People who are driven to succeed don’t lament over the past. They don’t dwell on past mistakes or failures. They set goals and are extremely focused. They don’t give a f*ck about measurable goals (I hate that term by the way…) They declare audacious goals without any idea of how they will achieve them, and they go for it.

Have you ever wondered what the determining factor is for most people to take action? I believe there’s two: hunger and trauma. Hunger and trauma are the greatest motivators of action, and action is the key to success. When you’re dying of hunger, or have hit rock bottom due to a traumatic event, you will do whatever it takes to get yourself a meal or back on track.

Truly hungry people are like a homeless person who’s starving– they have a fundamental understanding that eating is a matter of survival. A hungry person will do anything to succeed. They will try new ways, ideas and will pivot or veer slightly from their main idea if need be.

I felt this most strongly in the last few years of my teaching career. I felt stifled, uncreative and trapped in an existence that was contrary to what I really wanted for myself. So I left. Despite the naysayers and critics–I did what was necessary in order to push myself closer to my goal. I had an insatiable appetite for success–I was starving, never mind hungry.

I still am.

The following is a profile of ‘hungry’ people:

  1. They run towards change–they aren’t afraid of it and in fact they like the uncertainty of it. Stagnation is their enemy.
  2. They don’t live in the past. People who are driven to succeed don’t lament over the past. They don’t dwell on past mistakes, failures, or how chubby they were as kids.
  3. They take extreme ownership over their lives and all of their actions. They refuse to play the blame game and take full responsibility for everything they have or haven’t achieved. They loathe the victim-mentality.
  4. They never stop learning and understand that the smartest person in the room is usually the one that thinks she has much more to learn.
  5. They are risk-takers. They jump head-first into tasks that most people shy away from.
  6. They set goals and are extremely focused. They don’t give a f*ck about measurable goals (I hate that term by the way…) They declare audacious goals without any idea of how they will achieve them, and they go for it. They trust they will find a way to get to where they want to go.

So the question remains– how hungry are you?