Have you heard of a guy called Fred Shero?

No? Until recently, me neither. I’m not a big sports fan and Fred was a hugely successful Canadian NHL player and coach with a string of many hundreds of wins and numerous awards and accolades to his name. Pretty good going, but it’s not his sports record that I admire.

What I love Fred for is something that he once said:“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire.”

Reading that sent lightning bolts through my spine, as there have been many times in my life when I’ve been sitting back, subconsciously waiting for the world to bring me the success I thought I wanted. To be completely honest with you, even now I sometimes find myself expecting someone else to ’set fire’ to me, waiting for spontaneous combustion rather setting myself on fire and finding my own success.

I have to catch myself when I slip into that way of thinking before it sets in, because Fred’s absolutely right.

People all too often wait for success to happen to them. “If only it would fall into place…”, “Surely someone will discover who I am and what I can do soon…” or “Just a little while longer and it’ll all come good…” are examples of the things we say while we’re waiting for success to come along.

Of course, the big thing I’ve come to learn is that it doesn’t work that way. Finding success - real success - isn’t a passive thing. It’s not something that happens to you like watching a movie or getting your hair cut. Finding success is something that happens in you.

Here are 4 things for you to think about:

1. What does success look like to you?

What comprises success? How much of it is material? How much of it is emotional? How much of it is spiritual? Get specific about what success does and doesn’t mean to you.

2. Imagine yourself towards the end of your life

Picture yourself towards the end of your life as happy and content as you can be. What is it about that future you that tells you as clear as day that they’re happy and content? Picture yourself walking up to them and asking them what it is that allowed them to reach that point. What single piece of advice can they give you?

3. How focused are you on working on your success?

What are you willing to do to get the kind of success you want? What are you waiting for the world to deliver to you so that you can have that success?

4. Are you driving your success?

How would it be if you were driving that success rather than waiting for it? What changes do you notice in how you do things and how you feel about things?

I’m not suggesting for one minute that you can’t ask others, the world, the universe or whatever higher power you happen to believe in for help. I’m not even suggesting that you become wholly focused on working towards your success. That’s missing the point.

The point is that we humans tend to be focused on working towards happiness and success and assume that until it comes along we have to spend time being unhappy, suffering or struggling.

You don’t have to struggle…

The truth is that things happen much easier and more readily if we don’t struggle, suffer or assume unhappiness - the assumption that you need to struggle or fight for your success is a false one. Real success comes much easier and becomes more consistent when you operate straight from that place of success instead of assuming it’s out there in the world somewhere.

Go after what’s important to you and get going on all those shiny things you’d love to have, do and be in life, but recognise how much more pleasureable it’s going to be when you’re feeling happy and successful rather than unhappy and unsuccessful.

Fred got it right. Don’t wait for spontaneous combustion or for someone to set light to you. Dive into your own happiness and success, engage with those things and operate from a place where they’re real and present.

Don’t wait, set yourself on fire.

原文链接：http://www.yeeyan.com/articles/view/49269/18789/dz

你听说过一个名叫弗雷德·谢罗的人吗？

没有？我也才听说。我不是体育迷，而弗雷德是个非常成功的加拿大全国曲棍球联合会的运动员，指导了上百次的胜利，自己也获得许多奖励和赞誉。成绩相当棒，不过，我钦佩的不是他的体育记录。

我喜欢弗雷德是因为他曾经说过：

“成功不是自燃的结果。你必须首先点燃自己。”

这句话震撼了我，因为在生活中，我曾多次袖手旁观，下意识地等待这个世界带我走向自己想得到的成功。跟你说实话，我发现，甚至现在，自己有时还在期待着别人给自己点把火，宁愿等待自燃，而不愿点燃自己，去努力争取自己的成功。

每当那样想的时候，我都努力控制自己，不再想下去，因为弗雷德说的绝对正确。

人们时常等待成功在自己身上发生。“只要有了头绪……”，“不久，一定会有人发现我的存在，了解我的能力……”或者“用不了多久，一切都会好了……”，这是我们在等待成功的到来时常说的一些话。

当然，我得到的最重要的启示是，那样是得不到成功的。想要成功——真正获得成功——不是被动的事情。成功不像看场电影，或理个发那么简单。

下面有四个你需要考虑的问题：

１．你认为成功是什么样子？

成功包括什么？有多少是物质的？有多少是情感的？有多少是精神的？具体了解成功对自己意味着什么，以及不意味着什么。

２．想像自己走向生活的终点

尽可能幸福而满足地想像出自己的生活终点。未来的你清清楚楚告诉你的幸福和满足的是什么？想像你走向未来的自己，向他询问是什么让他达到那个目的。他能给你的唯一建议是什么？

３．在努力争取成功的过程中你有多么专注？

你愿意为你想获得的成功付出什么？为了能获得成功，你在等待世界送给你什么？

４．你在推动自己的成功吗？

如果你正在推动自己的成功，而不是等待成功，会怎么样呢？你注意到自己如何做事情和如何揣摩事情有什么不同吗？

我不是暗示你不能向自己信任的他人、世界、宇宙、或能力高于自己的一切请求帮助。我甚至不是暗示要你完全投入到争取获得成功的工作中去。那就误解了我的意思。

我是说，人类容易集中精力投入到争取幸福和成功的工作中，以为在目的达到之前，我们必须度过不幸的、痛苦的，或是苦斗的时光。

你不必非得苦斗……

事实上，如果我们不去苦斗、不受折磨、或不承受不幸，那么，成功会来得更容易，更迅速——为了获得成功需要你奋斗或拚搏的假设是错误的。只要你直接从成功的地方入手，而不去设想成功在世界的某个地方，真正的成功就会来得更容易，也会更长久。

追求对你来说重要的东西，着手做自己喜爱的那些闪光的事情，一生一世都这么做。不过，要承认你正感受着幸福和成功，而不是不幸和失败，那将成为多么大的快乐。

弗雷德说的很对。不要等待自燃，或别人为你提供火种。开始享受自己的幸福和成功，参与那些快乐的事情，就从它们实际存在的地方入手。

别等待，点燃自己吧。

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