There are numerous books and publications out there selling their theories of how to become successful. They all sound good and have lots of testimonials to their “truth” and “wisdom”. You could spend a fortune, however, buying in to all of the plans you’ll find in the local bookstore or your email inbox and still not reach the lofty heights occupied by men such as Donald Trump or Warren Buffet. The reality is that success is a simple process that doesn’t require huge wads of money or slick salesmen in expensive suits. To truly become successful requires a simple step forward and then a simple plan to keep moving once a direction is chosen. Instead of jumping on the “Freeway to Success” or the “Elevator to the Top”, all you really need is to step off the curb and cross the street. In fact, I’m going to give you all the tools you need right here to be successful, and I’m not going to charge a penny for them.

    If you think social achievements are a mark of success, I could point out that I’m a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy and a retired Naval Aviator. I’ve studied politics and economics at home and abroad. I managed multi-million dollar government programs in Brazil and sailed a 25-year old boat around Mexico on a shoestring and a prayer. I have a shadow box full of medals and campaign ribbons, and boxes full of certificates and plaques. I’ve seen the world. I’ve set foot in sixty countries. I’ve walked the dusty streets of Djibouti, Africa and photographed the Moai statues of Easter Island. I’ve played poker in Las Vegas and Blackjack in Brisbane. Hell, some of my friends are quick to point out that they live “vicariously” through my life and adventures. Sometimes I let the government pay the bill, and other times I just found a way. The key is that no matter what I wanted to do, I found a way.

What about all those fancy things that many people find so enticing? I decide whether my life is successful and the only measure that matters is how I feel about my place in the world. That should be your yardstick as well.

Finding a way, though, doesn’t mean aimlessly opening doors looking for the right one. Finding your way to success does require a map or guidebook, a plan. That’s what the construction principles of success provide, a self tailored plan to achieving your true goals. Not someone else’s idealized vision of success. There are only four steps. They are simple and I’ve boiled them down to the basics here for those of you who want things quick. 

A Four-Step Process to Constructing Success

Step 1: Visualization

    As in any endeavor, you need to know what you want. Visualizing in your mind what you want to achieve is always the first step towards success. Put yourself in the picture. Where are you going? What do you want? What will your future look like? Sit back and see what your success looks like. Don’t worry about minute details in Step 1…think big! Once you know what you want, take that vision and write it down!

Step 2: Blue-printing

    Once your vision is on paper, break it down into smaller pieces and write them down! If your vision involves a particular place, write that down. If it involves doing a particular thing, write that down. If you want to flow chart your plan, go ahead. It doesn’t matter if you have a stack of “Post-its” or a computer generated project with color-coding and animated paperclips. Just put it in a solid form that you can see and touch. This is a process of constructing success. If nothing is put into concrete form, you will not be able to finish the project. Here is where you want to dwell on details. What you are doing is creating a list of goals. Some will be long term, some will be short term, but they should all be written down and they should all be a step in reaching the larger vision.

Step 3: Construction

    Once you have the blueprint, a list of goals, create projects to achieve those goals. These projects are the specific things you need to do to arrive at one of the blueprint goals. For example: One of your goals is to play in a big money poker tournament. Your projects may be:

a. Start savings account for tournament entry fee.

b. Learn the rules of Texas Hold’em.

c. Buy books on poker tournament strategy.

d. Play computer-simulated tournaments.

e. Enter on-line tournaments.

f. Play live daily tournaments on vacation in Las Vegas.

g. Buy a seat to the World Series Tournament.

This is just an example, but the process is the same whether you want to buy a house on a tropical island or exhibit a sculpture in a public gallery. Break the goal down into achievable steps, or projects, and execute them one-by-one. What you’ll find in many cases is that education plays a pivotal role in achieving certain goals. Don’t be afraid of learning. Seek it out and soak up every bit of knowledge that leads to achieving one of your goals.

Step 4: Maintenance & Renovation

    Finally, you need feedback and process improvement to really make things happen. Yes, I hate the big words, but sometimes they’re necessary. Take a step back every now and then and look at your complete plan. What is working well, and what is not working at all. No one is perfect and external factors always have a way of diverting our attention and resources. Do some maintenance on the plan. Make adjustments to your projects, or change a goal if appropriate. Remember, you are the architect of your own success. If you decide that the poker tournament isn’t as important as the sail trip to the Bahamas, fine. Make the adjustments and continue on. It’s OK to change your mind, but always keep an eye on the big vision, your end state, and always remember to write it down!

    If you find yourself in the admirable position of having achieved your vision, or you decide that your entire plan is in need of change, you basically enter Renovation. Return to Step 1 and start the process again for a new vision or a modified vision of your success.

That’s it. Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? It actually is simple. The major downfall of most people is a lack of concrete planning. The human brain is a marvelous device. Nearly everyone is capable of implementing a simple program for success, but most do not. Why? Is it a lack of focus? Maybe. Is it a lack of planning? Certainly. If you have a concrete goal and a plan to get there, your mind will find a way to execute. If you don’t have a blueprint, what you build will most likely not be what you envisioned. One last time, write it down!

If you’re looking for more in-depth information, feel free to email me and I’ll be happy to discuss things with you.

Copyright 2006, Floyd L. Devine

The public use, distribution or duplication of this text without the express written consent of the author is prohibited. “Constructing Success” is the sole property of the author.