By John C. Maxwell

We at Launch Leadership Development are all about helping people grow in their journey of self-improvement!

Today I’d like to share with you some ideas from John Maxwell’s Your Roadmap for Success. John Maxwell has studied successful people of all walks of life and has developed many strategies to better your life that anyone can apply no matter where they are on their life path. Success is a journey, not a destination, he says.

Today we will examine each part of Maxwell’s definition of success:

• Maxwell’s definition of success
  • Know your purpose
  • Grow to reach your maximum potential
  • Sow seeds to benefit others

Knowing your purpose: Ask yourself these questions to help you find your purpose:

• For what am I searching? What is the strong desire deep inside you? Some people know it when they are children, others take half their lives to discover it.
• Why was I created? You were designed with a unique combination of gifts, talents, desires, interests, personality, appearance, voice, background, and experiences. You have a lot to offer that will reach just the right people.
• Do I believe in my potential? Success starts here- you must believe success is possible for you. He has a whole chapter devoted to attitude. 
• When do I start? The answer is NOW. Don’t wait for permission or “a sign” to get started!

Growing to your potential

• Maxwell quotes H.G. Wells: The only true measure of our success is the ratio between what we might have been and what we have become
• We can do anything, but we can’t do everything.
  • Focus on one main goal
  • Concentrate on continual improvement
  • Forget the past and move on from mistakes or obstacles or circumstances
  • Focus on the future

Maxwell lists 10 principles for growth:

• Choose a life of growth
• Start growing TODAY
• Be teachable
• Focus on Self-Development, not Self-Fulfillment
• Never stay satisfied with current accomplishments
• Be a continual learner
• Concentrate on a few major themes (relationships, communication, leadership)
• Develop a plan for growth. He recommends an hour a day, 5 days a week.
• Pay the price and be disciplined
• Find a way to apply what you learn – where can you use it?

Sowing seeds that benefit others

A life well lived needs to include helping others in some way.

• What stirs you to want to help others?
• What interests, talents, gifts, experiences, or guidance can you give? How does your personality best serve others?

How to take others along:

• Make people development your top priority
• Limit who you take along
• Develop relationships before starting out
• Give help unconditionally
• Let them fly with you for a while- train them well
• Put fuel in their tank – resources
• Stay with them until they can solo successfully
• Clear the flight path: clear away common obstacles
• Help them repeat the process and learn to mentor others

I have only shared a few highlights of this guidebook to success, so perhaps you will want to add this to your professional library and share it with others.  Remember one of our core values is to teach what you learn, my friend!

-Jan Jones

For more from John Maxwell on success, check out this video!