The three main skills of success: Consistency, Motivation and SACRIFICE

Guest blog by ​Guido Sironi

Everyday new companies and individuals start from nothing, step up to fame, notoriety and wealth. Yes, it can happen and you can do it too.  What is the secret behind turning all these great ideas into successful businesses? Unfortunately, there is no secret to success, you need to be consistent, be willing to make compromises and sacrifices and to have the motivation. It's easy when faced with an obstacle, to look for the simplest and easiest way out and when the obstacles become too many or too great, give up. This is what we need to fight through and the reason we need to be consistent to reach our objectives. 


How do we become consistent? What works for me is to make what I want to achieve the priority in my day.  Then I transform my priorities into habits and routines that I stick to as weeks, months or even years progress. If you try this, habits will blend into your lifestyle. Whenever you do not successfully complete something, if its a big part of your routine you will be alerted that your day was not quite right and something was missing. But when you accomplish your task, you should feel a sense satisfaction, that will drive you down the road to success in whatever it is you are trying to achieve. 

Another reason why we might give up on our goals is people tend to lose more motivation the longer they are unproductive. But, how do we stay motivated for longer periods of time and while juggling multiple projects? If you are doing something in which you believe in, or are passionate about, that motivation will not fade, because whenever you want to give up, the thought of the initial decision will spur you on. It's important to understand what motivates you and what will push you to continuously want to improve and increase your work-load. 

To sacrifice is to understand what needs to be accomplished and what you are prepared to do and give up to achieve your goals. Even though sacrifice might not seem like the most comfortable option in the short-term, it can pay dividends in the long-term. Instead of wasting hours on Netflix, try learn a new skill, try find a part-time job that you enjoy and can use as a “hobby”, try aspire for something greater rather than accepting your reality. 

This is what a portfolio career is about, standing up for yourself and trying to achieve something greater. With time, people will see the motivation, consistency and sacrifice in you and they will appreciate and respect that. Others thinking highly of you will also paint you as an inspiration and then you will be able to motivate others as a consequence of your actions. 

Still not sure how to succeed? Let me tell you about my motivation to work out at the gym. To be consistent and achieve a physical goal you need a lot of mental strength. Some people think being a 'Meathead' is about vanity, disrespect and feeling superior, but even when this is the case, the 'Meathead' will usually have heaps of motivation and consistency. This means dragging yourself to the gym 5/6 times a week, keeping a healthy and clean diet and setting priorities. These priorities might involve staying home at night and getting a good meal and good nights rest, rather than going out for dinner and to the club for drinks. This might seem impossible to some people, but with motivation, consistency, sacrifice, and always keeping the final goal in mind, it becomes a lifestyle. All this hardwork might seem like torture but it evolves into something enjoyable. 

I will leave you as I started, with three things, the three main skills of success. Learn what you love to do, make it a priority, and make a success of it! 

Many thanks to our guest blogger Guido Sironi