Chapter 20 : Three Keys to Success

Author: Brian Tracy

Success is not an accident. It is completely predictable. If you do what other successful people have
done before you, by the Law of Cause and Effect, you will soon get the results that other people get.
And if you don’t, you won’t. There are three keys to success that have been learned and unlearned,
discovered and rediscovered throughout the ages. They are all learnable through practice and
repetition.

The Power of Self-Discipline

Number one, which underlines everything we’ve talked about, is self-discipline. Be willing to pay
the price for success in advance. As you have read these success principles, you have probably
identified one or more areas of personal weakness that could be holding you back. And the great
tragedy in life is that nobody will tell you or point out to you this weakness.
They will let you struggle with it for years. Sometimes, if you work slowly and think you are doing
a really good job by being careful and meticulous, you may find that because of a perceived lack of
urgency you are being bypassed for promotion and rewards. You may find that by speeding up a
little, without diminishing the quality of your work, your rewards will increase. Discipline is
essential.

Proven Success Methods

Number two is to use proven success methods. Use the ideas that we have discussed in this book. If
you sense that you have a weakness in goal setting, time management, creative thinking, decision
making, communications, or public speaking, study the experts. Learn from the masters. Go to
school, take courses, and read books. You can learn anything you need to know to be successful.

Ask Your Way

Number three is to “ask” your way to success. If you ask enough people in the right way, they will
tell you what you need to learn, where to find it, and how to use it to be successful. Start with your
boss. Ask if your boss sees any weaknesses in you that you can compensate for. Look around for
different courses and books that can help you. Start building your own personal success library. Buy
or download audio learning programs and listen to them each day. Remember, the clock is ticking.
The race is on. And this life is not a rehearsal for something else. Finally, develop the unshakable
determination, resolve, and willingness to persist until you succeed, and if you do, nothing can stop
you.
You Are the Architect of Your Own Destiny In the final analysis, if you are willing to work on
yourself, to build and improve yourself, and to work systematically every single day toward your
goals and the personal success you desire, the Law of Accumulation says that gradually and
inexorably your efforts will build, accumulate, and develop into an exceptional life. No one
achieves success overnight. Success is always a result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts
and achievements that nobody ever notices or appreciates. Make a decision, this very day, to
practice these ideas, over and over again, until they become habits, until they become easy and an
automatic way of living for you. When you do, there will be no limits.