SUCCESS Symposium Review

The third SUCCESS Symposium (sponsored by SUCCESS Magazine) was held in Dallas, TX on Saturday, March 28th. There were about 2,000 people who chose to spend their day learning and being enlightened by a group of fantastic speakers.

This was the second symposium that I attended, and I enjoyed it even more than the previous one. Obviously the theme of the symposium is success, but it is more about striving to live a successful life on your own terms versus focusing on financial success.

Below is a summary (as interpreted by me) of the main points presented by each of the speakers:

Darren Hardy: The X-Factor in every success (or failure) is YOU! Realize and accept that your external life is a mirror of your internal life. You must build a strong foundation within, to build a successful life on the outside. You are the creator of your outcomes. For things to change, you must change (continuous learning and growth). Be passionate about designing the life you want to lead. Know WHY you want what you want, write your goals down, discover your strengths, and have faith in yourself and a positive future. Success is a formula built with specific steps and actions. Failure is a key ingredient in the formula; learn to embrace it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Consistency wins every time; you must keep on keeping on to succeed. As Edison says, "Our greatest weakness is in giving up."

Connie Podesta: Therapy is recognizing you don't know everything you need to know and admitting that you need help to grow and succeed. Figure out what you are really good at and what you don't like to do; pursue the first and avoid the second. Discovering what you don't like is a necessary learning experience that moves you closer to your true passion. Two questions that you must be able to answer "YES" to for a happy, healthy, and successful life: 1) Are you proud of the professional choices you are making every day? 2) Are you proud of the personal choices you are making every day?

John Fleming: Belief (in ourselves and of possibilities) and attitude (everything to do with everything that happens to us) cause our choices. We control what we believe and what we do. Whatever we pursue and practice, we must and will get better at. A vision, design, and plan must exist before anything is created; this is true of buildings as well as life. To be successful, we must be the architect of our own destiny.

John Maxwell: Sow the seeds of your life so generations beyond can reap the harvest. Live your dream every day by choosing to take daily action toward that end. Dreams are free, but the journey is not. You must have valid and strong reasons for achieving dream; the stronger the reason, the greater the odds of achieving your dream. Make sure your dream is really your own. Invest in yourself and be willing to pay the price to achieve your dream. Make sure it is realistic (for you) and within your control (you control your attitude, talent, and choices). Include the people in your life that can help you achieve your dream (who is on your team determines the success of your dream). Ask yourself: 1) What am I doing to develop myself? 2) What am I doing to develop others? Be an achiever...transform the ordinary into extraordinary.

Stedman Graham: Be the best of whatever you are. To be the best you must be free and you must understand what freedom means. Freedom is on the inside; it's what's within you, not the circumstances around you. You decide who you are, not the world. Each day you should strive to different than you were yesterday (grow and THINK every day). Make a plan for your life to grow and achieve. Know that you define yourself and you hold the power of your own potential. Find your purpose in life; transfer your heart and soul purpose to your mind and then send it out to the world. Nine keys for life: passion, vision, plan, principles, overcoming limits/fears, embrace change, team, decision/choices, and commitment. Winning is rising each time you fall and moving forward; the only way to lose is not to finish the race.

Mel Robbins: Big ideas cost no more than small ideas. See something larger IN and FOR yourself. To break out of the weeds and see the bigger picture run your life like a business (organized and planned), clear your mind (brain dump onto paper...make a list and get it out of your head), and exercise (move your body to clear your mind). Ask yourself, "What do I REALLY want?" Feel it in your gut and want it in your heart; make it bigger than your current thinking. "No way" is not an option; excuses are a waste of time and energy. Don't worry, just get going! Let your ideas out and chase after them. Use non-linear thinking to discover new options. Don't stray out of bounds, erase the boundaries. Opportunity lies outside the the imaginary boundaries. Don't just follow the crowd; big dreams are not achieved in common hours. Become a master of what inspires you.

Chris Widener: Ask yourself, what separates the successful from the unsuccessful (why to some achieve and some don't)? Opportunity surrounds us each day, it our duty to see it and seize it. Realize that we are the biggest obstacle to our own success (we hold ourselves back). Success is not the over-achievement in any area of life; it is the balanced achievement in all areas. Success is the result of virtue and talent (character and skills). Skills without character will never lead to true success and vice versa. The key is in becoming and being (what are you becoming as a result of your goals and choices? Is that OK?). We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed; that is why it's continuous improvement. Integrity is the highest form of character; live by a single set of morals, ethics, and values. Be a whole person; act the same alone as you act with others. Words can breathe life or death; be careful with what you say and consider the impact of your words on others. Achieve and sustain success by staying true to yourself and guarding your heart. We can't choose how long we'll live, but we can choose how well! Strive to make a difference.

John Addison: Leadership is not a position, it's a disposition; it is about serving others, not controlling them. A crisis is simply a challenge to overcome; embrace adversity to learn, grow, and overcome. People follow actions and intentions...what you do says more than what you say. Choose your beliefs and your destiny; take responsibility for where you are right now. Be careful who you listen to and who you let have the keys to your mind. Protect your mind and feed it well. Winning isn't easy, but losing is harder. You have to go through the "mess" to get the message. Recognize opportunities and act decisively. Be prepared for opportunity. Feed your dreams and starve your nightmares. Your core (values, character, integrity, principles) is more important than what is around you (environment, circumstances). Acknowledge that you are the cause of your effects. Above all else, be happy where you are right now (and don't forget to tell your face...smile!).

Some of the concepts and messages shared at the symposium were old and some were new, but they were all worth repeating. There is always an opportunity to hear something in a different way or to interpret it through new experiences you've had since the last time. It's the power of one idea that can make all the difference.

The SUCCESS Symposium is about sharing ideas, growing, learning, and being inspired to make a difference in your own life and more importantly the lives of others. To that end, it was a great success!

I enjoy the energy and excitement of the live presentations. It is a fantastic way to learn and to meet others that have the same passion for personal growth. However, it's not practical to attend live seminars and conferences every day. For my daily dose of learning and growing, I rely on iLearningGlobal.tv. It allows me to access hi-def videos of some of the greatest speakers, business leaders, and thought leaders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's easy to spend 15 minutes a day feeding my brain and boosting my motivation.

To your success!

Scott Thomas