Do you have the necessary "ingredients" to be Successful in Life?

byErik7019

1.6K followers

6 years ago

Growing up in Germany, I grew up in a modest household, we were a middle income family but we were never considered rich or wealthy. I always thought that all successful people were made from a different caliber than me. I admired them but thought I would never be like them, so as I grew older and got to know some who were successful in their niche or business, I noticed that almost all successful people shared the same type of "ingredients". I was intrigued by this and always tried to copy them!

Now we all have our own definition of success, for many of us it's measured primarily in terms of money and wealth, but there are clearly other important aspects of success. Some people value the freedom to spend their time as they want, others value the ability to help those in need. Yet, whatever the metric, there are a core set of certain "ingredients" or personality traits that are common to "ALL" successful people. I've seen these traits first-hand in a diverse set of successful people I've worked with being that I am in Real Estate and have known over the years Investors that became very rich doing what they love to do!

Each person I met was very different and yet they all shared much of the same "ingredients" when it came to the traits that made them successful. Take a look and see how many of these are reflected in your own behaviors. Maybe there are a few you recognize?

1. Be competitive--I never met a successful person who is not competitive. Being successful means you like to win. The reasons why might be different, but the determination doesn't. Successful people obsess and will try anything creative to get the advantage on their competition. And they dislike losing with a passion. It's the competitive drive to succeed and to become better that paves the pathway to success! Just my humble opinion!
2. Let go of your past-focus on the now--It does not matter how successful you are, holding onto the past or your latest mistake will only make you lose focus and slow you down. Most successful people are not worried about their past mistakes, they try to learn from it.
3. Learn from your mistakes-become better--Most successful people are always trying to improve themselves, they don't mind constructive criticism and always strive to get better!
4. Attention to detail-Although, this can drive most people around them insane, most successful people are attention to details in every aspect of their lives and business! It's what determines a winner from a loser.
5. Keep track of your successes--Most successful people keep track of their achievements, so they know what works and what does not. It also reminds them how to overcome the impossible and win in every situation!
6. Network-Always Network--One of the most consistently common traits of successful people is the ability to relentlessly work their network. All success is built on a network of human connections that need to be nurtured and reinforced.
7. Reward yourself--When you're running at full throttle you need to take time to take care of yourself. Emotionally and physically. That may be as simple as a short meditation or a full-on workout, a hobby that indulges you, a philanthropic contribution, or a spontaneous getaway. Whatever it is, the purpose is to avoid burnout, stay centered, and remind yourself of why you're making the sacrifices you're making.
8. Be Always grateful--I recall doing a series of interviews with space shuttle astronauts, incredibly successful people who had every right to be arrogant, and yet they were the most incredibly grateful people I'd ever met. They realized how fortunate they were to be where they were, and weren't shy about sharing it.
9. Be clam in stressful situations--One of the greatest determinants of success is the ability to keep your head in a firestorm. Successful people do not lose their sense of purpose or direction in a crisis, and by doing so create a reliable compass setting for those around them.
10. Be Authentic--It's nearly impossible to achieve any degree of success without being trustworthy. For successful people being authentic means that they are clear in expressing their opinions and consistently truthful and transparent. You don't have to agree with them but you'll never be confused about where they stand.
11. Take responsibility--Inevitably even the most brilliant successes will falter. Owning the failure is a trait that not only engenders trust but also demonstrates to others that failure is not something to be hidden or passed on to the next person in line.
12. Be Always nice to your customers--Even the most hard-nosed and callous CEOs become models of charm and deference when they are in front of their customers. They realize that the only reason they are where they are is because of the loyalty of their customers.
13. Treat everyone the same--Successful people find that their jokes get funnier and the number of people who agree with them rises exponentially. I've sat in conference rooms with CEOs and EVPs of F500 companies who are treated like deities. Successful people do not let it get to their head. They realize that agreement does not constitute infallibility.
14. Give back in life--One of the most rewarding things about achieving any degree of success is the opportunity to encourage and motivate others. Successful people realize that they have the power to help others increase their confidence in themselves. In doing so they create life-long loyalty that comes back many times over. Personally, nothing has amazed me as much and been as fulfilling as the support I've received from colleagues I've helped find their own success.
15. Learn from your failures--Nobody is 100% successful. Success is a net positive outcome that always includes an abundance of failure, experimentation, and learning. Scientists tell us that the universe itself exists only because there was an incredibly slight margin of matter over antimatter, amazingly just one particle per billion; it took a lot of destruction to create what's left. If you fear failure, than, by definition, you are avoiding success. Get over it; the universe leans towards success!

Just by looking at the list, I get encouraged and excited to perform better and to grow and learn from myself, the end goal to me is that I want to be successful in life, be this financial or not, its being happy and content with myself and my life.

What about you? Do you have the "ingredients" to be successful in life?