When we look at highly successful and productive people, they often seem like aliens from a distant planet where failure and procrastination don’t exist as even a concept in their culture. They look like mysterious beings that somehow can do everything they set out to do. Distant and strange, it’s hard to relate to these highly productive and successful people. One of the reasons is that the average person doesn’t believe they can achieve the same level of success and productivity as those people. They make up excuses that validate the differences observed between themselves and the productive others. Those people are brilliant, talented, lucky, or were at the right place at the right time. Most people don’t feel as fortunate or that they don’t have the right ingredients to achieve the same level of success. Something’s always in their way, it’s not their time yet, or it just wasn’t meant to be.

I’m here to tell you all of that is false thinking. What if I told you that you can do practically anything you want to do, and all it’s going to take is 4 straightforward steps. These steps are the 4 pillars of success. Four steps that if you perform every single day, you will achieve success, you never thought possible. Want to write that novel you’ve been dreaming about? Done. Run a 10K, that’s easy. Get in better shape? Not even a challenge. What’s even more amazing is that these are the same four steps that nearly every productive and successful person has used to realize all of their goals. That means what I’m about to tell you is tested and pre-approved by the very best. These four pillars of success have worked for entrepreneurs, businessmen, presidents, and scientists alike. They’ve worked for everyone that’s used them, and they will work for you. But there is a catch, there’s always a catch. You HAVE to follow these steps, and you have to do so religiously. These steps have to be incorporated into your very being, you can’t cheat. Lastly, don’t be surprised because you’ve seen these steps before and they might seem obvious. They are, and you actually already know what the pillars of success are. As you read these next couple paragraphs, I want you to consciously remember one thing, that there’s a difference between thinking you know something and having that knowledge ingrained deeply into your being. You might now what I’m about to say, but are they ingrained into your very core?

Pillar I

A cousin to the Nike slogan just do it, the first pillar is just starting. As I’ve warned you before, we all know this. It’s common knowledge, yet so many people have a difficult time with this first step. So much so they never even make it past this point on the journey to their goals. You likely having something you’ve been putting of for a while now as you read this. Everyone has an intuitive understanding that nothing can ever be accomplished without this step. No matter how hard we desire something, we will never realize it if we never start. Everything you have done and accomplished in your life you’ve had to start first. Starting is the prerequisite of everything you want to do, have ever done, and will ever do. There is no way around it, the only way to accomplish your plans, your dreams, involves you taking that first step. The most exciting part of it all is that starting is the easiest step, yet many people fail at this earliest stage because they refuse to do so. It could be simply picking up a book right now and reading a couple pages if you want to read more. You could put on your tennis shoes and go for a brisk walk if you want to be in better shape, or just adding a side salad to your next lunch if you’re trying to eat healthier. All of these are straightforward and simple things to do.

People want to start, and they have good intentions, but good intentions are not actions. People make highly detailed plans of what they want to do, how they’re going to do it and so forth, they do everything except starting. The plans are so detailed, the path to success is clearly visualized, but for some reason now is not the right time. Why start something today when you can do it tomorrow, that would disturb the natural order. So while it seems very easy (and it is), starting is the most important step you can take RIGHT NOW to accomplishing whatever you want. If you master this one step, success beyond your dreams is not only possible but inevitable.

Pillar II

The second pillar is actually one side of a coin. You’ve started on your journey, and that’s great. The next thing you want to do is make sure you stay persistent (Pillar II). Whatever you start, you MUST give it an honest effort. You’ve started but to see results, you have to do the work. Few things worth accomplishing are one time actions. They require you to stick with them, meaning you have to follow the schedule you set for yourself. When was the last time you accomplished something meaningful by only working on it once? For 99.999% of people, the chances are that has never happened before. It’s going to take time, it will not be quick. The road to success goes on for miles upon miles. You will never get there if you don’t work towards your goals every day. There’s a quote that I like to refer to every day to make sure I’m on the right track. It is:

The difference between those who succeed and those who do not is that those who succeed show up to work every day while those who do not, don’t.

Unknown

I make sure to read this quote every single day when I wake up. I realize it’s easy to do something one time, everyone has attempted something once. Some even twice, or three, four and five times. But what about for a year? Now we’re getting somewhere, the year after that and the one after that? Persistence doesn’t have a fixed amount of time or repetition, persistence means showing up to work until you have finished the job, not one second before.

Pillar III

The third pillar and second side of the coin is never to give up. You’ve started on your journey, you’re persistent and working on your goals every single day. But what’s the point of all that effort if you give up before ever crossing the finish line? You end up back on square one, you almost might as well have never started. We’re all humans, and the world is a complicated place, we will have missteps no matter how much we plan. So if you missed a day of running, realize it’s ok. It’s ok to miss one but promise yourself to NEVER to miss two in a row. There are going to be obstacles on your journey to success, but you will conquer them all. The journey will be filled with obstacles, but that’s what makes it memorable and a great story. What do you think of this story, the prince set out to slay the dragon, he slayed the dragon, the end. Not very exciting, am I right? But if the prince had suffered some setback, it would make the story more exciting. Maybe he was overzealous at first, and the dragon beat him severely. Then he realized he had to do more training, get some more help, and play in a game of death before he could find the map to the dragon’s lair. Finally, after all the small trials, he’s able to defeat the dragon. I want to read that book. You have to realize on the path to success, setbacks are not a bug, they’re a feature.

When you eventually have a setback, because everyone does, you must ask yourself, why did you begin this journey in the first place? If it’s truly your dream and desire, would you give up on it so quickly? Would you give up when there’s no reason for stopping, and the reward for completing it is so great? If you realize that it’s something you don’t really want, that’s fine, at least you’re honest. Now you can refocus your energy and efforts into something more meaningful to you. But whatever it is you do decide to start, make sure you’re persistent and never give up….because they’re your goals, and your goals are not worth giving up on, they’re worth fighting for.

Pillar IV

If you have implemented the first three pillars of success, then realize that you have done everything to put yourself in the best possible position for success. You have planted the seed that will grow and bear fruit, and you’re watering it every day. Now it’s out of your hands, it’s in the hands of time. You can think of the successful implementation of the 4 pillars as having a well-calibrated compass for a trip that you want to take. A well-calibrated will help you navigate your environment and take you to your destination like the 4 pillars will help you navigate your life and help you achieve all your goals. Each leg of the 4 pillars is an action that needs to occur for you to get to your destination.

Whenever you want to go somewhere, the first thing you have to do is to start heading towards that direction. Next, you need need to make sure you’re always moving towards your destination. On your trip, you’re almost definitely going to encounter red lights, stop signs, and other road hazards, all of which will temporarily slow you down. However, I can probably guarantee that you’ve never come up to a stop sign, told your self that this won’t work and turned back around and drove back home. You kept going, or if you hit traffic, you searched for an alternate route, but you’ve never turned around to go back home. As you keep driving towards your destination, with enough time, you always get to where you were going without fail. It may have taken a little longer than expected, you might have had a couple of unexpected detours, but you always get to your destination. This is how the 4 pillars work, as a compass that will guide you to anything you want in your life.

I’ve given you the keys to help you set the foundation to succeed in whatever you set your mind to. As I’ve mentioned earlier, these are not ancient deep secrets of the universe. These are fundamental ideas that every successful person has used to achieve their success, and most of us have an innate understanding of these ideas. However, the difference is thinking we know these principles, and knowing how to apply them. These rules might seem too simple, that they can’t possibly be the reasons why some people achieve tremendous success and others don’t. People want to believe that the path to success is more complicated, the rules should be more intricate and complex. I’m happy to tell you, that is not the case. Success is actually as simple as following these steps. The real question is, are you going to follow them? You have the information, are you going to go back to business as usual? Or are you going to dedicate yourself to these 4 principles? With everything you want to accomplish in life, are you ready to take that first step?