Success: most of us give up when we’re almost there. Because we don’t know that challenges are pathways to success.

The band Coldplay sings, ‘nobody said it was easy.’ And they couldn’t have said it any better. The context of their song is different but the thought of that line applies to the notion of success.

I’m thinking that we all need to work for success so that we can appreciate and savour what we’ll achieve. Then again, there’s that ‘journey to success’ that we have to go through. And these are the things I believe that you’ll likely encounter.

1. YOU WILL ENCOUNTER FRUSTRATION

The road to success is not easy. It’s rough, and we need your own shovel to pave it. Along the way, we’ll encounter a lot of things that will leave us frustrated. But you know what? I believe that every moment of frustration is a building block for success. That’s because along the way, we’ll learn something new. And when we learn something new, we become better. These frustrations, really, are life’s way of grooming us for success.

2. YOU WILL FEEL LIKE GIVING UP

When things look bleak, it’s easy to quit. But quitting isn’t in the ‘Success Dictionary.’ In that dictionary, successful people will find ‘perseverance,’ ‘motivation,’ ‘inspiration,’ and ‘grit.’ That feeling of being ‘directionless’ is normal. But you won’t succeed if you listen to that voice in your head telling you that going further is pointless. And you know what the biggest irony is? It’s that moment when you quit but realise how close you were to succeeding.

3. YOU WILL GET DISCONNECTED

You’ll go through a funnel of relationships as you pursue success. The first funnel has the most people around you. The final funnel, though, has the least. That’s because not everyone will share your vision and passion for success. And those that who don’t will fall off the funnel because they think that they deserve more attention and time from you. In this case, keep moving. When you succeed, you’ll have a strong support group through the people who stayed with you all the way.

4. YOU WILL GET DISCOURAGED

Discouragement is something that you don’t really need. I should also say that people who are the discouraging type are ones that you don’t need. It’s a risk hanging out with people who only discourage you. That’s because one primal instinct is hardwired in our systems: fear. The more discouragements you hear, the more fearful you become of the future. The best medicine for this? Quietly work on your success. Your achievement will prove them all wrong.

5. YOU WILL FEEL HATE

Frank Sinatra once said, ‘Success is the best revenge.’ And that’s true. You know what? Not everyone will be supportive of your accomplishments. You’ll meet people who hate you for unknown reasons. At some point, these people may even be those who you care about. But it happens. So regardless, keep on doing what you’re doing. In the end, your success will make you a lot greater.

6. YOU WILL FEEL UNCERTAIN ABOUT YOURSELF

Self-doubt is characteristic of people who venture out to find success. And that only happens because they’re unsure about everything. From their abilities to their skills and even their knowledge, people doubt themselves due to their perceived inability to make the right decisions. But how can you find out whether you’re right or wrong if you don’t try?

The worst thing you can do is to not take action at all. And just like everyone who’s experiencing something for the first time, the decision to take action marks the first step towards a meaningful journey to success.

7. YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES

To put it bluntly, you will fail. But then again, we said that success is never easy. It’s never guaranteed. Take inspiration from those people who failed and picked themselves up to try again. If something doesn’t work for you, try another way. Thomas Edison is known to have failed to invent the light bulb 10,000 times. But he continued to do it until he got it right. And just like him, people who are poised to succeed will eventually get it right.

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