Transitioning To Long Term Success

The pride that we feel when we finally reach our goals is unimaginable. It makes us feel big and unstoppable. There are times when we turn our focus on bragging while forgetting that they still have other goals on their list.

It’s not wrong to be proud of your achievements. What’s wrong is when you don’t know how to use it not only for yourself. This is where humility comes in handy. It’s making sure that you are keeping your feet on the ground by nurturing and helping others achieve their dreams. Once you understand how humility works, you’ll realize that it makes you more human; It allows others to identify with you. 

Pete Chatmon, American film and TV director, explained how humility keeps successful people’s feet on the ground by sharing their experiences and expertise with others. He also mentioned that to achieve long-term success, you’ll need curiosity that’ll pique your interest, and discipline that’ll make sure you get to your goals. It’s just that the hardest part is to stay humble despite all the achievements.

Cater Your Curiosity ‍

Tenure employees in a company usually see themselves as the most knowledgeable persons because of their experiences. But with the fast-paced world we’re in, a lot of things have already changed, and what they initially know might already be outdated. Companies are competitive, and surely, they will also be up to date when it comes to advancements in technologies.

People must work with the pace of the fast-developing technology. They have to be curious about what’s new because just as the adage goes, you have to know what you don’t know. Keep an open mind and accept the fact that you don’t know everything.

If you're curious and you remain curious, you will do well in your chosen field. And you'll also prevent yourself from becoming obsolete. - Pete Chatmon

Everyone is afraid to be replaced because they have worked hard for what they have or what they are now. But change is inevitable. If you don’t want to be replaced, make sure you work on what you need to have, and asking the reporter questions – what, where, when, how, and why – is the first step that you have to take. 

Let your curiosity pique your interest because it would lead you to knowing what you don’t know yet. Sometimes, we ask questions for the reason we, ourselves don’t know. Yet, thinking that we’ve got everything figured out, we’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities.

The more you just apply a general sense of interest in what you're doing and what the other people you work with are doing, the more you can excel. - Pete Chatmon

It’s through being curious where we get to be interested in learning more about our jobs and that of the others working around us. We might not even notice it, but this brings us to the next levels of excellence; ones that are beyond our expectations.

Demand Discipline from Yourself

It’s okay to set goals as many, and as high as we can. But how do we work towards it? People have different ways of achieving their goals, but we know we’re all supposed to take a step towards it - may it be a big or a small one. 

Imagine our goals as a treasure box, and on our way towards the treasure box, there are either small units or big units that we can take. We might not know how long it would take us to get there, but having discipline will make sure we work our way towards it. You just have to look at the incremental ways that you can prepare everyday to get you to your goal. 

If you do something every day with the commitment to getting better at it, there's no way you're not going to move the chains. - Pete Chatmon

It’s easy to lose focus and give up when you don’t see significant changes but remember that not all journeys have mile markers. You might have taken the one without labels telling you how far you’ve gone, or how close you are to your destination. There are no guaranteed timelines because we travel differently. Some might take longer than others. All you have to rely on is your ability to commit to your goal and to the fact that you don’t know when you’ll get there, but if you have discipline, you will eventually arrive at your destination. Do not just try being disciplined; demand it from yourself!

For others, discipline might come from being curious about others and learning from it. This may have helped them create a mindset of doing something day by day even though they don’t get results yet. We don’t often see the progress we’re making because we easily get discouraged. 

In having the information and knowing that field that lay ahead of you, I think that helps with a positive mindset. - Pete Chatmon

So to be disciplined, you must know your goals, you must be optimistic that you can do and achieve them, and you must plan your way towards it. 

Hand Over Your Humility

Once curiosity and discipline get you to succeed, you have to remember that you are not bigger than anyone. You’re just someone who had good breaks, or had persistence, and got helped along the way.  Keep in mind that the credit you will receive is not only yours. So check yourself for humility.

In our journey towards our goals, there might be times when we  encounter people who aren’t humble. The experience you’ll get from these people won’t be something you would like to see in yourself. Eventually, it would make you realize that humility also affects those around you.

(Humility) It's like, how can I make the experience for people like me by 10, 15, 20 years ago, as they interact with me, nurturing and as positive as it could be so I'm not the reason why they decide to maybe stop pursuing a dream. - Pete Chatmon

A lot of people look up to those who have succeeded. Oftentimes, they would want to know more about them, get to know how they work, and be able to achieve as much as they had. It really helps a lot when they get to meet humble successful people as they try reaching their dreams. So hand over your humility and make sure they will be able to nurture and learn positively from you. Communicate well by creating a positive vibe that will be the reason to keep them going. 

It’s not the title or the position that makes you a leader. People wouldn’t listen to you because of these, but because you’ve earned it from your exchange of ideas, your interactions, and the way you lead them. Humility makes you more human as it allows others to identify with you.