They say that success is a ladder that cannot be climbed
with your hands in your pocket. We have all read or heard about people who are briefly
successful; They win a gold medal, make an instant fortune, or star in one
great movie and then disappear…These examples do not inspire me. My focus and fascination has been with people who seem to do well
in many areas of life, and do it over and over through a lifetime. In music, I
think of The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley. In business, I think of
Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. We all
know examples of people who go from one success to another. In fact, I've had the pleasure of surrounding myself with some very successful individuals that have inspired me along the way to follow in their lead.
Over the years
I've studied these kind of human folk from afar and have noticed they have the following traits in common:
- They work hard.. And they play hard too! They get up early,
they rarely complain, they expect performance from others, but they expect
extraordinary performance from themselves. Repeated, high-level success starts
with a recognition that hard work pays off.
- They are curious and eager to learn. They study, read and always ask questions. They apply or take advantage of
what they learn. Repeated success is not about memorizing facts or figures, it's about
being able to take information and create, build, or apply it in new and
important ways. These kind of people want to learn everything about everything.
- They network. They know lots of people, and they know lots
of different kinds of people. They listen; to friends, neighbours, co-workers
and bartenders. They don't have to be the life of the party, in
fact many are quiet, even shy, but they value people and they value
relationships. Successful people have a Rolodex full of people who value their friendship
and return their calls.
- They work on themselves and never quit. While the
"over-night wonders" become arrogant and quickly disappear, truly successful people work on their personality, their leadership skills,
management skills, and every other detail of life. When a relationship or
business deal goes sour, they assume they can learn from it and they expect to
do better next time. Successful people don't tolerate flaws; they fix them!
- They are creative. They go around asking,
"Why not?" They see new combinations, new possibilities, new
opportunities and challenges where others see problems or limitations. They ask
for advice, try things out, consult experts and amateurs, always looking for a
better, faster, cheaper solution. Successful people create stuff!
- They are self-reliant and take responsibility. Successful people don't worry about blame, and they don't waste time
complaining. They make decisions and move on...Successful people take
the initiative and accept the responsibilities of success.
- They are relaxed, composed and keep their perspective. Even in
times of stress or turmoil, highly successful people keep their balance - they
know the value of timing, humor, and patience. There's never any need to panic or make
decisions on impulse. Successful people breath easily, ask the right
questions, and make sound decisions, even in a crisis.
- Extremely successful people live in the present moment. They
know that now is the only time they can control. They have a gift for looking people in the eye, listening to what is being
said, enjoying a fine wine, a good song and appreciate the finer things in life. They take full advantage of each day.
Successful people don't waste time, they use it.
- They look over the horizon to see the future.
They make goals, and always have a plan of attack. They can picture themselves and where they'll be in one, five or ten years down the track. These people live in the present, but always have one eye on
the future and work towards a series of short and long term goals.
- Successful people respond instantly. When an
investment isn't working out, they sell. When they see an opportunity, they
make the call. If an important relationship is cooling down, they take time to
renew it.
I don't believe these traits are genetic, they are to be learnt. I've been blessed enough to have acquired the type of friends and surrounded myself around other such mentors who have taught and shown me many of these traits. I look at the success' of my mum, whose abrasive past has been well overcome with the achievements of her family, marriage, self directed business and most importantly (to her, at least) her faith. I'm sure she would agree...Whatever your idea of success is - whether it be a level of social status, an achievement of an objective or goal, or simply the opposite of failure - If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but doesn't feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.
