecil B. De Mille said,
“The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.“
3. DESIRE. This ladder rung is made up of internal inspiration. Desire is what we wish and long for. Our aims and ambitions are all geared towards it. It is the kind of fascination that keeps us hungry to succeed.
Confucius said,
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.“
Andrew Carnegie said,
“You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb.“
4. DETERMINATION. Success comes on the heels of those who climb this ladder rung.
Determination may just be the grittiest nation to live in. Hard work, combined with the true grit of dogged determination, yield great results.
Determination is comprised of a never-say-die attitude, constant conviction, fearless faith, and obstinate optimism that sees positive possibilities.
One of my favorites, Og Mandino said,
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.“
Ralph Marston, the Daily Motivator, says,
“You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.“
5. DILIGENCE This rung on the ladder is made up of active application, alert attention, constant care, earnest exertion, intense industry, and painstaking pertinacity.
A diligent person does everything in their power to leave no room for negligence.
This is what it means to do your “due diligence.”
Benjamin Franklin said,
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.“
Confucius said,
“The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.“
6. DISCIPLINE. This ladder rung known as discipline is comprised of controlling conduct, preparatory practice and regulated restraint.
Jim Rohn said,
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.“
He also recognized that discipline is not easy, that there is quite often pain associated to it.
Jim also said,
“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.“
Zig Ziglar said,
“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”
Stephen Covey said,
“Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.“
If you really want to be successful, be disciplined!
7. DREAMS. Without dreams, the sun won’t shine and the ship won’t sail.
This rung of the ladder is as solid as you dare make it. It is up in the clouded castles and sublime stars within the realms of creative concoctions, fanciful flights, and where imagination idealizes inventions.
I admit. I spend a lot of time on this rung.
Gail Devers said,
“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.“
Walt Disney said,
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.“
Eleanor Roosevelt said,
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.“
So dream BIG and dream often!
8. DRIVE. This ladder rung is what gives our goals guidance.
Drive is extra energy, initiative’s impulse motivation’s momentum, vigorous vitality and urges understanding.
Denis Waitley says,
“Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.“
Chuck Norris said,
“I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.“
Another of my favorites, Jack Welch said,
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.“
9. DYNAMISM. From a psychological perspective, dynamism is a habitual mode of eliminating tension. While it is very helpful to do this, I am referring to a different sense of dynamism. Dynamism is your main motivation wrapped up in energetic enterprise, intense interest, and powerful persuasion. When you have this, you are the irrestible magnet that draws people in, a force to be reckoned with.
Hillary Clinton says,
“Dynamism is a function of change.“
Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson Institute think tank, said,
“Projecting a persuasive image of a desirable and practical future is extremely important to high morale, to dynamism, to consensus, and in general to help the wheels of society turn smoothly.”
I’m sure there are more rungs on the ladder of success.
Ayn Rand said,
“The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.“
Robert H. Schuller said,
“Some people are at the top of the ladder, some are in the middle, still more are at the bottom, and a whole lot more don’t even know there is a ladder.”
Jesse Owens, American athlete and four time gold medalist said,
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
I value your thoughts…
How about you share what works well for you?
I appreciate your ideas and feedback. Please contribute your thoughts here. Thank you very much!
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