5 Common Myths About Success

By Brian Tracy 

Every single person has the ability to achieve success. Unfortunately, there are success myths out there that define what success should look like.

The truth is, success looks different for each person. Whether it be in life, relationships, career or all of the above, what does it look like for you?

I have identified the 5 most common success myths that may be limiting you from living your dream life.

Myth 1: Being Rich, Thin, & Happy Is The Ultimate Goal

The first is believing that being rich, thin, and happy should be your ultimate goal.

These are not goals, they are wishes and fantasies common to all mankind. A goal is like a beautiful home. It is carefully designed, revised continually, upgraded regularly, and worked on constantly.

You need to be specific and have clarity about your goals. Most importantly, if it is not in writing, it is merely a dream or a wish, a vague objective with no energy behind it.

Myth 2: You Must Attend A 4-Year University

The next myth is believing you need to go to a 4-year university.

I understand college is expensive. Especially with the direction our economy and education system is going. As many of you know, I never attended college and barely graduated from high school. I joke around constantly that I was in the bottom half of the class that made the top half possible.

With the rising cost of a college education, this topic has come into the limelight even more so over the past few years. Many individuals are wondering whether it makes sense to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a college education. Is it really a necessary step to success?

For some of us, we don’t know what we want to do for our career in the long term, and that’s okay. I worked odd jobs here and there, and plenty of manual labor jobs before I ultimately discovered what I wanted to do for my career.

The best thing you could do for yourself is to not live your life based on what others think you should do. Do what you feel is best for yourself.

Just because one person went to college and is successful does not mean that that is the only path to success. Determine what is best for you and your future goals and then pursue that no matter what the journey looks like.

Myth 3: You Need More Money

Another myth about how to be successful in life is believing you need more money.

We’ve heard these before: “If only I had more money, then I would be happy” or “Money is the root of all evil.”

It’s as if little green pieces of paper somehow have the intrinsic power to erect buildings, create computers, inspire students to read, make people happy, or worse, to corrupt people. The reality is that money has no intrinsic value whatsoever.

People have intrinsic value. Money is nothing but a representation of stored value. The more value you provide for others, the more currency will flow into your life. Focus on serving others, rather than on money, and money will flow to you naturally.

Myth 4: Expect Success And It Will Come

Next, many of us believe that you have to want it to make it happen.

Now, this is partially a myth. It is true that you have to have clarity and a burning desire for what you want in life. Practicing the Law of Attraction is one of the most powerful techniques you can use to become a successful person. You can ensure desirable outcomes and better results in your life.

Your expectations become your own self-fulfilling prophesies.

However, it’s not enough to just want or expect success. The key to success is the willingness to initiate and take action. Don’t wait for someone else to do something. Be action oriented.

Do something. Do anything. But get busy. Get going. Do something every single day that moves you in the direction of your most important goal at the moment.

Develop the discipline of doing something 365 days each year that is moving you forward. You will be absolutely astonished at how much you accomplish when you utilize this formula in your life every single day.

Myth 5: Success Is “Having It All”

The last myth is believing success is having it all — the six-figure CEO job, the family, the beach house, etc.

Like I mentioned earlier, many of us think that someone else’s definition of success is valid for us. We often feel a little uneasy if we’re not successful doing something that someone else thinks we should be successful in.

Many people allow their parents to influence their choices of career and find themselves miserable as a result.

The fact is that life and success are very much like a smorgasbord. If 100 people went to a smorgasbord and each put food on their plates in the quantity and mixes that each felt would be most pleasing to himself or herself, every single plate would be different.

Even a husband and wife would go up to a smorgasbord and come back with plates that look completely different.

Success is the same thing.

It is composed of a great variety of ingredients, including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Each person requires a particular combination of these ingredients in order to feel the very best about himself, or herself and life.

What Does Success Mean To You?

Define what success means to you. Start with a positive and fresh mind, and compile a list. Disregard the 5 myths. They do not always measure up to success and may be limiting you from living your dream life. The key is to believe in yourself.

Before we wrap up, I’d like to leave you with a thought to share with you friends and followers:

“It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from; all that really matters is where you’re going. And where you’re going is only limited by your imagination.”

Now I’d love to hear from you, so my question today is: What limiting belief are you going to change to become successful?

Leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to follow up with you!

The only way to move toward a goal – no matter how big or small – is to take action. 

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