What Is Your Recipe for Success?

What is your secret formula for success – your own personal recipe?  What are the ingredients?  What about yourself contributes to your success?  Can you sum it up in 3 to 5 points?

I asked myself this question today, and here’s what I came up with:

When I’ve been successful, it’s been because:

1. I'm a person who can see the big picture.
2. I have control over how things go and can create the rules.
3. I love what I'm going or I'm really interested in it.

I can see a picture developing that says a lot about who I am.  I’m a very independent person, and I like a lot … A LOT … of autonomy.  I’ve lived by myself since I was 21 after getting divorced.  I thrive in work situations where I’m given an objective and then get to figure out how to get to the finish line. I’m interested in a lot of things.  No surprises here.

Then I actually wrote down the times I’ve achieved success.  Things that came to mind first, of course, were work related – projects and other activities I had accomplished in my career.  

Then I expanded my thinking.  When was I most successful losing weight?  I felt successful shepherding my family, especially my mother, through the death of my father.  I made a life for myself when I moved to city where I didn’t know anyone.  I sometimes win best speaker or best evaluator at my Toastmasters club. 

Little things, big things, work things, personal things, it all went into my journal.  When I wrote all of this down and examined each situation, I was surprised to see a different set of answers – a different recipe.

When I’ve been successful it’s because:

I'm supported by a team or by someone.  I like working with people, and I need the accountability of working with others.  My most successful weight loss efforts were when I went to the Diet Center many years ago.  You had to go and weigh in every day…yes every day.  You stood on the scale (hoping your clothes weighed less than what you wore yesterday) and looked the counselor in the eye.  I was also successful when I worked one-on-one with a trainer at the gym.

I can find new ways of looking at things.  It’s an extension of making my own rules, and it speaks to how my mind works.  I like to look at things from different angles, synthesize disparate pieces of information, and see things others don’t.  I did this multiple times in my career, and it’s part of what makes me a good coach.

I play the role I’m best suited for that plays to my strengths.  I saw this again and again in my work, and after I read the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 about 5 years ago and consciously put that information to work, I was able to create more situations for myself in the job I had at the time that played to my strengths. I also helped my team do the same, which was the impetus for my becoming a professional coach.

I learned multiple things through this exercise.  Just the process of recapping my successes put me in a better mood, and thinking about my personal recipe for success reminded me of what I need to do and what resources I need to have in place to create success.

The most important lesson I learned, however, was that I had pre-conceived notions about what made me successful, and that picture was not complete. 

When I buckled down and outlined the facts, I found a richer, deeper answer.  Yes, I’m an independent person who likes A LOT of autonomy, but I need to create an environment where I can play to my strengths and have a support system.  My ability to make my own rules comes from looking at things from different angles and seeing solutions and opportunities others miss.

So what’s your recipe for success?  Try it!  Jot down three points, then pour a cup of coffee and recap your successes.  When you look at the actual evidence, do you see a fuller, richer answer?  Did you catch yourself having a pre-conceived limited view of yourself?  What changes or tweaks can you make today to create more opportunities for success?