The Elements of Success

For anything to catch fire, for anything to burn, three things must be present: Oxygen, Fuel and Heat.

Unless all three are present, there can be no fire.

And, unless these elements continue to exist, the fire will not continue to burn.

What’s more, fuel is the one element that needs to be renewed for a fire to continue to burn.

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Success is similar in that certain elements must be present, and be replenished over time.

Clarity

First, one must be clear about what they want. What they want to create. Who they want to be. How they want the world to be different because they lived.

You could say that clarity is the “oxygen” of success.

Passion

You could say that passion is the “heat” of success. It’s the drive to do things, to make things better and more beautiful. It’s the motive behind action. It’s what is felt, but not necessarily seen.

Discipline

Discipline is the fuel of success. It is the element that needs to be renewed, continually, over time.

Discipline is taking Clarity and Passion and putting them together, day after day, hour after hour, minute by minute.

Discipline is your habits.

What do you consistently do?

What have you decided is a priority?

What comes before the things you merely would like to do?

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Achieving things large and small, routine and grand, requires you to marshal the three elements.

It also requires that you understand and manage the elements:

Too much Clarity – i.e. too much information, too much thinking – will snuff out success (just like wind can sometimes blow a fire out).

Too much Passion will raise the “temperature” too high and you’ll burn out.

Too much Discipline will make things too rigid, so un-fun that your spirit will rebel and demand spontaneity and frivolity.

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Success is a practice and when you bring an understanding of the necessary elements to your practice you will do great things. And, enjoy the process.