Last month the legendary wrestler Dan Gable spoke at my annual seminar in Tampa, Florida. Gable won the gold medal at the 1972 Olympics. Since then he has coached the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA team titles in 21 seasons (three of which included me as a member). This man clearly knows how to succeed. Yet his formula for success is simple.

I have studied self-development since high school and I have never seen a success formula spelled out like this anywhere. It is very much “breakthrough.”

In the opening minutes of his talk Gable said that success boils down to three things. First, you need to LISTEN to good people. These are people who are knowledgeable and want the best for you.

Second, you need to BELIEVE in what these people teach you.

Third, you need to APPLY what you are taught. This is the hardest part. Nothing much is going to happen in your life if you don’t APPLY what you listened to and believed. And unless you are willing to apply what you’ve learned over and over again, unless you practice the art of “relentless repetition,” you will never become a success.

According to Gable, when all three elements of this formula are in place, you will succeed. And that’s not all. If you continue working this formula, it will lead to something he calls DOMINATION. That means not just becoming a winner or a one-time champion in something. It means dominating in your field, year after year, as Gable has done for four decades.

Think of how this formula applies to anything you are passionate about. Take a few moments to analyze the successes you’ve had. I’m betting you’ll find they are directly proportional to how well you listened, how much you believed in what you heard and how well and how often you applied what you were taught.

By using the Gable Formula, it is very easy for me as a coach to spot those who are destined for greatness and those who will never make it. All I have to do is look at who is listening and who isn’t. After that I will usually know who believes what I taught by what they are willing to apply.

Yes, there are those who take notes and listen to what you say, and they try to apply what you’ve taught them. But they don’t really, deep down in their guts, BELIEVE what you taught. And so, at the first sign of defeat or the first time in which adversity mounts its head, the person gives up. He stops applying what you taught because he listened but did not believe. It’s the equivalent of learning various kicks, punches and throws in the martial arts world, then trying to do them on a more experienced person. Naturally, the techniques won’t work right away. You need more practice. You need more time APPLYING what you listened to and believed.

The truly great person listens and believes long before he ever sees the first sign of success. He follows the advice of his teachers. He applies it day in and day out, no matter how hard. Then, pretty soon he begins to see light coming through the tunnel. He sees that what he listened to and believed is coming true.

With this first sign of success in mind, the person is given even more belief. So he listens even more intently because he sees a new reality shining through the clouds.

If this person never gives up, he will have his first BIG success. When this happens, it’s a time for celebration. Yet, potential danger lurks in the shadows. The student may begin to be filled with himself instead of with the subject he is studying. He may stop listening. Yes, he may still believe what he learned previously. But without an open mind willing to learn MORE than what he believed at an earlier time, he will start to lose what he gained.

The key to the Gable Success Formula requires humility. It’s hard to listen when you’re pompous. It’s hard to believe anything when you think you already have all the answers. And with nothing to apply, how can there ever be a success?

Post “Listen, Believe and Apply” on a wall in your mind for the next month. Put this formula in a place where you’ll see it everyday. Take a few moments to pause while you’re reading. Doing so will change your life and open the eyes of those around you.

[Ed. Note: Martial arts and discipline titan Mathew Furey motivates thousands of people with his politically incorrect fitness, fighting and maximum success instruction. For more information, click here.]

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