5 traits of successful people and how to apply them in your life
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007
No matter what your problem is, no matter what your situation is like, one thing constantly remains the same:
All change begins with yourself.
Successful people cultivate positive and empowering habits and traits in their life. Ask any one of them, and they will tell you that they didn’t just “magically” get to be the person they are today. Success doesn’t just ‘come’ to you; you need to go after it. With forced practice, successful people have developed key traits that have brought them to where they are today.
Best of all, every single one of these things can be cultivated in your life, no matter who you are or what your situation is like. You can start today - right now, even.
So what are they?
#1 - They have a defined goal and purpose.
Successful people begin with the end mind. They know where they are, where they want to be, and design a plan to help them get from where they are to where they want to be.
If you don’t know where you hope to be, you won’t know when (or if) you get there, or how far off from your target you presently are. Sit down and take some time alone to reflect on what you want out of life and where you want go by asking yourself questions like:
- What do I want out of life?
- How will I get what I want out of life?
- What steps need to be taken now?
- What do I really want to do?
#2 - They manage their circumstances and resources well.
Successful people work in seconds and minutes, not minutes and hours. They’ve learned that there is a time and place for (almost) everything, and they manage their time accordingly. They understand the balance between getting things now (instant gratification) and working to get things later (delayed gratification).
Pick one day and track how you spend every 15 minutes of it.
If you work on the computer, keep a word file. If you work on paper, keep a record of it on paper. It will be tedious, but the end result will prove to be insightful in terms of what eats up the most of your time. If you’re anything like the average person, you should find yourself suitably appalled at how much of your day is wasted on things of little importance.
Pick one day and track how much money you spend and where you spend it.
This proves to be especially insightful when it comes to figuring out your latte factor; that thing you regularly spend small amounts of money on that seems insignificant, but is actually eating up hoards of your hard-earned cash in the long-term run.
#3 - They’re willing to take educated risks.
There is a difference between risks and educated risks; while the uneducated risks can be foolish and dangerous, educated risks are never all for naught. If you’ve done your homework and properly assessed the situation - whatever it might be - the risks you need to take to move forward are educated risks.
To move ahead, to progress past where you are right now, you need to take risks. You need to risk the possibility of rejection and get yourself out there. You need risk the possibility of failure and just do it. If you’ve “failed”, you’re actually one step closer to your goal or target; you now know one way that does not work! Just remember: nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Start taking some educated risks in your life.
Do you have irrational fear that’s holding you back from your full potential? How will conquering that fear help you grow as a person? What other areas of your life will it affect?
Is there something you know you must do, but you’re stalling for whatever reason? Assess the situation. Look at it from all points of view. Get outside opinions from qualified and/or trusted people (i.e. if you’re looking to make a major business move, do not consult your broke next door neighbor). If all lights are green, go.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Pick one thing, and start working on.
#4 - They take personal responsibility for their life and actions.
Those that constantly look to others as the source of problems will never get ahead in life. You must learn to accept responsibility for your life and your actions. It is you, and ultimately only you that is responsible for where you are today.
Be proactive; get out there and take control of your life. If you’re 45, overweight, unemployed and still living in your parents’ house, it’s nobody’s fault but yours. (Assuming you’re in your right body and mind, of course.)
Taking it one step at a time: How to claim responsibility for yourself
It seems like such a simple and elementary concept, but you’d be amazed at how many well-meaning adults struggle with this.
So what baby steps can you take today?
- When you make a mistake, admit it.
- When you’re wrong, admit it.
- Start making more of your own decisions.
- Take back one small area of your life and make a conscious, active decision to change it day by day. If you’re overweight, this means acknowledging that you’re overweight, realizing that it’s nobody’s fault but yours, and designing a plan to lose weight.
#5 - They always learn from their mistakes.
Those that don’t learn from their mistakes (and the mistakes of others) are doomed to repeat them. Instead of feeling down in the dumps, successful people have mastered the act of extracting the positive from the negative, learning from their mistakes and moving on.
Successful people question their mistakes: What exactly went wrong here? What can I learn from this experience? How can I turn this mistake into something positive? What can I learn from this mistake to share with others, prevent them from making the same mistake?
Next time you make a mistake, question it. The lesson to be learned in every mistake isn’t always immediately obvious, but by asking yourself questions, you engage your brain to search for answers.
This is part one of a two part series.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:16 am
Great Post! For the 5th point, did you use “your mistakes” instead of “their mistakes” deliberately?
Reply: Oh dear, no! (Freudian slip, maybe?) .. Thanks for pointing that out. :)
December 6th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I love this post. Thank you :) I’ll admit I have trouble with #4 from time to time, simply because I’m so used to having “special circumstances” in every situation that it seems so easy to just keep those circumstances “special” and blame _____ (my parents, life, the world at large, Buddha, that one teacher who hated me, etc). Yeah. That’s definitely something I need to work on.
December 16th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
[…] 5 traits of successful people and how to apply them in your life […]
December 16th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
I really need to work on #2!
December 17th, 2007 at 9:43 am
[…] 5 traits of successful people and how to apply them in your life […]
December 19th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
The interesting thing about all these points are true. The funny thing is I didn’t learn them all at one time, it took a couple years for me to piece them all together. Glad to see this out detailed nicely.
December 25th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Interesting post, but what is your definition of success?
January 31st, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Really the best post i have ever seen in my life. I would like to add one, the sixth trait “There should always be one motivation in life.”
February 1st, 2008 at 11:53 am
I think “willing to take educated risks” is the best trait you listed - after all, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
May 21st, 2008 at 6:27 pm
When is part 2 coming out?
July 7th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
[…] This is part two in a two part series on 10 traits of successful people and how to apply them in your life. Click here to read part one. […]