• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Adam Kirk Smith

- A. Smith Blog - Leadership in Life

  • About Adam
  • The Bravest You
  • Blog
    • Leadership
      • Creativity
    • Communication
    • Relationships
    • Focus
  • Podcasts & Video
    • Podcast: Live Life with Purpose
    • Podcast: Ideas with Adam Smith
    • asmithvideo
  • Coaching & Consulting
  • Speaking

Adam Smith | December 5, 2011 | 2 Comments

You Can’t Look At Where They Are Today

Creative Commons Photo Credit by gmacorig

People have all kinds of definitions and ideas of what success is, but I do know one thing…

I know that you want to be successful.

In some way, shape or form.

If you aren’t successful at the task at hand, you will either be motivated to achieve the challenge or you will be frustrated into submission. If you lose enough times, it can and will affect your confidence level. All people need a few wins to see a different outlook. When you succeed, your self-talk begins to change to the positive. You believe that you can do anything. And it is that one thing you will need most to succeed.

The thing is…

Overnight success doesn’t exist. And when you do see success, it is tempting to want to be them automatically. But in reality, when you see others succeed, you have no idea how long and what it actually took them to get where they are today. 

The success lottery doesn’t happen. In some cases, who you know is important, but that luck won’t get you “success”. That only gets you to the top prematurely without the process, which is the most important part of leadership. In the process, you pick up necessary tools along the way to help you be successful.

If everything really does rise and fall on leadership, then you will need this time to learn how to deal with some of the following issues and more…

If you don’t learn to fail gracefully and less often, you will be a train wreck waiting to happen and lead others to do the same.
If you don’t know how to create relationships with others first, your followers will be left behind with no “leader” in sight.
If you don’t know how to handle your finances, you won’t know how to run a corporation.
If you don’t learn how to bring balance to your life first, you won’t know how to manage work and family time.
You will need to understand the importance of hard work, too.

After you deal with some of these issues you will gain life experience and only then can you positively influence and responsibly coach others that you come in contact with.

In the end, you just might have to take a leap of faith. If you feel like you’ve gotten to a stopping point in the process and are ready, then it might be time for the next step. If you are just starting out and don’t know what to do next, then you have to start somewhere. No matter where you are in life, if you aren’t happy with where you’re at, remember that you control you. It might be that moment to make a move and this moment might be the thing that will change the course of your history.

What move have you been contemplating lately and what is holding you back? You can leave a comment below.

Filed Under: Leadership

Adam Smith

I teach people how to have a greater impact through their work and their time. You can read more about me on my about page.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Loren Pinilis says

    December 8, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    It’s so easy for us to yearn for positions of greater influence – but like you said, if we haven’t been faithful in the little things, who will trust us with the greater things?

    Reply
  2. Loren Pinilis says

    December 8, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    It’s so easy for us to yearn for positions of greater influence – but like you said, if we haven’t been faithful in the little things, who will trust us with the greater things?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About

Hi, my name is Adam Smith and welcome to asmithblog.com. I am the author of the book, The Bravest You. Because of my work as an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and speaker, I have been named a top industry influencer by American Genius. I live with my wife, Jasmine, and three children in Shenandoah, IA.

[Read More…]

Podcast: Ideas

Ideas with Adam Smith Logo

Podcast: Live Life with Purpose

Life With Purpose Podcast Icon

The Bravest You by Adam Kirk Smith

Youtube: ASmithVideo

asmithvideo icon

Latest Posts

  • FREE BOOK… for a limited time!
  • Add Value
  • Books I’m Listening To…
  • Motive Matters
  • Books and Other Stuff

Adam Smith · Leadership in Life · asmithblog.com © 2025 · Adam Kirk Smith's blog on leadership, relationships, communication, creativity, and focus.