7 Powerful Success Tips From a Comedian: Steve Harvey

“A person has to remember that the road to success is always under construction. You have to get that through your head. That it is not easy becoming successful.” - Steve Harvey

Things weren’t always easy for Steve Harvey. In the first few years of performing stand-up comedy shows - before millions worth of paychecks came in - he made a temporary home out of his 1976 Ford Tempo. Harvey had an Igloo cooler in the backseat as a makeshift refrigerator and washed up in nearby gas stations and swimming pool showers.

“It was so disheartening,” he told People Magazine in 2013. “It was rock bottom. But even in my darkest days I had faith it would turn around.”

Steve Harvey is one of those who truly started from the bottom. From stand-up gigs in half-empty venues to being a top-rated radio host, best-selling author, fashion entrepreneur, and award-winning talk show host– he has become a household name.

The road to success can get excruciatingly bumpy. Here are 7 tips from the man who survived the ride.

1. Reinvent yourself.

“You are never too old to reinvent yourself.”

Fake it ‘til you make it— you’ve probably heard about this advice. Doing so gives others the impression that you are competent enough. Faking for the right reasons can have its advantages. This is what psychologists call the self-fulfilling prophecy — by acting confident, you'll actually start to feel confident.

Let’s say you’re about to pitch a business plan to investors or deliver an important presentation to potential clients. If you think they would not be interested and worry that you’ll fail miserably from terrible nerves then you’ll probably get awkward and stutter your way through your presentation.

By contrast, enter the meeting room with your head held high. Believe that you can make it through your presentation without a glitch. Be confident but never overdo it, you don’t want to appear cocky. As long as your motivation is in the right place, acting like a success can effectively help you become a success.

2. Discover your gift.

“Your mission, your purpose and your destiny will all be tied to one thing – your gift.”

Can you make people laugh? Maybe many readers find your written thoughts helpful or motivational. Are you an entrepreneur occasionally giving birth to new ideas? Or would you rather be an actor?

Determine your forte, nurture it over time, sustain commitment, and let go of the fear that holds you back from sharing it to the world. It is important to recognize the passion that burns within you. Your natural gift may only be one thing, but it can branch out into numerous opportunities you can turn into worthwhile ventures.

3. Embrace failures.

“Failure is a great teacher and I think when you make mistakes and you recover from them and you treat them as valuable learning experiences, then you’ve got something to share."

Entrepreneurs face challenging situations. And the ones who would be affected in return are not just the business itself but also those involved in the business like employees and loyal customers and clients. However, growth is gained through a series of mistakes.

Some people choose safety over risk because failure scares them. Remember, you are not a robot and even robots can have glitches. Failures are an essential part of being successful. Even successful billionaires like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos believe that failure is a pathway to success. What’s important is that you learn from every mistake that comes your way.

4. Remind yourself of your vision.

"We have to become skilled at deflecting negative energy and keeping our eyes focused on our vision."

Constantly reminding yourself of your visions helps set a concrete mindset, keeping you grounded. This is especially helpful when you find yourself in a difficult situation. Remember your goals and you’ll see through tough times with a fresh set of eyes. You’ll be able to think more clearly and make better decisions.

Create your own “vision board”. Write everything you want on it– your well-thought-out dreams and plans. Consider it as a roadmap on how you can achieve success. Nothing is instant, but it gives you a sense of direction.

5. Multiply your effort.

“Action is the prescription for moving forward.”

Steve’s success, like any other entrepreneur or businessman’s, wasn’t achieved overnight. There’s no guaranteed process in being successful, but effort plays a major role in reaching your goals.

Your life has to be more than just sitting around, waiting for the right opportunity to come knocking on your door and find you. You can learn all of the best strategies in the world, but if you lack in effort, you will only get so far.

6. Spend time with the right people.

“You should be living your life surrounded by people who are like-minded, service-oriented, and grateful, people who are trying to accomplish things.”

Have you experienced sharing your goals with negative people and they end up invalidating your ideas? Many of us have. In a tricky business environment, it is inevitable to come across people who’ll try to pull you down.

Steve Harvey believes that there are no missions in life that you can solely accomplish alone. Team up with those who share the same goals,  and constantly strive to contribute improvements to each other.

There are several online communities for new and established entrepreneurs where you can meet people to collaborate and connect with. Find the perfect community with people who share the same ideals and aspirations, where you can share strategies and insights, collaborate, and build networks.

7. Be grateful

“If you change your gratitude, you change your attitude, and it changes your altitude.”

As I often say, you cannot run out of things to be grateful for, especially when you don’t overlook even the simplest reasons. Everyone is already wealthy and abundant, it’s our natural state of being. The mere fact of waking up, the ability to move, the cup of coffee you are able to take, they are things you should be grateful for.

Steve Harvey starts his day with a morning gratitude prayer and by reading a list of things he is grateful for everyday. This simple routine can impact the way you feel and think.

Gratitude brushes off the negativities. It will help you begin work in the right frame of mind and drive in more motivation.

 

Experience is indeed the best teacher. But not everyone is fortunate enough to have these enlightening experiences. In this case, you can always learn from people who have been there done that.

Steve Harvey shows the importance of your actions and mindset in achieving success. Exert effort in the things you love and do. Don’t stray away from your goals and don’t be swept up by failures and negativities. You have to act like a success to become one.

You don’t have to imitate anyone to be successful on your own. Read success stories. Find inspirations. Gain motivations. Then apply all these learnings to your own life.

Visit my blog for more posts on success, starting and growing your business, entrepreneurship, leadership, productivity and motivation, and many more!