Success is a clear, yet complex word that means different things for different people. The measurements vary, the approaches to achieving change and the commitment to achieving fluctuate over time.

In recent study and pondering, three words came to mind that alliterate basic, core actions that will increase success and lead us to better places in our careers and our lives.

Regardless of your end goals, putting these principles to work will increase your success.

1. Clarity: Getting clear on what you’re doing is the first step to success. How can you muster the will and energy to do the hard work necessary without being clear on why you’re doing it? A key to clarity is knowing the big picture. Look ahead, see the outcome months or years down the road, write it down and start to work it. Start with why, get really clear, and then move forward.
2. Commitment: Once you have confidence in your direction, the next step is to commit to doing the work necessary to succeed. Your dedication to the end goal, and all the work that comes in between, is the fuel that will propel your desires. You need to commit to doing the right thing for the right reason, based on your clarity of purpose.
3. Courage: One of the most important factors in success is having the courage to make tough decisions, and then moving forward and create the results you’re pursuing. Like success, courage has different levels and diverse meanings. With the clarity and commitment in place, you now need to muster the courage to do hard things. One of the best models I’ve seen to help you put courage into practice comes from the book ESSENTIALISM: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. Among many other things, Greg describes the need for the courage to say ‘no’ more often. The ability to make decisions, and say ‘no’ to a lot of other good possibilities, is at the heart of every successful venture ever undertaken.

Success for you will be different—in some ways—that it is for me. However, applying these principles in our quest for success will make all the difference as we move forward.

Thank you for reading this far: I wrote this for myself—I’m applying it as you read and I hope you will too.

Questions: Why start with clarity? How do you commit to the things that are important to you? What is the core of your courage? Please leave a comment in the space below.

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The Product Management Perspective: The success of your products depends on your actions. You need to set—and communicate—a clear vision of where your products are heading. Your commitment to their success will have a marked influence on your teams. And employing courage in making tough choices, and standing behind them, will make all the difference.