Different people have different definitions of success. But mostly people equate success with the amount of money one makes. Parents force children to study and do well so that they get into good careers later on that makes money, professionals slog hours into the night so as to get a better rating in the yearly appraisals…stepping towards their dreams of a better house, better car, better clothes, better life style, all of which can only be got with more money. Undoubtedly, most of the world defines success as achievement in one’s line of work coupled with a good lifestyle, in short having enough money. Basically if you are rich, you are successful and that’s it.
So how does one make money?
Sachin Mittal says there are no shortcuts to this. You need to work hard for it. It is only in the dictionary that the word ‘money’ comes before ‘work’. In life it is always the other way round. You can argue about accidental successes like winning a lottery and the like. “But I’m talking about the strategy to make money in a planned way, consistently. Moreover, many people work hard, but does everyone make money as much as they would want to? Or could have? The answer is no. Simply because they all follow a wrong strategy.”
So what is the strategy to make money?
Most people work for money, which is precisely why it never comes to them, says Sachin. Think of money as a beautiful and proud woman. She will never go to people who run after her but only to those who have quality, who run after more meaningful things. Money is exactly like that. It is not a byproduct of success. Never has been. It is a byproduct of excellence. When you run towards excelling in something, you don’t need to run after money anymore. It will most definitely come to you.
Excellence – The Mantra for Success
Think about it…whatever you do every day…the work you do, the decisions you take, the behavior you put on, everything you are doing, is to make money, right? That is precisely the problem! Have you done anything to excel in something? Maybe not. And that is exactly what you should be doing. It is only by passionately driving oneself to achieve excellence is how one can achieve real success and earn the consistent byproduct of it…money.
Steps?
Here Sachin Mittal mentions the steps towards attaining excellence so that money comes running to you:
- Take a backseat and look at your life neutrally. Are you doing what you really like? Or are you doing it just because you want to earn? Answer yourself honestly.
- If you are just working for the monthly payroll, if Mondays almost kill you and every hour is a countdown towards 5pm and every day a countdown towards your monthly paycheck, then you are doing it wrong. Take a step back and neutrally see your life. What do you really want to do? Most importantly, what do you think you are really good at?
- Once you know what you are really good at…it might be a specific job role, or in a specific task that’s part of your overall role or in a different field altogether, think about how to excel in that particular aspect. For example, if you think you are good in accounting, think about how you can excel in it. What should you become so as to be the very best in that, so that you become irreplaceable?
- Once you start doing this, you will realize that your work and decisions are streamlined towards attaining excellence, and not just to make money. This is the turning point. Once you cross this, there’s no looking back. It will make a difference to the work you do as well as what you feel about the work you do. Also, it will make a difference to the way your coworkers and seniors look at you.
Once you excel in something, you become the best and you become irreplaceable. And that is when you dictate terms and people and money run after you. Just remember – money is a byproduct of excellence and nothing else, and when you excel, you are on your way to creating your own destiny.
