15 Ideas and Secrets to Sucess

1. Idea Starts with You – Ever wondered why whenever you are asked to test a pen, you start with your own name. An idea starts with the individual that is why the word begins with the letter “I”. Every successful entrepreneur is an embodiment of an idea which eventually becomes a strong part of his/her personal identity. An idea is birthed in a person’s womb, but does not end there. Believe in yourself. Believe also in your creativity and continuous innovation. Opportunity is always where you are, never where you were.
   
2. Ideas Move on Time – In order to make a fine steel, you should strike the iron while it is hot. Do not procrastinate. Do not leave for tomorrow what could have been done today. There is always a heavy demand for fresh mediocrity but you should not give in to it. Life’s most important questions can be found in asking the right questions at the right time and place.
   
3. Ideas Need a Host – An idea needs someone to accommodate and initiate it into existence. Without a host, an idea cannot manifest. When an idea unveils itself and you ignore it, it leaves to find another host. Every renowned entrepreneur played host to an idea which in turn made them rich. If you do not decide what is important in your life, someone else will decide for you.
   
4. Ideas Need Someone’s Life to Live – Ideas do not have a life of their own, so they need the life of the host to grow and blossom. This means the host needs to give it attention, dedication, and commitment. That is why you find out that all successful business people are committed to making their business thrive. They are sold out to the business with their lives, and this gives room for the business to soar and succeed. It is better to fail in doing something than to succeed in doing nothing.
   
5. Ideas Need Thick Skin – Ducks have feathers that are tight and their density act like oil – it keeps the duck dry and warm. So when water lands on the back of a duck, it simply rolls off. You must develop the thick feathers of a duck if you want to be successful. Let criticism roll off your back in a similar manner. You cannot be easily offended or hurt if you want to be successful. There will always be people who are jealous or envious or out to bring someone else down. You must develop a way to see past and let it roll off your back, like water off a duck’s back.
   
6. Ideas Become You – Think of Bill Gates and Microsoft flashes in your mind. Warren Buffet is Berkshire Hathaway, and Berkshire Hathaway is Warren Buffet. When people think of that idea, your name must surface, and where your name shows up, the idea must also be seen. You were made on purpose for a purpose. Hold the image of the life you want and make the image become fact.
   
7. Ideas Never Start Big – True greatness consists of being great in little things. Ideas expand overtime and not over night. That is essential, never to downplay the days of small beginnings. To make it big you must start small. Great things are birthed on a small scale. The only way to learn anything thoroughly is by starting at the bottom (except swimming). Small steps are a big idea and you should start where you are.
   
8. Ideas Needs People – People in your business are your greatest assets. Yes, the idea starts with you, but it must grow beyond you too. You need to leverage on people’s expertise if your idea must grow wings and fly high. Sit down with teachers, traders and foremen and they will tell you that people’s skills make the difference between those who succeed and those who do not. All of life’s successes come from initiating relationships with the right people and then strengthening those relationships by using good skills. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other”.
   
9. Ideas Have to Be Pursued – The proof that you believe in an idea is that you are committed to pursuing it till it works. You need to understand that racing to the top won’t occur immediately. So when you pursue the idea, be committed to the plan, and nothing shall be impossible to attain. Your belief is the vital vitamin your idea needs to grow on. The richest man in Africa (according to Forbes), Alhaji Aliko Dangote, discovered this philosophy. He said “my secret to success is hard work and taking up challenges. As a human being, if you set a target for yourself or you get close to it, make sure you achieve it”. Remember, unless you enter the beehive, you cannot take the honey.
   
10. Ideas Need Purpose – Your purpose should be an overriding passion, ideology and a sense of calling for your life and work. You need a plan to bring your idea into reality. To make your idea intelligible to people, you need to draft it, that is, put it to pen and paper. Its not just enough to think it, you must also do well to ink it, because ideas do not come to fruition without embracing the virtue of planning. Break goals down into manageable chunks. Bill Gates said he had a sense of calling that he would be a major player in the age of the personal computer and he pursued it.
    
11. Ideas Feed on Knowledge – Knowledge is power. What you know gives you an edge in life’s centre stage, as a result. Its vital to know everything about your idea. The more intelligent you are, the bigger the idea. Equip your mind, renew your mind, since an idea cannot grow beyond the knowledge you have fed it with. Read, study, and stretch your mind so as to become a resource person in the pursuit of your idea.
    
12. Ideas Move When You Move – Henry Ford’s idea made cars available to all, and Philo Farnsworth’s idea created the television. Think of your ideas can create. Never wait till you have all it takes to get started. You already have what it demands to succeed. Move! Take action. Make it happen. Talk to people who can add and multiply the grandeur of the idea you are carrying within you. Remember, don’t quit after a victory. If at first you succeed, try something harder. Any time you fail, pick something up.
    
13. Ideas Do Not Give Excuses – Comparison is never proof of anything. Find a way of lifting people up and not putting them down. Give thanks and be grateful. There is no excuse for being full of excuses. The secret to living is caring for others, daring for others and sharing with others. Develop an `I can’ attitude.
    
14. Ideas Conquer Fear – Fear is a poor chisel to carve out your tomorrow. Avoid flying into a rage unless you are prepared for a rough landing. Tom Hopkins says that “the single most important difference between champion achievers and average people is their ability to handle rejection and failure”. Thomas Edison says “People are not remembered by how few times they failed, but by how often they succeed”. Louis Boone said “Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things”. Dale Carnegie wrote “An old man was asked what had robbed him of joy in his life. His reply was, things that never happened”. Release your fear through prayer to God. Remember fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Joyce Meyer, the Evangelical speaker says “if you are afraid to do it, just do it afraid”. No one will blame you for being fearful, what you will be blamed for is letting that fear immobilize you.
    
15. Ideas Do Not Accept Defeat – Never take no for an answer. Success favours the bold. The world is a book in which those who do not take risks read only one page. Keep on hitting; keep on trying. If your life is ever going to get better, you will have to take risks. Be yourself, be positive, be decisive, be persistent, be excellent. Hold the image of the life you want and make the image become fact. Drop the 3 Ls – Lack, Loss and Limitation from your vocabulary.