Congratulations! You’ve passed matric.
Maybe a bit hungover, definitely very relieved.
You’ve made it, you’ve arrived, all plain sailing from here.
Bad news: Now you must prove you can be a success in life.
Success comprises three things: Focus, hard work and luck.
Most people agree that luck is a function of work ethic. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
So its easy: Work hard and you’ll get lucky.
But that isn’t enough. Many congenitally lucky people have worked hard their whole life and never gotten ahead.
The secret sauce for success is to focus. You need to focus. Do one thing at a time. Chasing lots of birds is easy… but remember: A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
Focus is not a willpower thing. If you wake up every day saying, “Today I will focus”, you’ll have decision-fatigue by lunchtime. Distracted. All over the place. Not getting ahead.
Focus is an environment thing. Create an environment that allows you to focus on the right things.
Here is how to create the right environment:
- Find love. Looking for love is distracting. Find a partner, stick to him or her. Eliminate the mating instinct from your life.
- Live a simple life. Financial stress is distracting. Don’t live a high life. Don’t go into debt. Be frugal.
- Choose your friends. The wrong friends are distracting. Make friends with people that are focused on success.
Your whole life is ahead of you. You can make a success of it, or not. It’s a choice.
If you choose success, then work hard and focus.
Maybe you’ll get lucky.