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If it's worth having, it's worth paying for
You may remember that France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a gift in 1884. What stands out is that France didn't have a whole lot of extra money to spend at that point in time.
That meant that if the US wanted the statue, it was going to have to pay for the base. The problem was that the base cost almost as much as the Statue of Liberty itself.
Fortunately, some Americans rallied around the opportunity, most notably journalist Joseph Pulitzer, and the funds were raised to pay for the pedestal.
What I mean to illustrate here is that success demands a price. If you pay that price, there's still no guarantee that you'll get what you want, but the chances are much better than if you'd done nothing.
In essence, you'll up the odds of reaching what you're after.
Understanding that there's a price that must be paid for success will open the door to more opportunities in your life.
Meet Opportunities in the Middle
The good news is that amazing opportunities are all around you, but if your base isn't already in place, the chances of you taking full advantage of it go way down.
In my Mega Productivity course, I call this idea “Specificity.”
It's being specific about exactly WHAT you want and having a plan of HOW you'll get there.
For instance – if you want to be a professional dancer, you'll need to consider practicing before you head on stage. It would also be a good idea to look into training, diet, possible performance venues, and instructors.
The second key to the Statue of Liberty Success Formula is to develop your base. By having a strong foundation that you're continually building and reinforcing, you'll be ready to grab opportunities when they come up.
Nobody stares at the base
A base by itself is nothing without the centerpiece.
If you spend all your time building a pedestal, all you'll end up with is a bunch of bricks and concrete weighing you down.
Go ahead and ask any mobster how far you'll get with concrete shoes on. I bet their answer will be something like, “You'll go a long way quickly…as long as you're going down.”
The whole point here is that although building a strong base is critical to success, it's not an end result.
While you're building your base, you also have to spend time searching for a centerpiece. The centerpiece is what people care about.
If we go back to the dancing example. Nobody cares how much time you spend practicing. They only care about the amazing routine you've put together that showcases your skills.
The base is necessary, but all other people will judge you on is the result.
Always be on the lookout for a centerpiece.
The Statue of Liberty success formula
In a nutshell, here's the Statue of Liberty success formula:
1. Understand that all success has a price – If it's worth having, it's worth paying for.
2. Meet opportunities in the middle – Establish a base by being specific about what you want and how you'll get there.
3. Remember that nobody stares at the base – The purpose of the base is to make the centerpiece look amazing. Always be on the lookout for centerpieces to showcase your skills and talents.
