Success is never as straight forward as people tend to think it is. It is invariably a series of missteps and wrongs turns, detours and deviations. To those on the outside, it might look like a smooth path - but to the person actually on that path, it can be tricky underfoot and hard going.
You might have the best intentions and all the will in the world to achieve your goals, but life will always throw a few surprises at you along the way, not all of them pleasant. You might have to take a long diversion, going right out of your way for a long time, just to get closer to where you want to be. If that is the case, it is important that you keep your mind focused on the main goal, because if you allow your mind to be side-tracked too, success may well elude you and you could find yourself in the rut of just 'making do'.
Success is a personal journey of achievement and it will look different for everyone. What makes me feel successful is unlikely to be the same thing that makes you feel successful. For some people success is money in the bank, for others it's a happy family and healthy children. This is why trying to copy someone else's success and achievement rarely works in the long term. You have to find your own path, not follow in the footsteps of someone you admire, even if you only admire them from afar, or somewhat begrudgingly. Success is a personal formula, as unique as a finger-print.
There may also be people who try to get in your way, hold you back or knock you down. They might be motivated by fear of losing you or of change in general. They might be suffering from negative admiration - a deep seated reluctant admiration that expresses itself as envy and sabotage. Because they feel threatened by your talents and know that they will never be anything like you, they try to tear you down instead. This gives them the satisfaction of feeling that they have power over you, but such a set-back will only be temporary because those who are driven to succeed don't let anyone else stand in their way, least of all a spiteful individual with self-esteem issues!
For me, success is being traditionally published and enjoying seeing my work out there and although there have been times when it hasn't been plain sailing, when people have tried to put me down and discount my talent, when spite has resulted in attempts at sabotage and when editors have not been overly enthusiastic about my ideas, this has never been enough to stop me.
My philosophy has always been that if I don't succeed in one place, I'll just go and succeed somewhere else instead. And that is what I've always done. If I stop succeeding with one publisher, I move on to another; if a magazine editor dislikes my ideas, I'll pitch and sell them to another editor instead. If I get bored of writing on one topic, I'll switch to a new topic - or a new genre. If one clinical placement turns out to be dodgy, I'll already have a back-up placement in the pipeline, just waiting for me to say when I'll start. No-one gets in my way for long!
One way or another, I will always succeed, because I'm not afraid to move on and try my luck elsewhere, or try out a new writing genre. This type of 'stepping-stones' approach to success has always served me best, because I'm never in one place long enough to get bogged down by it. I move on to something else that is just as good, if not better.
Also, I'm not afraid to start again from scratch, or be a beginner at something, whereas many other people are. People tend to get set in their ways and they don't want to start anew - but this is where failure becomes a comfort zone. Success can be a difficult and uncomfortable journey at times. You might have to change your routine, go back into education, live on a shoe-string, leave your home town to find it - but the feeling of achievement and knowing that you've actually done something with your life, makes it all worth while.
Failure is only negative if it stops you from trying. Sabotage will only work if you allow it to get in your way long term. Learn from the missteps, laugh at the saboteurs and succeed elsewhere, in spite of it all. That's the real trick to success.
Bon Chance!
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