By Hall of Fame Speaker Floyd Wickman 

One of the most common character traits I have observed in successful entrepreneurs is their desire to improve. It’s almost a given that behind every successful person is a refusal to accept the idea that they are as good as they can become.

The trick is to balance this drive to be better with the patience it takes to be consistent and accept step-by-step progress. Every once in a great while you can make a great big leap forward, but it’s usually a process of gradual, measurable, positive change.

In fact, be suspicious of overnight success. Most Hollywood actors who experience overnight success will tell a tale of years of slogging through auditions, casting calls, pounding the pavement, bit parts, disappointments and heartaches, before that big break. It’s called paying your dues, laying the foundation, paying the price.

Experiencing big and sudden success without a solid foundation underneath can have tragic effects. Take most lottery winners, for instance. What happens to these folks who are “blessed” with sudden unearned wealth? We’ve all heard story after story of how within a relatively short period of time they are broke again, and worse off than before they won.

I have two recommendations for those of you who want to go to the top in your profession.

The first is to remember that there are two sources of direction to light the pathway to success – your own personal experience, and then the wisdom, knowledge, guidance and direction of a mentor, or mentors.

The problem with relying on just your own personal experience is that it’s very costly and time consuming. The surest way to profit quickly from personal experience is to understand that failure is directional and not permanent. Sometimes that’s a tough concept to grasp and internalize.

Napoleon Hill taught us that every failure contains the seed of an equal benefit – provided we can discipline our minds to look for it, no matter what our feelings are. But heartache and disappointment hurt. Wallowing in melancholy is something we can feel entitled to. It takes a unique mental strength to accept failure as a necessary step to success.

The second recommendation is to seek advice from people one level above you. The most recent success closest to your level will help you advance the quickest.

If I wanted to improve my golf game and lower my score by a few strokes, I would not recommend seeking advice from Tiger Woods. In the first place, he is not a teacher. But more importantly, he is so far above my level that his advice would only apply to someone just one notch below his championship level.

I believe in heroes and role models and superstars to emulate. But for advice on a practical level, I recommend looking no further than those closest to your level who have had recent successes.

That’s why I am so grateful to have found my second broker, who was a great teacher and motivator. He was able to give me the right piece of advice at the right time that allowed me to grow at my pace.

Yes, I went from 3 closings the first year to over 90 the second. That was my great leap, but it was only possible because I had a teacher who made me consistently apply the basics. That consistency made my improvement permanent, and became one of the bedrock principles we use in The Floyd Wickman Program.

I’ve always said my goal was to become the worst trainer in my organization, and folks, I’ve arrived. I am proud to offer a free, three hour, live seminar, exclusively to qualified companies, by any of my trainers. Just click here, leave your contact information and we will have one of my trainers contact you with further details.