Recipe for Success

Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks for the blessings we have but let’s also sprinkle some honesty, it’s also about the food. One thing I always look forward to around Thanksgiving time is when the recipe cards start coming out. I know the smells of the irresistible temptations will start circulating the air and soon, the oven rack will show what we will overindulge on (this year it was my wife’s chocolate chip cookies and apple crisp).

When you typically hear stories of these recipe cards, it’s something passed down from generation to generation (maybe with a little twist to it). The recipes provide a consistent outline of what it takes for successful savory deliciousness.

When you think of your own personal success, have you ever thought about your own unique recipe? What are the ingredients for you going out to conquer each day? The approaches, mindset, activities, who you spend your time with, and all the other ingredients that combine for success.

Start listing the ingredients of your own personalized recipe card:

  • Time you wake up in the morning
  • Type of meals that give you energy and good health
  • Time you spend working out
  • Dedicated time to fuel your learner mindset (books, podcasts, networking, etc.)
  • Opportunities for quality family time

The recipe card of success will look different for each of us. For all of us, though, it’s an opportunity to reflect on and document what we feel can make us our best selves each day. If we know the ingredients for our authentic success, we understand what we need to mix together for the incredibleness to come out.

This recipe card can also act as an accountability card. If we want the result to be progress to our authentic best self, putting together a recipe card outlines exactly what that can look like. It’s staring you right in the face asking you to be accountable. Each day’s success generates momentum to more success – the more days of success, the more that recipe card becomes an automatic habit.

Take your step: reflect on your most successful days (success defined by you) and start brainstorming the different parts of the day that contributed to the success. Are you finding consistency in the successful days for what your routine was? Good – that means you’re already building your recipe card. Keep brainstorming the key attributes of your successful day to create your own recipe card of success.