Position Yourself for Success

Learn the four elements to positioning yourself for success.

I will admit, I am one of the fortunate people who was in a good position for success.  The year was 1994 and I had recently graduated from college.  With access to many credit cards and a few bucks from odd jobs here and there, I had enough money to meet the few financial obligations I did have.  I was single and technically unemployed.  In a nutshell, I had plenty of time, some money, little responsibility, and absolutely no fear of risk.  Without knowing it, I managed to position myself for success.

The first element is time.  Without committing the proper time to any endeavor, there is little chance that it will succeed.  This does not mean that you need a lot of time on your hands, you just need enough time.  Before I started my first web hosting company, I knew that I needed to know more than I currently did about the Internet.  I devoted just an hour a day to programming, Internet marketing and web design.  That one hour a day was all I needed to get me started.  Had I committed only 15 minutes a day for those first couple of months, I would have been six months behind and may have missed the Internet "wave".

The second element is money.  I am not a believer in the saying "it takes money to make money".  I firmly believe that it takes ideas, persistence, and patience, among other things, to make money.  However, if you do not have enough money to keep your endeavor growing, the chances for success decrease.  Whatever your endeavor may be, make sure that the money you can commit to it is enough to at least keep it going.  Do not open a pet store if you don't have enough money to feed the animals.

The third element is responsibility.  As we approach middle age, we tend to take on more responsibilities.  These responsibilities often take up both our time and money, as well as occupy our minds with "more important" things.  Responsibility is the feeling of being responsible for something or someone.  Spending time and money on an endeavor that may or may not pay off seems "irresponsible" to most people.  If it is not possible to delegate some of your responsibilities, then at least have enough faith in your own ability to do more than you are currently doing.  The human spirit is an amazing thing when pushed past the comfort zone.

Finally, we have the element of risk.  Generally speaking, one's tolerance for risk is based on the first three elements of time, money, and responsibility.  Someone with plenty of time is more likely to risk investing their time.  Someone with plenty of money is more likely to risk investing their money.  And someone with little responsibility is more likely to takes risks than someone with more responsibilities.  It is important to remember that risk can be controlled; a sound idea, backed by a solid business plan, with ample financing, and a leader with enough faith and passion to see the plan through, is a sure formula for success.

Although it is not possible for all of us to go back to when we just finished school, or to another time when we were better positioned for success, we can alter our current position and attitude.  There is always something that you can do today, right now, that will put you in a better position for success.  Figure out what that something is, and do it.

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