How to Get Ahead in Life – Even if You Don’t Have Any Skills

Anyone who tells you that you need to be the best at something in order to succeed is lying.

You don’t need to the best in anything. In many cases, you don’t even need any special skills to get started.

The truth is that most people don’t have any special skills and only a handful of people are the absolute best in their field. So, where does this leave the rest of us?

In the same boat as most people. Just look at some of the most successful people. Steve Jobs wasn’t the best programmer in the world or the best sales person. But, he had enough talent to make a successful company.

That’s the key. He had “enough” talent to succeed. He didn’t need to be the absolute best, and he didn’t need a lot of special skills. He had a passion and a drive that helped him realize his goals.

If you needed to be the absolute best in your field to succeed, then only a couple of people in each industry would be successful.

So, if you don’t need any special skills, what do you need?

When it comes to the ingredients for success, your skills belong at the very bottom. Before you get to the skills, there are three things you need:

• A reason
• A passion
• Hard work

Finding a Reason is the Hardest Part

You need a reason to drive you to accomplish your goals. This is one of the hardest parts if you don’t already have a reason.

Some people know the reason behind their drive during their adolescence. They grow up knowing that they want to be a doctor, a fireman, or a programmer. That’s great for those people. But, not everyone knows what they want to do with their life.

In fact, some people struggle with this for decades. Some may never find the reason or even care about it. But, finding a reason helps you move on to the next part of achieving success. It’s a building block that you can use to succeed.

So, take a moment to think about the reason. Do you want financial freedom? Do you want to be your own boss? Would you like to see the world? Do you want to help others? Thinking about these questions can help you define the reason—or reasons.

Having a Passion Helps You Find Focus

Along with a reason for your goals, you’ll need to find your passion. This is where you decide what it is that you actually want to do with your life.

The reason gives you purpose and your passion helps you achieve this.

Find something that you can get passionate about that helps you realize your reasons for wanting success.

If you want to help others, you might want to think about getting involved in charity work. If your goal is to become financially independent, you might want to go the entrepreneurial route.

You’ll Need to Work Hard to Get What You Want

Passion and reason will only get you so far. It’s the starting point from which you can begin directing your hard work.

Steve Jobs had his reasons and a passion. Next, he put in the hard work that it took to build Apple into what it is today. It didn’t happen overnight and it didn’t come easy.

Luck is Just an Excuse That Lazy People Use

Now, you might think that luck also plays a factor in your chances of success. Luck is really just an excuse that lazy people use. You can’t wait around hoping to find a 4-leaf clover. They’re incredibly rare and few people find them.

Don’t get me wrong. People can get lucky in life and others can experience bad luck. But, if you wait around for this luck to help you succeed you’ll never get anywhere.

So it’s best to ignore luck and focus on your actions.

What are you doing to further your career or reach your goals?

Skills Can Be Acquired and Outsourced

The final realization that you need to make is that you can acquire the skills that you need and outsource the rest.

If you know what you want and have a passion, then you know where to direct your education. Learn what you need in order to reach your goals and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

There’s a good chance that there are people that are more experienced in any particular skill that you require.

So, if you need to improve your marketing to help your business grow, consider hiring a marketing firm. If you need to improve the quality of your products or services, bring in someone that knows what they’re doing.

You don’t need to be the best, especially when you surround yourself with people that have the necessary skills.

Putting the Recipe for Success Together

So, you’ve got the ingredients. Now, you just need to put everything together, mix, and bake. You need to first find your reason, your passion, and then start putting in the hard work.

The idea that you need to be the best at something to succeed is a load of manure. Even the most successful people aren’t always the best at their job. Some of the most well-paid actors know that they aren’t the greatest. The same is true with the top musicians. But, they know how to use the recipe for success.

So, if you don’t have any special skills, don’t worry. You don’t need them.

You just need to decide what you want and then focus on achieving your goals. Take steps to succeed and you will get somewhere. It’s really that simple.

The bottom line is that most people are “okay” with several different skills. But, very few people are masters at one specific thing. You might know a lot about a variety of different things. That might be all that you need to get where you want.