Today I share with you three reasons why your success is up to you. Remember setting goals and having a plan is very important but you also need to: Build the right relationships Jump right in and be prepared to take risks knowing that a mistake can be corrected. Be confident and decisive. Learn to evaluate different decisions for their advantages and disadvantages. Taking action will get you closer to your goals than doing nothing at all.

1. It is Up to You
Hello friends, I hope you are having a wonderful week.
Today I am celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary but it seems that it was only yesterday that
Michelle and I danced to The Carpenters’ song “We've Only Just Begun” on our wedding day.Captured
by her love I must have lost track of time. Who cares where 20 years has gone when we have only just
begun? I don’t….. but I am still curious (or clueless as Michelle often says), was it on one of our long
walks in the tropical Sunday evening sunset that she captured my heart?It seems like only yesterday that
I felt in love with Michelle and we’ve only just begun.Happy 20th Anniversary my love and soul mate.
Today I would like to share with you three reasons it is up to you to succeed.Obviously in order to
succeed you will need to set your goals and have a plan. To be successful requires more than setting
goals and having a plan and it is up to you.
Here are three reasons it is up to you:
Building the right relationships
Success is also about building the right relationships. It is up to you to connect and build relationships
with people who you share a common interest with. For example, if you are starting a business and
think you don’t know enough then you have to find people who share you passion and interests and
people who you can learn from. In 2006, when I started Mark McKenzie Consulting I connected with
Chris Mathers. He became my mentor. He helped me understand the local business culture, business
development and a lot of others things relating to business. It is up to you to build the right relationships
and surround yourself with others who share your vision.
Jump right in
Once you have set you goals and develop your plan for success it is up to you to jump right in. I usually
tell my children and my friends that you cannot learn to swim sitting on the sand or on a pool chair. You
have to jump right in to start learning how to swim. When we are learning to swim we start out at the
shallow end and make our way gradually to the deep end of the pool. If your plan involves starting a
business the truth is there is really no better way to start than jumping right in. If you have sufficient
passion and perseverance it will guide you across the treacherous path to success.
Don’t be fooled once you have jumped right in. You will make mistakes. You will encounter setbacks and
challenges but you will learn because you jumped right in. Jump right in and allow your deep-rooted
drive and enthusiasm to keep you motivated and engaged in your quest for success.Jumping right in and
putting yourself on the line will earn you respect from your peers. I remember about 4 years ago I met
an executive from Economical Insurance based in Waterloo, Ontario on a flight. When I told him I owned

2. and operated my own consulting practice he was very excited and told me how much he admired and
respected people who have the courage to start their own business. You will gain respect when you
jump right in.
Be confident and decisive
It is up to you to be confident and decisive. If you appear unsure and indecisive in the pursuit of your
goals no one will take you seriously. Lack of confidence and indecisiveness is a signal of mediocrity. You
cannot allow fear to cripple your dreams. As I mentioned above you are going to make mistakes and you
are going to get some things wrong but you cannot allow it to make you do nothing. If it is worth doing,
then it is worth trying.
One of the most important requirements for success is being confident and decisive knowing that your
decisions are well thought out and thoroughly reasoned. It is about being confident in your judgement
and believing in yourself.Remember doing nothing is worse than trying something and failing. If your
decisions turn out to be right, you can expect to be rewarded for your efforts.Be confident and decisive
and demonstrate The Power of Believing in Yourself.
Today I share with you three reasons why your success is up to you. Remember setting goals and having
a plan is very important but you also need to:
Build the right relationships
Jump right in and be prepared to take risks knowing that a mistake can be corrected.
Be confident and decisive. Learn to evaluate different decisions for their advantages and disadvantages.
Taking action will get you closer to your goals than doing nothing at all.
Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well
as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor. He can be contacted by
email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog
http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter
@mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.