If you could see a chart of everything a person does in a day, do you think you could predict what that person’s life would look like in the future?
You bet you can.
You don’t need to be a psychic to see the future.
You just need to be able to honestly observe the present.
You see, the formula for everything you see in life, including the formula for success, is the same.
The Success Formula
Inputs = output.
That’s it.
Whether it’s a computer program where you enter a command and the computer outputs the result of that command, or if you plant a seed in your garden, feed it, and it outputs vegetables, the formula is simple.
Inputs = output.
And whether we realize it or not, the same holds true of our own lives.
What we put into our life is what we will get out of our life.
Ten times out of ten.
Relying on outliers like cashing a winning lottery ticket won’t get you to where you want to be, excepting anyone who experiences one-in-a-million type results.
Even then, if your habits (inputs) are not where they should be, that high will not last long.
It is your habits that will get you to where you want to go and keep you there.
You just have to plan them with purpose.
Finding Inputs for the Success Formula
Have you ever heard the saying “there is nothing new under the sun”?
The most attractive feature of the success formula is that the path to virtually anywhere you want to go with your life has already been laid down before you, so the inputs to the formula are already out there.
Let’s give some examples.
Do you know anybody who is really successful in their career? Say an accountant, for example?
Are they simply lucky?
Were they born an accountant right out of the womb?
Or is there a formula that leads to success as an accountant?
You bet there is a formula. And it’s really simple. They have schools all over the place for just that kind of thing. It looks a little something like this:
Read accounting textbooks + take accounting classes + practice = Become a good accountant
Simple. There is no other way.
Now let’s extrapolate that to any area of your life that you’d like. There is a formula and a pattern for success, so it’s our job to go find it.
Here are some examples.
Do you want to be better in social situations?
Great! Here’s a formula:
Read about the best social techniques + watch videos/lectures on social skills + practice = Become a social rock star
How about becoming healthy?
There is a formula for that too, and it’s not rocket science:
Cut out sugar + drink enough water + do not consume more calories than you need + eat whole foods + reasonable physical activity = Become healthier at a more appropriate weight
That’s it. Simple. If you’re doing that, you are building a great health foundation. Inputs = output.
You could even become a virtuoso-type of musician regardless of whether or not you’ve picked up an instrument before.
Become a real estate investor.
Or an artist.
Almost anything is on the table for you.
The formula for success in any area of life is so simple it makes you shake your head if you’ve never laid it out before.
And remember, there is nothing new under the sun.
You can copy the safe and effective habits of those who have achieved what you want to achieve.
But you have to hold yourself accountable.
Enter the Success Planner
Remember at the beginning of this article where I asked you if you could predict a person’s future results by looking at a chart of what that person does in a day?
Well, now that person is you.
If you really want to put this simple success formula to use for your best interests, the best way to do so is to see your inputs right in front of your eyes in the form of your very own success planner.
Your success planner tells you the truth. It removes all the nonsense, the excuses, the ego, and separates hopes from beliefs.
If you could see in plain black and white a list of everything you do in a day and for how long, there will be no doubt as to your future results.
You get out of life what you put into it.
If your chart shows a lot of TV-watching and dessert-eating, you should not be surprised when you become unhealthy and stagnant.
There would be no reason to expect any other outcome. Your inputs are determining your results and your experience.
Now, what if your chart shows regular physical activity, healthy meals, and no junk food?
Future you is probably fairly healthy and feeling pretty good.
So how do you put this plan into action and make this success formula work for you?
Let’s Make a Success Planner
I’m going to share an example of a portion of a chart for a day in which I am not working a job or have any appointments. I am leaving this chart headline-only and somewhat general for the purpose of this exercise.
If I’m building my success planner well and holding myself accountable, we should be able to predict some of my future results if I hold to this success planner.
So what would you say my future results would look like if I stay consistent with this chart?
Well, first of all, whatever I am studying in my coursework I will be much more proficient at.
I will also be a more proficient writer producing regular content that gets better over time.
By dedicating a block of time every day to marketing activities, website traffic will grow over time.
In the “all wins count, even the little ones” category, I’ll have good hygiene as I shower every day (don’t lie – some of you working remotely know you don’t do that!)
I will reap the benefits that come from daily reading.
(As you may know, I recommend reading a couple pages a day from How to Win Friends and Influence People, so my social skills will be on point. And assuming whatever else I choose to read has value, I will grow there as well.)
And I’ll have a clean kitchen and a meal to sit down to at the end of each work day.
The “sets” in the next column over represent sets of a chosen exercise for each day. It’s a fitness practice I love that I’ve named “Intermittent Work” which I’ve written about here.
So I’ll be fit and have good functional strength as well.
Success Planners Tell Us Whether or Not We Are On the Road to Achieving Our Goals
Our charts teach us a lot about ourselves.
It’s easy to see from mine what some of my larger goals are:
- Good health
- Good fitness
- Skill development
- Business development
- Mental/emotional/social development
It’s all reflected in the success planner. With a proper, adhered to success planner, there are no surprises. I’ve planned my inputs and I know what output will be achieved as a result of those inputs.
I cannot be disappointed if I do not achieve something that is not adequately represented on the chart.
Which is why the success planner is a new must-have for me.
I feel almost a little ridiculous that I didn’t have one before. But life is all about growth, so I don’t actually feel that way.
Adhering to a success planner, there is no longer any guesswork as to what my future results will be.
You get out of life what you put into it.
Inputs = output.
If something is consistent on my chart, I should grow in proficiency. If something is not on my chart, I probably won’t.
So if I ever look at the success planner and see that there is something there that I don’t want, or if there is something I am lacking or not experiencing in my life that I do want, I can adjust the chart, changing the inputs in the success formula, and start reaping the benefits of my new output.
But I won’t be fooled into believing I might achieve something if I am not applying the appropriate inputs.
But if I do apply the appropriate inputs?
Any good thing is possible.
If you were to make a chart of how you spent your day, would you see inputs that would lead to achieving your goals? What do you think should be on your chart? Let me know in the comments below so we can all support each other.
Have fun achieving your dreams!
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