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What do I Know about Success?

Written by: Jim Bouchard

Article Overview: I recently faced an interesting challenge when a well-meaning advisor asked me exactly why people should believe that the Dynamic Components of Personal Power should work. His contention was that I had not yet reached the level of success I’ve set for myself, so why would I be teaching others how to create success?

What do I Know about Success?

I recently faced an interesting challenge when a well-meaning advisor asked me exactly why people should believe that the Dynamic Components of Personal Power should work. His contention was that I had not yet reached the level of success I’ve set for myself, so why would I be teaching others how to create success?

The second chapter of “Dynamic Components of Personal Power” starts with this story:

Student: Master, I’ve studied, I’ve worked hard, I’ve done all that you’ve asked of me. Still, I really don’t understand who I am and what I’m supposed to do with my life.

Master: What do you want from me?

Student: You’ve lived a long time, you’ve been all over the world, you’ve done everything! Can’t you tell me what to do? Can’t you help me figure out who I am?

Master: I do know a teacher who can help you with this problem…I’m not him.

Student: Where can I find this teacher?

Master: Go look in the mirror!

A constant them throughout the Dynamic Components is that you are the only person responsible for defining and creating your personal success. I am the only person responsible for creating mine.

Throughout my life I’ve had a number of successes and a number of failures. Part of my personal definition of success is that despite failures that knock most people out; I’ve refused to stay down. If I’ve been knocked down seven times, I’ve gotten up eight.

I have not always been that way. At some point in my life I decided to cultivate perseverance. In this I have succeeded and will continue to succeed.

Before I became a professional martial artist, my goal was to become a professional musician. At that time in my life I had little understanding of the Dynamic Components of Personal Power. I remember one band meeting in which two of us had the audacity to stand up and say that within a year, we’d have an album done, at least one song on the radio and we’d be opening for some major star. We had no idea how to do it; we only knew that we would.

After the laughter died down, my friend Garth Adams and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work. In a few months we had our album finished. A couple of weeks later we enjoyed one of the most incredible moments in a musician’s life as we drove through New Hampshire and heard one of our original songs playing on a major FM radio station. In a few more weeks we were the opening act for Dolly Parton at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

This should have been a moment of enlightenment. I didn’t recognize these opportunities as the product of our hard work, motivation and focus. Instead, I somehow convinced myself that all these opportunities were mostly the result of some good luck and timing. At least I had started to understand the importance of good timing!

Strange…Somehow I felt responsible for the failure, yet I couldn’t seem to give myself any credit for the success. I had success without even realizing it. I had success, but I did not yet possess Personal Power. In fact, our band soon dissolved and rather than looking at the whole adventure as a success, I saw it as a failure. Despite this and many other remarkable experiences I’ve had, I somehow felt that my opportunities were the product of luck, fate, or the result of someone else’s good graces.

At around the same time in my life, I found the martial arts. In fact, I remember a particularly down day when I took a walk a few blocks from my apartment and happened on a large sign hanging from a building: KARATE. What the heck, I went inside…

It would make a neat story to say that from the first time I walked into the “dojo” my life was transformed and I became a self-aware and self-confident person. Life seldom works that way. During the first two or three years of martial arts practice I almost quit several times. I didn’t think I had it in me to do the work necessary to earn the black belt.

Somehow I kept going. There was plenty of pain and doubt, but each year I progressed and learned a little more about myself. Since then I’ve earned several black belt ranks, I’ve been certified as a Master with Cane Masters International Association, I’ve been inducted into the US Black Belt Hall of Fame, I’ve created my own cane system and I’ve been featured in “Inside Kung Fu” magazine.

When I opened my first school in 1994, my goal was simply to share the benefits of martial arts training with others. In 1997 I founded my own martial arts organization, Northern Chi Martial Arts Centers. Since that time my organization has certified over 100 Black Belts from 4 centers and we’ve shared the arts with thousands of students.

Success?

My work has influenced many lives and even transformed some. Students thank me for making a difference in their lives; parents thank me for being a positive force in the lives of their children.

However, in a strictly business sense, I’d have to agree with my advisor; I’m no where near the level of financial success I envision for myself. My martial arts business has generated over a million dollars. The problem is, and I’m sure many of you in business can relate, it took well over a million to make it! While my martial arts program has helped many people realize greater potential and success in life, including me, it is still not, in itself, a financial success. I’ve still had to invest and borrow to keep the dream alive.

Am I successful, or to date, have I failed?

The answer is up to me. I had better choose my answer carefully, this answer points toward my success…or failure.

I have not yet reached my financial goals, so as my advisor asked, what makes me qualified to share the Dynamic Components with you? What gives me the right?

It’s not only my right, but my obligation to share the Dynamic Components of Personal Power with you…NOW!

These ideas are working in my life. The Dynamic Components have kept me going when others would quit. They’ve helped me build a clear vision of personal success; a success I’m now beginning to realize. This philosophy helped me realize my personal responsibility in creating my success. My success now and in the future is not a matter of luck; my present and future success is the product of personal motivation and discipline applied with dedication and perseverance over time.

I could wait until my journey has reached some specified destination, then come back and tell you about it, but…

Let’s say metaphorically that I’m going for a 3 week vacation in the Caribbean. I’ll give you a choice; I can come back from my vacation and show you a five hour slide show and tell you all about what a great time I had, or…you can come to the islands with me.

Which would you prefer?

At the core of my philosophy is this intrinsic fact: to produce success we must first start with POWER. You need an abundance of Personal Power to drive any vision of success. You need energy to make your success system work.

Power is the first step, not the last. Develop Personal Power through motivation and discipline over time. Start now. Cultivate the sources of human power in body, mind and spirit. Then apply your power with balance, focus and timing.

Start now…Continue tomorrow…Repeat.

That’s the formula.

When would you like to start?

Related Articles
  What Success Means to People
  Success: What Does It Mean To You?
  What is Your Personal Definition of Success?
  Success Demands You Must Go Where You’ve Never Gone Before by Doing What You’ve Never Done Before
  The Role of Self-Confidence in Success

Article Tags: audacity, contention, dynamic components, laughter, little understanding, long time, martial artist, mirror, perseverance, personal definition, personal power, personal success, professional musician, seven times, song on the radio, successes, time in my life, well meaning



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Re: Success - I study success intently, and would like to share: Here's two excellent and nearly identical success-formulas from a couple of the world's masters. FIRST FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Clear, Definite Purpose 3. Committed Decision 4. Take Action In Faith (Bonus Secret Sauce: 5. Repeat Consistently) I made a video about this, but am not allowed to link it yet. Google "Ryze Success Steps" for it. Oh, and this is Napoleon Hill's (Master Of Success Laws)'s Formula. SECOND FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Understand It Is Already Done (Faith) 3. Relax & Allow It To Unfold (Go about your life calmly) This one is courtesy of Abraham-Hicks (inspiration for the movie The Secret). Hope that helps!
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