We all have dreams, goals, and aspirations we want to achieve. Countless challenges stand between us and our dreams: insecurities, limited connections, lack of time, insufficient skills, low energy—the list goes on. One of your primary jobs is to work around whatever gets in your way.

No matter how challenging your circumstances or how difficult your situation, you must actively pursue your goals. If you want a better life, you must double down on proven strategies for success.

When you're pursuing a goal, you have to be willing to put in the necessary work for success. When you share your goals with others, they don't care how challenging the journey is for you. When I work with colleagues, I don't want them to think about my personal struggles. I don't want them worrying about how hard it is for me to get ready in the morning, travel from one place to another, or handle any logistics I face. Those are my problems and my challenges. My loved ones and team help me with those issues. In fact, the less they have to worry about my personal obstacles, the more we can focus on what matters most.

Showing Up Means Doing the Work

Part of success is showing up for other people. It has been said that 90 percent of success is showing up. I mostly agree with this sentiment, but there's one crucial caveat: it's not enough to just show up physically. You have to be willing to do the work.

You can't show up to work, give minimal effort, and expect to excel. You can't show up to date night and spend the evening texting your friends. You can't just be physically present for your kids—you have to actively engage them, encourage positive behavior, and redirect suboptimal choices.

You exist in other people's lives to serve them and make their lives better. When you accomplish this, you can achieve your own goals. Other people rely on you to help them reach their objectives. Your spouse relies on you to help run the household, assist with the kids, and serve as their sounding board and emotional rock. A friend relies on you for your listening ear, emotional support, and partnership in their endeavors. Professionally, people rely on you to deliver excellent work and accomplish shared goals.

The Truth About Excuses

My definition of an excuse is an explanation for why something did or didn't happen, or why something can or cannot happen. No matter how legitimate an issue might be, the hard truth is that things didn't happen the way they were supposed to. Excuses might buy you a couple of extra chances, but here's the reality: they get old really quickly.

The hard truth is that every time you make an excuse, you weaken your reputation. At some point, nobody cares about what you cannot do—they only care about the value you provide them. The only people who may care about your limitations are your parents and perhaps other loved ones, but beyond that circle, no one cares.

There are legitimate reasons why my disability makes life more challenging. My job is not to let these challenges become excuses. Although others show compassion and care toward me, I've always maintained the mindset that I need to offer something unique and transformational. I need to find ways to become more valuable to others.

Part of having a victim mindset is wanting everybody else to take care of you while you neglect taking care of yourself. That's simply not how the world works. Part of achieving success is learning to deal with whatever gets in your way.

Reality Check: The World Doesn't Revolve Around Your Problems

Remember:

• Your boss doesn't care how hectic your morning was
• If you're rude to your friend, they might not care that you're going through a rough patch
• The stranger you were rude to doesn't care about the drama in your life

Although people can be very caring and understanding, at some point, no one should care more about your life than you do. Most people you encounter don't care how tired you are, what's happening behind the scenes, what occurred in your childhood, or how you lost money in the market. People are primarily concerned with their own lives.

While many people are empathetic to others, empathy is certainly not guaranteed—and in many cases, it's earned. You can earn empathy by being kind to others and making things right when they go wrong. On the other hand, one sure way to destroy empathy is to act entitled or rude. When you behave this way, people really don't care about your struggles.

Take Responsibility and Make Things Happen

Instead of proving how you've been cheated and creating excuses, take responsibility for your life. Stop treating your life like a giant courtroom and go make things happen.

The world doesn't owe you anything. Success comes to those who work for it, not those who wait for it or make excuses for why they can't achieve it. Your circumstances are your starting point, not your destination. What you do with those circumstances determines whether you'll thrive or merely survive.

Focus on what you can control, work around what you can't, and never let your challenges become the story of why you couldn't succeed. The only story that matters is the one where you found a way to win despite the obstacles.