We’ve all heard the saying, “The Rich Get Richer, and The Poor Get Poorer.” However, have you ever asked yourself why? What makes these people so special… so capable? What about them distinguishes them from common or “mediocre” people? Why do they get to live out the lives of their dreams, while others are literally living like peasants? To be honest, you might be working just as hard as the most successful person you know, maybe even harder. However, there are some distinct qualities and values that they have set place into their lives that have categorized them in a different class than the majority of the population. Successful people are the 1% of society because many were called, but few are chosen. This is a fact. So today, we’re going to dive into what makes successful people yield astronomical results in their lives, especially compared to the average Jane/Joe. Let’s get into it!

1. Successful People Are Confident and Faithful in Themselves.

One of my favorite Swahili words is “Imani”. It means Faith. Now, I know the word “faith” can be very triggering to some due to religious politics, however, I want you to think of faith in its purest form… Faith in SELF. You MUST Know Thyself. Meaning, you must analyze every aspect of your personality and soul, and reflect on the deepest parts of what it means to be…you. Who are you? What do you stand for? Knowing thyself is critical to understanding your strengths & weaknesses; realizing what you can or cannot tolerate; and ultimately achieving success. Having faith in yourself is critical because if you cannot root for yourself, who is going to root for you? People are naturally more drawn towards positive people who influence them positively and light up the room in the process. When you don’t have faith in yourself or your capabilities, people can read through that, and you become less credible and definitely less desirable. The key to succeeding at everything you do is to be confident, even during the times when you have no reason to be confident. There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, however, so tread lightly. But one thing that I can guarantee you every successful person has in common, is that innate faith and confidence in their self. THIS is what will keep you going even on the stormy days that you feel like giving up.

2. Successful people have BOUNDARIES.

Boundaries, boundaries, BOUNDARIES! I could literally making a whole blog post on the topic of boundaries alone, especially since my therapist and I have been delving deeply into this topic recently. However, the main take away from my therapy session is that boundaries are vital because they help you to set the trajectory for your life. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Stand for something or fall for anything?” I really like this quote because in just a few words, it exemplifies why having boundaries and restrictions in your life is essential to succeeding. In Vedic Astrology, the planet Saturn is known as the planet of restrictions, discipline and hard work. According to this Hindu religion and ancient practice, the Planet Saturn blesses those who are diligent, committed, and have self-control. Specifically, they believe that this planet releases his special powers when one turns 34 – this is the “make it or break it” age. But back to boundaries. Boundaries are important because they help set little road blocks in life that will prevent “accidents” from happening. An accident is an unplanned and misfortunate event that often results in emotional damage or even physical injury. We want to minimize these as much as possible, and the best way to do that in ALL areas of your life (relationships, career, finances, actual accidents, etc) is to have boundaries that help you navigate and maneuver this thing called life. Successful people set restrictions on how people treat them, but also how they treat themselves.

3. Successful people have a Growth Mindset.

I talk about growth versus fixed mindset A LOT in my Metacognition: The Million Dollar Mindset article, however, the synopsis is that a growth mindset allows you to see failure and hard times as an opportunity to grow and improve on one self; while someone with a fixed mindset inherently believes that they are a failure every time they experience tough moments that humble them. A person with a growth mindset loves to learn and grow from their mistakes, and they see life as a canvas and themselves as the paint brush; while someone with a fixed mindset is convinced that they were dealt the wrong colors in life, and are unable to create art, generate growth or create a new life for themselves, figuratively speaking, because they are hell-bent on thinking that they are not worthy of success. Feel free to read the article above for a more descriptive oversight of Metacognition, or how to be aware of your own thinking. One thing that we observed in that article is that every successful person seems to have this common theme of having a positive yet realistic mindset that enables them to be flexible and open-minded enough to “go with the flow” instead of giving up on themselves every time a challenge arises.

4. Successful people take RISKS.

“No risk, no reward.” That’s as simple as life gets. Successful people are able to WIN because they take risks… they literally bet on themselves. It’s easy to fall prey to societal standards of living. However, in order to be successful, you must be able to truly ignore what everyone thinks, listen to your gut, and TAKE RISKS often. Obviously, I’m not encouraging you to go sell your house in pursuit of some dream to win the lottery. Neither am I encouraging you to gamble with this game called life. That would be totally devoid of everything we mentioned above about knowing thyself and having a growth mindset and a patient personality. All I’m saying is don’t be a hermit that doesn’t take risks because you are “scared”. Fear is not final and failure is not fatal! Embrace those parts of yourself that encourage you to truly bet on yourself because: No pain, no gain! It’s important to be level-headed at all times and to maintain equilibrium, but it’s also vital to understand that you only live once. Make the most out of your life and push yourself beyond your average expectations. Be your own biggest competition and I promise you your life can change in a year or less! Once you hit a goal, set an even bigger goal! Cover yourself with accomplished pursuits and achieved accomplishments. We just talked about the planet Saturn and how he often rewards people for their hard work after the age of 34. So, NOW is the perfect time to tap into your divine abilities, and manifest whatever you desire in your life. You get what you want by TAKING RISKS. In business, there’s a saying about how the opportunity cost is the opportunity lost. For every shot you do not take, you are losing 10x the opportunities that could have presented themselves had you taken that risk.

5. Successful people are PATIENT!

Alas! The final and most important secret: successful people are PATIENT! Have you ever noticed that a lot of the parables and sayings about success have to deal with being patient and taking things easy? From the Swahili saying, “Haraka haraka haina Baraka”, which means hurry hurry has no blessings. To the English language, where there’s a variety of common saying such as, “slow and steady win the race”, or “patience is a virtue.” All of these quotes make me believe that there might be something critical to this trait we call “patience”. According to entrepreneur.com, to be successful, we need patience when it comes to the strategic achievement of the goals we’ve set in place. Further, we have to remain calm amid the big and small twists and turns that come with life. It is only through being patient that we can truly learn from the curveballs which get thrown in our path. When it comes to making good decisions, patience is truly your most formidable resource. Many people in business are looking for an “edge” over their competition and ways to improve their performance. If this is you, don’t be disillusioned enough to believe that sharp business plans and the best talent around are a substitute for the virtues needed to guide and direct a business in the right direction. Patience is one of those virtues that ALWAYS rewards. When we are patient, we stay out of the negative stories that can cloud our judgment. “What-iffing” ourselves with disastrous outcomes is typically human, but also completely destructive and non-productive to our full capacity to make sound decisions. When we are patient, we have the mindfulness to stop and focus on the present moment. By being in the moment, we are able to make wise choices that take the big and small picture into account.

Well, there you have it – Royalty Family. The 5 SECRETS TO SUCCESS, written by your girl, Stacy Rahaka. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I loved doing research and writing this for you. I hope that you are able to take the lessons that are listed in this blog post and apply them to your personal life. Take notes of the 5 tips and try to practice one each day. PRACTICING becoming the person whom you want to be is the best way to attract that energy and literally transform into the person you have always dreamed of being. I can feel a major shift/transformation happening in the universe, and whether you realize it or not, things are changing rapidly. Right NOW is the time to take action for your dreams; not later. Let’s step into greatness and the most successful versions of ourselves by following these 5 tips, and comment below if you have any more that you would like to add to the list. As usual, thank you for supporting my art. I love you all.

Yours truly,

Rahaka , Stacy.