habits , but once a new habit has vested and becomes a routine , it becomes quite effortless .
Confucius mentioned reflection , imitation and experience , but of course , there are more . One is advice : learning from others . However , to benefit from advice , we need to be advisable . Let us be honest : we professionals can often be arrogant . But our chances of success will increase so much if we know what we do not know and then humble ourselves to advice . Our fate often depends on the quality of the advice we seek in areas such as choosing a profession , our health , the law and parenting , to mention a few . It would be wise to add personal finances to this list . The cost of good ( personal financial ) advice pales compared to the returns it renders or the losses it enables us to dodge .
Success usually depends on putting in the hard yards , focusing and persisting .
The difference between attainable and unattainable is often called determination . Ambition often ignites the journey to success , but persistence is the vehicle on that journey . Yet , to stay strong , we also need recuperation . We need to sharpen the axe . Our vitality hinges on a commitment to restoration . Being constantly very busy , overworked and stressed out is often not a reflection of our commitment but a reflection of our priorities . Energy replenishment is crucial to our long-term success . And my experience is that the best restorative breath-catchers are those that take us furthest away from our primary engagements .
Becoming truly successful when chasing goals often requires us to hone a particular skill through study , training and practice . It is the 10 000 hours Malcolm Gladwell writes about in his book Outliers : The Story of Success , his magic number when pursuing greatness . René Carayol calls it our spikes . We all have such “ genius ” in some form or another , as if born with it . But this edge will remain latent until we are clear about what it is and we put those hours in to really let it shine . We seldom find the words “ average ” and “ successful ” in the same sentence . The economy unashamedly favours expertise and scarcity of skill . A commitment to excellence and brilliance is a safe strategy on the road to success .
There are many other patterns to add , but space does not allow me . I shall conclude with a final reflection : our professional success does not have to stop when certain business careers are over . We were raised to believe that work has an expiry date . But as we move deeper into the 21 st century , we realise what an outdated concept “ retirement ” has become . Our experience at PPS is that many of our members never retire ; they just shift gears . Careers do not have to conclude because of a 60-something age in an employment contract or pension-fund rulebook . We do not even have to shut down our income engines because of arrangements conceptualised at a time when most people spent their working lives in physically demanding workplaces . We can repurpose our mastery , reboot ourselves and redefine our definitions of success .
And perhaps those definitions would have moved . It might be time to be done with the bigger plans and success goals and to aim for the tinier ones that work from individual to individual , of mentorship , teaching and guidance . Although seemingly small , they often , over time , yield big monuments of success . I am sure Emerson would concur : That is to have succeeded !
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