"There are five key traits that all successful people share. What separates the average or unsuccessful people from those who achieve great success can be attributed to several key differences."
Good News!
If you were to watch of movie of people's lives, these five characteristics would be illuminated in their successes or failures - over and over again. For some, these traits come naturally. For others, they may take years to learn, or they may never learn them at all - without coaching.The good news is that these traits CAN be learned. And, it's a proven fact that by embracing them and making these five characteristics a part of your 'being', you WILL achieve success in your personal life. These key traits are relevant for success in relationships, business, investing.... you name it.
Secret #1: "No" Usually Means "I Don't Get It"
Whether you're trying to convince someone to vote for you or you're trying to sell them a fishing rod - it's critical that the potential buyer clearly understands what you're offering. More importantly, it's imperative that you understand their needs, desires and problems in order to give them what they want. You can't solve a problem if you don't know what it is.
Typically, when someone doesn't understand what they're being offered or told, it's because they don't have the necessary information on which to base a decision. So, their natural response is to say "no" to the offer. This is because many people don't want to admit: "I don't get it" and appear foolish or unintelligent. So, to avoid embarrassment, they will simply reject the proposal or offer.
Successful individuals realize that "no" is often a natural response to confusion or missing information. So, they make it their mission to provide the listener with all of the necessary information, in a form they can understand, in order to make an educated and, usually, a positive decision.
Secret #2: You Can't Read People's Minds
Your thoughts control your results. Many people are held back or unsuccessful in certain aspects of their lives because they make assumptions or believe things to be true without actual proof. This often happens subconsciously.
These assumptions can limit a person's recognition of tremendous opportunities that surround them every day. This affects the choices they make, the actions they take, and can severely limit the success that they attain.
Example: A gentleman is interested in a lady friend and would like to ask her out to dinner. However, he repeatedly passes up opportunities to do so, because he feels that she will decline. Perhaps he has experienced rejection in his past. But now, he is assuming that this lady and perhaps 'all' ladies will react the same way to his invitation. He's afraid of risking embarrassment and what others might think about him. So, to protect his self-esteem, he does nothing, without ever knowing the true end result.
Successful people realize that just because one outcome occurred in the past, doesn't mean that it is the only outcome that can occur forever into the future. They recognize that they can't read other people's minds and so, they proceed toward their goals accordingly.
Secret #3: Ideas Are Worthless Without Motivation & Action
Have you ever had a great idea about an invention or concept that really seemed to make perfect sense? It's a pretty common occurrence. I'll use my son's idea from about 10 or 12 years ago as an example. He said: "Daddy, why don't people's houses have clickers like your car?" What he meant was: "Why don't we have the same technology to open the front door of our home as our car does with the keychain 'thingey'?"
Guess what? That was a genius idea for any age group! And, I'm not boasting here (OK, maybe a little), but come on - a nine year-old with a life-altering idea! (More to come on this is a later edition - maybe.) Most of us have had situations like this where we said: "I thought of that!". But, did you take action? Well, the successful people among us DO take action. (FYI: keep me posted if you see anyone with a front door clicker on their keychain.)
Important note: most successful people often fail several times before they achieve success. in fact, they usually fail at least 3-5 times before they land on a winner. Now, how you & I define "success" is going to vary greatly, but the philosophy of achieving "success" will not, it's the same 5 traits I'm explaining here.
"Momentum"
Let's go back to my own son's idea. Let's assume I think his was a 'big idea'. So, it started with an idea. Next, came 'the dream' or 'visualization of the outcome'. Now, parlay that image into your own mind. Do you have an idea or invention you've been mulling over?
These are critical questions that you need to ask yourself in the 'motivation' stage of taking action. To achieve success, you have to ask yourself at this point: "How far am I willing and able to go?". Do you know? Can you visualize what great opportunities are ahead of you if you just take one more baby-step towards attaining your dream?
Here's the key, one more time! MOMENTUM
It only requires one baby-step: "Just get the sled moving up the incline."
What successful people realize is 'gravity'. "Once you crest the top of the incline, momentum will take effect and your sled will glide."
I'm not judgmental in any capacity, but the following quotation will follow me to my end: "If you have faith, nothing shall be impossible unto you."
Secret #4: Focus On Positive Thoughts Not Negative Ones
If you watch or read the news it's usually pretty negative - because it sells. And on a personal level, it's much easier to fall into a negative emotional trap of fear, doubt and low self esteem than it is for optimism, belief in one's self and confidence.
Have you ever heard the saying "be careful what you wish for, you'll surely get it"? This is another way of describing a 'self-fulfilling prophecy'. This simply means, what you think about is actually subconscious goal-setting. If you think about negative things, some of those things are likely to occur. On the other hand, think about positive things and some of those are likely to occur as well. Don't take my word for it, many research studies have been conducted to confirm this.
Successful people recognize the power of positive thinking. They form a mental image of the outcome they desire. Their mind then begins to formulate and construct ideas and plans to obtain that outcome. It ties closely with MOMENTUM in Secret #3. Does this mean that successful people never consider problems? Of course not, however, they do this differently than most people -- they are not focusing on these problems, they are looking for roadblocks they might have to avoid to achieve their desired outcome. They "hope for the best and plan for the worst". They don't let negative thoughts control them and throw them off target. Instead, they use what they think about as tools in achieving their goals by thinking positively.
Secret #5: Success Is In Attention To Details
One of the things that sets successful people apart is that they pay close attention to details. They make sure that the details are taken care of because this can be the difference between success and failure. Whether you're running a business or running a triathlon, a tiny adjustment somewhere within the race can make the difference between winning and losing.
Until next time! Retirement Wiz. Email me anytime: johnha7@yahoo.com
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