Rise to Wisdom - 5 Critical lessons for success

Welcome to another episode of Rise to Wisdom. On this week's episode of Rise to Wisdom we will take a look at the topic: ''5 Critical lessons for success'.

1: How to Make Important Decisions
What good would it do to make a stop “on the journey of life” in a direction that it is almost completely opposite of where you're headed? When you’re faced with a difficult decision, you must always ask yourself, which decision best supports my long-term goals? Which decision builds on where I’m trying to go? It’s like good debt versus bad debt.

Debt that is good is debt that can produce for your future, things like stocks and bonds. A good decision will produce good results in your future. A bad decision is like bad debt, long after the decision is made, or the money is spent, it can still cause problem. Everyday should be lived as to build on something, and then eventually you will have built a solid life.

2: Realize That Decisions Decide Destinies
More than any other factor, your decisions are deciding exactly where you end up in life. Changing your decisions will change you life! More than any other factor, your decisions are deciding exactly where you end up in life. Changing your decisions will change your life! How simple, yet how profound. Your decisions will determine if you become rich or poor, happy or depressed, healthy or sick.

You are in control, never forget that…

3: Don’t Feed the Beast
There is a beast nature in all of us, and that beast nature will sabotage our success if we allow it to. We all have “beastly tendencies,” and if we give ourselves over to them, if we feed them, they will surely flourish and take over our lives. It’s critical that we starve these tendencies, and feed our talents and our gifts. When you feed the beast, when you give attention to the beast nature, the beast nature flourishes; the beast will eventually destroy you. It may be a beast of anger, of greed, of overeating, of lust, of lying; whatever the beast, don’t feed it. Spend your energy, focus your thoughts, and make the decision to consciously ponder on thoughts of peace, love and pleasantness. 

Slay the beast by changing your thoughts, and you’ll never have to worry about the beast, slaying you.

4: Manage the Lows
If you can “manage the lows,” you can achieve almost any goal. Anyone can work towards their goals when things are going great. We can all get things done when there are no obstacles blocking us, but the key to success is to get the things done especially when there are things blocking you. The power of the successful lies in their ability to maneuver around difficult situations, to master the lows. The lows cause the successful to grow stronger, instead of growing weaker. The successful shine, when others are collapsing.

If you can manage the lows, if you can be strong when you should be weak, you will succeed; you will be a leader.

5: Recognize the Power of Monthly Goals
Every year you should have a primary goal. That primary goal should be supported by 12 monthly goals. The 12 monthly goals are the 12 pillars that support the realization of the primary goal, without the pillars supporting the primary goal; the primary goal will crumble under the pressure of life. 

Instead of the goal being realized, it will remain in a dream state. Every month you should have a goal that stretches you towards your primary goal. If you happen to reach the goal, stretch your next month’s goal a little further. Keep stretching until your maximizing your potential. When you begin to maximize your potential, that’s when you’re on the road to success.

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For me the one that speaks the most is don't feed the beast. We all have those tendencies of selfishness, greed, lying, anger, pride, etc. We must NOT feed the beast, cause it will devour us and stop us from succeeding.

I also love "managing the lows." The truth is that when we hear about successful people, how many of their failures do we really hear about? Failures, lows, and valleys are part of life and the journey to success. We must learn that lows will come and we will pass through it.

So what do you think of the critical lessons? Which one of these speaks to you the most?