How to Become Successful in Anything Worth a Damn

My grandpa always knew of a workaround, and my mom always knew of a more frugal alternative.

In my family, few could rival my grandfather’s creativity in creating handmade equivalents. Naturally, he became the go to person whenever we needed a workaround. Bought a camera that didn’t come with a stand? Grandpa would fix that with a few paperclips (I’m not kidding). Had a garage door opener with a broken clip? Problem solved with a few strings.

My mom is extremely resourceful when it comes to ways of saving money. Just when you thought you got maximum mileage out of something you bought, my mom could always reuse it in a whole new way. Every time I thought buying was the only option, my mom would give a suggestion for a free alternative.

I was lucky to be so closed to them, but there’s no need to envy me. If you don’t know anyone resourceful, then become one yourself. It’s not like you are missing anything to do so. In fact, I’d argue that you have too much to truly become more creative. My grandfather figured out how to fix and make his own tools because he had no money to buy them. My mom figured out how to save money because she didn’t have much to spend and a whole family to feed. They didn’t even purposefully set out to become successful at it, yet they could in some way be categorized as experts of what they do. If you want to become successful, here are a few crucial points to remember.

Take Action – I sound like a broken record, but the obvious first step in succeeding with anything is taking action. Do you want to make more money? How about spending some time to think about how to achieve your goals?
Limit Your Resources – The only reason why people bother with workarounds is because a total replacement is not possible (or easy). If saving more money is your goal, you first have to create an an perceived sacristy. Paying yourself first and retirement accounts are great ways to save because you limit your immediate spending power. The logic may not make sense, but the benefit is undeniable.
Keep Thinking, Practicing, Doing – There really isn’t a comprehensive personal finance course available, but by constantly thinking about the subject, I’m able to teach you what I learn on the way to financial independence. The more you think about it, the more efficient you are at it, and the better you get at it.
Don’t Give Up – I’m the first to admit that my grammar isn’t perfect, but I will continue to strive for improvement. I know that the more I write, the more sentences seem to flow and the more mistakes people point out, the better I will become. I am not giving up. Why should you?

The last point is worth repeating. Far too many people give up as soon as initial results don’t point towards success. Michael Jordan is talented, but he was cut from his high school varsity basketball team in his tenth grade. If he simply gave up, not only himself, but all of sports, let alone basketball will be very different today.

No one is born successful. There’s talent, but the reason for over achievement is largely due to the willingness to work hard, the eagerness to take action and the determination to not giving up.

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