If we pause and take inventory of what is going on in society — we will quickly realize we are living in an era saturated by stress and strain. I believe at the heart of much of this stress, lies fear. In fact, fear overshadows what is really at the core of most of us: peace and love.

Many of us desire peace of mind and success. Steve Harvey’s “Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success” is a book that helps to expose the fear that many of us are not even aware of. The book highlights several practical principles that help to push you past fear and into your destiny by providing a roadmap that includes identifying your gift, perfecting this gift and letting it transform your life.

As I mentioned earlier, many of us desire peace of mind and success. Unfortunately, we are not really sure how to obtain it. Harvey says “success” is the gift you already have and that most people fail because they become paralyzed by their fear. Although fear isn’t always a bad thing, it is when we allow it to get in the way. For example, if we are afraid of failure, we will never take the leap or steps necessary to accomplish our goals.

Failure is actually a great teacher. It is one opportunity to learn and grow. The road to success is always under construction, according to Harvey, and growth is a series of mistakes. We cannot be afraid to fail and make mistakes; instead we must use failure as an opportunity to learn, make adjustments and grow.

According to the book, the two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you know why. Sometimes we spend an entire lifetime trying to figure this out. Harvey stresses that what you want most of out of life is the thing you have the most to give. This is a powerful principle, as it forces us to take inventory of how we define success, what we want most out of life and what we are actually giving.

Success isn’t always what we have obtained in terms of material things or money, but more so what we value (peace, relationships, love) and how much of our lives reflect those values. In fact, I believe that if we reflect deeply on these values and what is important to us, we begin to understand why we were born.

Another principle highlighted in the book is that you have to make the decision whether you want to be a leader or not. But you have to first understand what a leader is. If you want to be successful, you have to “jump.” There is no way around it. Sometimes this is difficult to do, especially if we are paralyzed by fear. One approach to moving past the paralysis is being informed and having an action plan.

Education is key to success for many, but it is important to recognize there is more than one path to learning and obtaining information. The most successful people in this world recognize that they have to take a chance to get what they want.

 

 

Quintis Millsaps
President, CEO  
Q’s Cleaning Services Inc.
South Holland, Illinois

 

Steve Harvey is an author, actor, television host and comedian — and he believes everyone is born with a gift. The challenge is discovering what that gift is exactly.

In “Act Like A Success, Think Like A Success,” published by Amistad, Harvey uses insights and personal anecdotes to guide readers to unlock their gifts and use them to achieve success.




POSTED ON: 3/27/2015