Success comes in different ways and forms. There are many paths a person can follow that lead to success. Although, the road each person takes to reach success may be different, they do share similar qualities.
This blog post covers all my research, observations, and personal experiences on what I believe is necessary to become successful. I have enjoyed and benefited plenty from compiling this exhaustive list of qualities.
The majority of us starts out quite ordinary and remains that way. The few who achieves success, have traits those other do not. What exactly are those traits? Here is a list of them (in no particular order of importance):
- Clear aim and purpose – People that are successful, constantly have a clear set of desires to aim for with each task. They know exactly what they want and follow it through. Having this clear sense of direction allows them to stick to their long-term goals and achieve them.
- Knows how to balance life – Many of us are no strangers to the idea of “work-life balance.” We know about it and maybe even realize how important it is, but we do not try to work towards it. Successful people have work-life balance figured out, so it allows them to maximize their time at both work and their life outside of work.
- Think big – Many people set their aim too low and is able to achieve that mark easily. This sense of success is enough to keep them going and the cycle repeats. Successful people tend to aim very high and sometimes they fall short, but other times they hit their mark.
- Not afraid of failures – Being afraid of failure limits your potential. It prevents you from trying new things or starts working towards your goal. The difference in how successful people view failure is that it is an opportunity to learn. It tells them what does not work, so they do not make the same mistake in the future.
- Open mindedness to new ways of thinking – There are multiple ways to think about a certain matter. Some people are adamant with their view and refuses to change or hear out another’s view. Successful people will listen to others’ perspectives. They may not change their way of thinking, but they educate themselves and recognize them.
- Have the will to succeed – Becoming successful is hard work. To reach success there are many hours and labor behind it. Many people just do not have the drive to put in that much work. They rather indulge themselves in entertainment.
- Focused – People who are successful know how to concentrate. They know they cannot do everything and they focus on tasks that will give them the most benefit. They also realize multitasking is not all it’s cracked up to be and the fastest way to get things done is one at a time.
- Person of action – Many people fall into the trap of spending all their time thinking about doing something, but never actually doing it. Successful people are doers and not talkers. They do not wait for everything to be perfect before they take action. Instead, they go for it, observe the feedback and make adjustments accordingly.
- Avoid Conflicts – One of the most important ingredient to success is knowing how to get along with people. When you get along with people, you are loved by all, which opens many doors for success. You can only climb up so much without the assistance of a friend. If you are having trouble with this, I recommend you read the book How to Win Friends & Influence People
by Dale Carnegie.
- Positive Attitude and Perseverance – Successful people have a realistic sense of optimism. They take action and regardless of the result, they believe in reaching success eventually. They always take action first and then modify the action according to the result. This positive outlook permits them to persevere and be able to get back up continually after failures.
- Mastery of time – Successful people just like anyone else only have 24 hours a day to get things done. The difference is they know how to use their time well. Successful people value their time and see the connection between their spent time and their well-being. They are usually always on time and in control of their time. For example, they require strict start and end time for meetings.
- Willing to take risks – We have all heard that without risk there is no reward. But very few people actually take the risk necessary to get the reward we want. People that do take risk are the ones that have an opportunity to become successful. They have the courage to start and to follow through, which can lead to success.
- Knows how to communicate – People who are able to communicate effectively excel in life. A strong communicator understands that just because people speak the same language, it does not mean they understand each other. An effective communicator is clear about and sensitive to the outcome they want to get from their communication. They are flexible in the method of communication to achieve their desired outcome.
- Giving – Successful people tend to be generous givers. The more you give, the more you get back. They believe in helping other people to get what they want will get them what they want in life. Aside from money, they also devote their time and expertise to help.
- High level of self-esteem – Successful people believes they deserve their success and know they can do anything if they set their mind to. They understand mistakes will happen and even welcome it. They see it as a learning opportunity for what they did wrong. They also are aware of signs of low self-esteem to ensure they can correct it by keeping a positive self-image. Successful people understand that self-esteem is a state of mind, so they chose to have a high self-esteem for the benefits.
- Confidence – Successful people have a high level of confidence in themselves. Confidence is what allows people to take action to achieve their goals. People that are confident are usually ones that have overcame the fear of failure. Some signs of confidence are empowering others, not taking criticism personally, and understanding that the first time for doing something is always the toughest. Success is a result of confidence with competence.
- Always learning – Most successful people are always educating themselves every day. They read books or blogs about their profession and passion in order to become an expert in their field. They might be talking with other experts and learning from them. Successful people are life-long learners who view mastery as unreachable and the best they can do is keep getting closer.
- Trusts their intuition – People who are successful in life trust their gut. They may not have a rational reason for their decision, but they knew it was the right thing to do. They utilize the power of their subconscious thought by sending it “orders” from the conscious mind.
- Embraces possibility – Successful people does not let a roadblock stop them. Instead, they start thinking of all the various possible ways to get pass the roadblock. Regardless of which method they chose, they immediately act on their decision and collect feedback.
- Curiosity – Successful people adopt an attitude of curiosity and feel they can always learn something from others. They know how to incorporate the great qualities of others while avoiding the bad. They are able to advance themselves effectively by learning from the experiences of others.
- Well-rounded and balanced life – Successful people strive to be successful in all aspect of their lives. They have a healthy lifestyle, become financially independent, establish and nurture meaningful relationships, develop personal mastery, and accomplish their professional goals. They understand that sacrificing one area to achieve another will not help them.
- Admits Mistakes – Successful people admit when they are wrong so they focus on fixing the issue. They do not blame others or make excuses. When someone do these two things, they are actually giving up power and responsibility. When you blame others and or make excuses, you are stating that you have no power and things are happening to you and not because of you.
- Enthusiasm – A sign of someone successful is the enthusiasm they have for their passion and their life. They are excited about their day because they know it is going to bring them one step closer to their dreams. Successful people tend to become leaders because other are attracted to their enthusiasm.
- Excellent network – Successful people understand the importance of relationships and how it is one of the most important factors in achieving your goals. They also realize to build a network they need to be a giver. They should be willing to give and help others without expecting anything in return.
- Mindset of Abundance – Successful people do not view success or happiness as a finite resource. They believe there is more than enough to go around and that it is about creating value instead of competition. This mindset allows them to be genuinely happy for other people’s success.
- Great company – Successful people surround themselves with people that share similar goals to their own. The people they are around are either already living their dreams or further along the path than they are. When you surround yourself with people that are living the life you want, you are likely to adopt their beliefs and habits.
- Excellent listener – Many people want to become a great speaker, but rarely do they want to be an excellent listener. Those who are successful in life listen instead of talk because they are able to hear and understand the needs of other people. They then focus their energy on meeting those needs. It is common for successful people to listen well and ask questions.
- Prepared – Successful people are always prepared. They have a backup plan and probably a few backup plans for the backup plan. Not only do they have backup plans, they are rehearsed for each of those plans. When the need arises, they can execute the plan without much trouble.
- Self-reliant – Successful people rely on themselves more than anyone else. They do not require permission to do what they want and they do not allow other people to slow them down by relying on them. They believe strongly in themselves and their ability to achieve their goals. Ironically, this type of attitude is what attracts others to want to help you.
- Self-control – Successful people rarely lose control of themselves. They learned to control their emotions and to consciously or subconsciously put themselves together. They realize that they cannot change others or what is happening to them, but they can change how they react and feel. Mastery of this ability allows you to do what you are supposed to do despite how you feel.
- Aware of energy – People who become successful understand managing their level of energy is just as important as how they use their time. They are aware of the importance of rest and recognize it to be as valuable as action. They are also aware that low level of energy produces poor results, which goes against their need for excellence.
by Dale Carnegie.I hope the list help some of you out there by either reconfirming many of your own traits or helping you build a list of traits you need to work on.
Which one of these building blocks for success will you try to develop? Are there any other traits I have left out? Feel free to leave a comment.
If this list was helpful for you, share it with others that can benefit from this list too.