# 1 AND THE ONLY SECRET TO SUCCESS

Everybody can tell you some keys to success. Some experts may have a refined list of things that we need to have for us to succeed. But there is one key to success which nobody can deny. And if you have that, you don’t need to make an entire list of secrets to success.

The #1 and the only secret to success is — Making Right Decisions.

In fact, it is the mother of all secrets to success. If we can make the right decisions consistently, success is guaranteed. Nobody knows it better than the one who has taken critically wrong decisions and suffered for the whole of his or her life.

Life throws choices at us all the time. We need to pick one choice every moment throughout the day. It is an ongoing process. Many small things may not be significant, yet some of the choices can make or break our lives.

If we look at the history of our life or the life of any historical figure or the life of any close friend or relative, we find a pattern in his or her decision making. Some people intuitively make good decisions most of the time. The contrary is also true. Some people make wrong decisions, more often than not.

I think decision-making is a learned behavior. We learn to make decisions based on certain pre-conceived mental habits and over time, the pattern is hardened, and we get into a habit of making right or wrong decisions, exceptions apart of course.

What makes us take right or wrong decisions is the subject matter of another article. But it is interesting to observe this fact alone that we people make decisions. All decisions are not life-changing decisions, yet every small decision gives some clue about our habit or tendency to make decisions.

Just observing our own conduct in making decisions brings tremendous awareness. Awareness is the starting point in the process of any change. We can’t take even a single step in a direction of change if we are not aware that we need to change.

I have found that none of us knows himself or herself thoroughly. Forget about knowing others. At times, we react in a manner we never expected. When we start becoming aware of our conduct, we start noticing a pattern in our behavior.

We are nothing but a bundle of our hardened habits. All of them are learned habits. But, decision-making habit is a prime filter in choosing which habit we pick and which one we let go of.

So what is the takeaway from all this?

We can be aware of our conduct in making small choices and be thinking about why we are making those choices. What are the underlying experiences and emotions which influence each of our decision-making processes? Once we start being aware, we can explore what steps we need to take to make our decision-making process better than before.

Of course, it is an ongoing process.

- Pawan Verma