The Common Denominator of Success

Albert E N Gray delivered a speech to the National Association of Life Underwriters in 1940. It remains to this day, one of the simplest and truest success strategies ever presented.

Gray’s speech has been widely referenced and hugely popular since its delivery, yet business leaders continue to look for the secret to success? Well the good news is you can stop looking. It’s here. And it couldn't be simpler.

I’ve summarised what I believe to be the essence of Gray’s speech below and included a link to his original for those of you interested in reading a little more.

What is the common denominator of success?

Successful people make a habit of doing what failures don’t like to do.

No excuses, no delays, no options. They just do it. They don’t always like it, but they always do it.

Successful people aren’t necessarily the smartest or the best in their field. They’re the most diligent.

How do I stay on track?

Successful people have clarity of purpose. When your goals are realistic, achievable and crystal clear you’ll have a much greater opportunity of success. Your focus shifts from the process to the result. If you don't have a clear purpose, you'll avoid doing what needs to be done for more immediate gratification (or less discomfort). There's not a strong enough reason for you to remain focused on the longer term.

This links back to an article I wrote on successful goal setting. Take a look if you’d like a very simple and effective approach to identifying clear goals.

Once you’ve clearly defined your purpose and set measurable and meaningful goals, it’s time to develop an action plan and that’s where your habits kick in.

If you need to change a few existing habits, start small. Implement one new habit then move on to the next. It’s simple, but like all good things, not always easy.

And remember we all have habits whether we consciously create them or not. So take the lead and create a plan. If you don’t, your subconscious mind will do it anyway and the results may be less than appealing.

Plus take a look at what’s slowing you down. Sometimes creating a new habit around doing less of something could be as beneficial as doing more of something else.

Then finally, just get on with it. Resolving to do something is the first step, but doing it is the only thing that will make a difference. Doing = Change. There's no way around it.

So what are you waiting for?

Need help with creating new habits? Or accountability to keeping them? I’m always here to help.

Enjoy.

David

​PS Here's a link to Albert E N Gray's The Common Denominator of Success speech.