Select Page

There are a few life rules that anyone, no EVERYONE, can use and should use to achieve success. These 3 life rules are easy to understand and you don’t need to be smart or talented to adopt them. However, they are hard to implement but only because they are uncomfortable and require your participation.

These 3 life rules are described below by an amazing and humble young man Zak Kahn who overcame a debilitating illness who I featured in my post How to Overcome Adversity.  Zak is one of the few people I follow regularly and here is one of my favourite posts on how to achieve success and what he calls 3 undeniable laws of success.

Take it away Zak

1. YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP DAILY

Part of why some people achieve the impossible whilst others look on in disbelief is because they show up every single day despite every reason not to. Look, you’ve seen it happen time and time again. Someone who wouldn’t strike you as special comes along and does what everyone didn’t even bother attempting. You brush it off as luck and move on with life. But, guess what? It wasn’t luck! It was deliberate. 

Despite all the negative thoughts and opinions surrounding a particular objective, the people who show up in an attempt to succeed are the ones who usually succeed. You can chalk it down to pure luck or chance but the fact of the matter is that for as long as you show up each and every day, the possibility of success immediately changes from impossible to possible. For as long as you don’t try, impossibility is a reality. This form of impossibility has nothing to do with circumstances preventing a goal or dream from being realized but from self-imposed limitations.

You can only get better at something or unlock rewards by being present. When the opportunity arises to accomplish the impossible, you’ll be the one reaping the rewards because you showed up when everyone else didn’t.

Success doesn’t chase you, you chase success.”

2. HARD WORK IS NON-NEGOTIABLE

Once you show up and an opportunity arises, what do you do? Getting by on the bare minimum will only generate the bare minimum results. The best results in life require the best effort you have to give.

Are you familiar with the notorious fighter Conor McGregor? He’s the first man to hold two championships at the same time in the UFC. Not only has he accomplished something nobody else has but he’s made millions of dollars at the same time. Many people attribute his success to luck or talent but in reality, it all boils down to hard work. If you don’t believe me, listen to what he had to say in an interview, “If you put in the work to become number 1, you will become number 1. If you put in the work to become the runner up, you will become the runner-up. I put in the work to finish first!

If a millionaire, record-breaking and double champion attributes his success to being a workhorse, shouldn’t we take that at face value and adopt his attitude to success? What this means is that despite a lack of natural born gifts and talent, someone who is willing to work harder than anyone and everyone else has a fighting chance at being the best in the world!

Look beyond the bare minimum. When I was in high school, all I wanted to do was have fun. So, when it came time to prepare for examinations, I aimed for a passing grade. Most of my results were a reflection of my intention. I worked for average results and I attained average results. However, when I entered University and started studying Law, things changed. A desire to achieve great results wrapped itself around me and I attempted to do something I never did before – work hard. Rather than aim for simply passing, I set my sights on those 80 – 90% grades. I hit those grades in quite a few of my modules! The ones that weren’t in that percentage category were often in the 65 – 79% category.

I went from 50’s during my high school years to 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. This growth can be attributed to the following 4 fundamental changes:

  1. An attitude and mindset adjustment.
  2. Higher minimum requirements.
  3. Maximum effort at studying.
  4. Daily sacrifice.

I showed up every day, set ‘my minimum passing grade’ to be much higher than the average passing grade, put in the work and most importantly, I sacrificed time-wasting activities that were once fun for hard work and success.

In the end, it paid off when I was on stage accepting my Bachelor of Laws degree this past April. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that hard work, even in the face of obstacles, can overcome all adversities in life.

3. MOMENTUM TRUMPS MOTIVATION

There will come a time in every new venture when motivation depletes and the only thing that keeps you marching forward is momentum. Unlike fleeting emotions like motivation and inspiration, momentum relies solely on movement and/or progress.

If you’re familiar with the cumulative effect, you would know that by simply taking action over and over again, you accrue small but significant results that add up to create a big reward over time. Similarly, when you take action on a daily basis, the movement or progress you make from previous attempts carries you forward day after day. After some time, it feels second nature to partake in the activity you’ve been consistent at. Ask anyone who has exercised for longer than 4 weeks, they can attest to the principle of momentum.

The first few days of starting an exercise regimen are physically, emotionally and mentally brutal. If you were to stop after the first day, all the soreness and cramps last for many days, even weeks. However, if you exercise the next day even though you feel sore, mid-way through the workout all of that clears up. By the next day, you wake up feeling less sore and less exhausted. The more you do it, the stronger you become and the less noticeable is the pain and suffering.

Momentum brings about this wonderful phenomenon. Do something for long enough and the results accumulate. During this accumulation of results, the side effects reduce drastically until it’s mostly invisible.

Rather than relying on erratic emotions, engage in motion and movement to truly accrue results and success. While everyone else is waiting for the perfect moment to get started, you’ll be the one achieving your goals and dreams.

When I was tasked with studying thousand-page-long books on Law, many times I felt overwhelmed and challenged. Time was never on my side and I could never find the perfect moment to get started. I could have waited until it was too late but I quickly realized that hard work will never feel easy.

I couldn’t rely on emotions because their erratic nature left my future up in the air. The only thing that guaranteed progress was sitting down at my desk, opening those textbooks and working through one page at a time. The more pages I worked through, the less overwhelmed I felt because progress was visible. What seemed impossible no longer did.

If I Can, So Can You

The most pivotal message you can take away from this article is that if someone with autoimmune diseases and a lack of talent can achieve his goals and succeed in his ventures, so can you. There’s no excuse for why you can’t be successful at meaningful objectives in your life.

Everyone has problems and circumstances that make achieving success difficult. You merely have to work around those circumstances and rely on brute force to achieve your greatest desires. Excuses are for quitters. Ditch them and embrace these 3 undeniable laws of success. If you do, there’s no telling what you’ll be able to accomplish in the near future!


Thanks Zak, some great words of advice that everyone can take away and use.

Zak’s website

View Zak’s full article

Original Post from Mental Toughness Partners