The 9 Commitments Required to Succeed Your decision to pursue success is not the safe path. Be ready, flexible and willing to do whatever is required.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
To be successful requires certain commitments. We must accept that not all things are going to go our way. When we experience challenge, or any sort of delay along our path, it is easy to become consumed with frustrations, and to entertain thoughts of defeat. When we are experiencing hardship, we are unable to make any real sense of our emotions. We're not capable of making the best decisions, and we're unable to see how things are going to turn around. Although you may not be in control of the events you're stuck in right now, you must keep your commitments to success, and you will eventually get there.
1. Stay true to yourself.
Just because the path you're on was once clear and now is not, it doesn't mean that you abandon your mission. Commit to keeping your eye on the ball. If the way things have been done are no longer working, dare to things a bit differently; even if it means going against status quo. Do what you have to do, but do it ethically and without badmouthing or stepping on others to get your way. You do you. Stay true to your values, your convictions, your work ethic, and do it with your own unique flavor. You are not a repeatable experience, so keep pressing forward in the way that only you can.
Related: What Great Brands Know: Commit and Stay Committed
2. Reclaim your agenda.
Nothing burns more ruthlessly inside us than the frustration of pursuing our dream without making progress. When you are in times of uncertainty, commit to reclaiming your direction. Get back to your heart, and the passion of your original vision. When you get back in touch with the "why' of what you're doing, it resets your agenda. It also ignites the motivation you need to keep moving forward. The more you map your direction, the more you can adjust your sails. Things become clear when you write them down; therefore, never minimize the effectiveness of this simple but powerful task. You are much more likely to achieve the things you write down then the things you don't.
3. Create long term goals.
Uncertainty isn't your destination. Part of resetting your agenda is to revamp, or even create new long term goals. Commit to creating goals that will upgrade your current level of success. Goals provide you with vision and direction, and give you a direct way to measure your progress. Striving to meet your longer-term goals gives you the insight into what smaller goals need to be achieved to create the path to those bigger picture goals. Your long-term goals are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They are the benchmarks you need, out in front of you, to keep you directed and motivated. Your longer-term goals drive hope and put you into action. The closer you get the them, the happier your life becomes.
Related: The Entrepreneur's Secret Weapon: Persistence. (See General Grant.)
4. Turn terrors to triumph.
When you suffer, you learn, you grow and you move forward. Commit to the mindset that things change so they can get better. When in times of uncertainty, you must be unbending, focused and diligent in advancing your career, changing your directions, and getting where you want to go with renewed hope and inspiration. Uncertain times are not the times to slow down and be defeated. It's healthy to ask if you're on the right path. You should do this often, as asking questions ignites innovative thought. When you can answer these types of questions, you are less likely to get sidetracked. Questions helps you reorient yourself, to lift your head, and to turn uncertainty to clarity.
5. Be what you envision.
What is your vision of how a more successful person than yourself would handle uncertain and lost times in their career? Grab onto what you envision and live that idea out in your own life. Commit to being composed. Cultivate the maturity you need to handle yourself thoughtfully. Rushing and avoiding both signify fear, impulsivity and reactivity. Commit your movement forward to be step-by-step; focused only on hitting the ball that is in front of you. If you're going to move on to the next step, you want to do this mindfully and with a sense of completion to the step you were just in. Working in this way, steps are not skipped and you come to see where you must champion for your own rights, and succeed against adversity.
Related: 8 Questions to Refocus Your Vision and Achieve Success
6. Take care of yourself.
In any meaningful endeavor, you must commit to building yourself up from the floor, time and time again. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself, pamper yourself and to be your number one priority; especially if you've been in a background position for a while. When the world outside of you feels exhausting, pull back and rest. All great warriors need rest. Rest does not mean stop, or quit; it means refuel. The level of respect and passion you have for yourself, as an individual, is what will be mirrored back to you from the outside world.
7. Take the long road.
There is no quick path to success. Do not take short cuts, lie, cheat or steal to get yourself to the top. Commit to succeeding honestly and with a sense of integrity and patience. The harder you work, the greater the benefits you will reap; especially when it comes to reputation. The thing about cheaters, liars or drama-creators is the truth is like cream in coffee, it will eventually rise to the surface and expose all the short cuts, drama, gossip and undermined deception that got them to the top. These types may rise quickly, but their fall will be deadly. Don't compare yourself to others. You do you. Believe in what you do so deeply that you commit to your own success with an unwavering faith in your purpose; and you will succeed.
Related: What's Behind a 10-Year 'Overnight' Success?
8. Keep perspective.
Commit to not allowing a bad time period in your life become your permanent state of mind. Of course, the journey to success lasts much longer than a day; however, in the course of a lifetime, the uncertain times are truly just a blip in time as you travel the path to realize your dreams. Success, like anything else in life, waxes and wanes. Don't let a temporary trip through a hard time influence your personality and perspective from that point forward to be pessimistic. Down times are there to raise your basic level of training. Make it your commitment to get better, not bitter.
9. The time is now.
You cannot want for success and wait for it come your way. You have to go out and grab it. Whether you're just starting your journey, you're trying to make your numbers to make Club, or you're on the executive track and want to move up; commit to making yourself seen. Your hard work, the quality of that work, and the way you treat people is what needs to happen right now to get you to the next level.
If you are not happy with where you are, you have three choices to make; First, you can continue doing you what don't like to do, or second, you can work to change your perception on what you're doing and find ways to enjoy it; or third, you can be bold and change your direction and approach completely. Choice three means you commit to risking the familiar to create the unfamiliar. We must make the commitment over and over again to risk. There can be no real success without great risk. Be ready, be flexible and most importantly, be willing.
