Have you ever asked a successful person about how they surpassed their goals?
Many of the answers are the same.
- “Work hard.”
- “Study more.”
- “Know the right people.”
- “Follow your dreams.”
Of course, to achieve any modicum of success requires hard work. Hitting the books is necessary to accomplish for some. “Networking” may lead to the right opportunities. All of this is good advice, but it’s not extraordinary. Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Edwin Hubble, Leonardo Da Vinci, and others didn’t get their names etched into the history books by following “good advice.”
“We don’t want to theorize about successful people. We went straight to the source, finding the most amazing people in all fields and asking them, ‘How do you do what you do?’” – Josh Gosfield
So, what is so special about these “super-achievers?”
What historically-great artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, political activists, and business leaders have that rare? In their book, co-authors (and married couple) Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield sought to answer this question.
Sweeney and Gosfield interviewed a total of 36 super-achievers and had this to say:
“In the beginning, our goal was to uncover what was unique about each one of the dozens of super achievers we interviewed. But after months of research and over 100 hours of conversations, we were often surprised to discover how much a tennis champion (and) a rock band think alike, or how a racecar driver and an extraterrestrial hunter share similar traits.”
In other words, there are common characteristics that great achievers embody.
Here are ten success rules that will change your life:
1 – Adaptability
According to a National Institutes of Health study, adaptability enables a person to be willing to change or develop a different task when necessary. People with a high adaptability rate have more psychological resources than people with a low level of adaptability. Successful people can adapt. Indeed, they do not allow problems or setbacks to dissuade them. They commit to the day-to-day struggle without wavering.
Although they will stick to their dedication to the project, they can do that without giving up if the project needs to change. Find ways to incorporate adaptability into your life. Be flexible at work or home. Find ways to do things in a new way or allow someone else to step forward to lead on a project. You’ll be surprised at how adaptability will give you a new fresh perspective in your life.
2 – Passion
Successful people have the drive to get things done. They do what they love and love what they do. Their passion doesn’t come and go according to their feelings. It remains solid and purposeful so that they can finish well. Many people suggest that grit or perseverance is the main ingredient for successful people’s accomplishments. Still, studies found that along with perseverance, a person must have the passion for having a higher level of performance and success.
It’s what separates highly successful people from other mediocre individuals. If you’re persevering in your dreams or projects, but the project doesn’t have meaning to you, then it’s a chore to you. You must care about what you’re doing and feel passionate about it for its worth and value.
If you have a passion for something, tap into it in the things you’re pursuing. Perhaps you’re passionate about teaching kids or finding a way to solve a problem. Allow your passion mixed with determination to guide you and help you stay on course to meet your long-term goals.
3 – Persevering
Great artists are constantly working on their craft, the essential innovators are learning and tinkering, and the best journalists are constantly researching and editing. These individuals have to stick to their goals. Successful people are tenacious and drive themselves hard. Plus, they don’t sit back and wait for others to initiate.
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, perseverance is defined as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.” These successful individuals weren’t born with perseverance. No doubt they learned it, growing from parents who cultivated tenacity and hope in them. They were allowing struggle and sometimes fail with the hope that they could succeed if they kept trying.
If you’re not great at persevering, you can begin to learn it through trial and error. When you start something, try to finish it. Find ways to persevere in your life, whether finishing household organizing or a project at work you need to complete. Start small and work up. Don’t give up when you face setbacks. Keep going.
4 – Patience
Highly successful people work patiently through their frustrations and failures without wavering. They are strategic in their ability to wait for their competitors to make a move. They wait until they know the time is right rather than getting irritated that things are moving faster. It’s thought that patience helps you control yourselves, which enables you to succeed. You aren’t given to responding to something out of impulse or urgency, but because you’ve thought it out and know when it’s time to react. You don’t get emotionally caught up in the moment but can step back and patiently choose when to respond. Patience can accept some trouble or delay without getting upset, angry, or frustrated. It can wait it out, knowing the right moment will come when you should act.
5 – Control your emotions
When successful people step out to make their dreams happen, they don’t allow their emotions to dictate. Feelings come and go depending upon the difficulty of the journey, but staying in control of your emotions keeps you from giving up or doing things you’ll regret. Whether it’s feelings of loneliness or frustration, it’s best not to get emotional about these feelings but deal with what you can deal with and let go of what you can’t.
Some suggest that those who are incredibly successful manage their emotions even when they’re stressed to be in control and calm. When you’re in the middle of a stressful circumstance, be sure to keep your emotions in control. Take a deep breath and remember, whatever is broken can be fixed or changed. Getting upset or angry never solves problems but creates more problems.
6 – Good listeners
Very successful people, like SOL Global Chairman Andrew Defrancesco, listen and show interest in others’ opinions. They realize that they can’t possibly know everything related to what they’re striving for, so they glean from other’s knowledge and experience. They want to hear what other people have to say. They’re curious to want to know as much as possible, and they know that people are great resources of information.
Plus, they want to be successful and know that happy employees mean listening to their complaints or ideas to make things better. Listening is a learned skill. It takes patience and humility to listen. It’s an important trait of a successful person. Being a good listener includes practicing these things:
- Look at the person who is speaking.
- Don’t get distracted while someone is speaking.
- Do not try to think about what you’re going to say in response
- Repeat back to the person what you think you heard
- Ask questions to clarify, if needed
- Engage with what they’re saying
7 – Give back to their community
Successful people know they are blessed and want to give back to their communities. Whether it’s donating money to build a park, or helping military families that are struggling, or creating a foundation for kids from poor neighborhoods, countless successful people find ways to help those around them. Those companies that gave back to their communities are more successful. Their generosity inspires their employees and makes them feel more loyal to the company. If you want to be successful, don’t forget to give back to others. Be generous and find ways to share with others who are in need. You’ll be surprised at how giving to others can be a blessing to you.
8 – Get up early
Believe it or not, being an early riser is a trait of many successful people. They know the value of sleep and getting an early start on their day. This habit of getting up early enables them to do things without distractions and maximize their day.
They say it helps with their organization, thinking, and planning. There’s a long list of well-known successful people who attribute getting up early to contribute to their success. There are good benefits to having a routine every day.
Routines keep you moving without trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do every day. A pattern of getting up early is a great habit to emulate in your life to be more productive no matter what you’re doing.
9 – Can inspire others by becoming an excellent storyteller
Elon Musk, a visionary in the commercial spacecraft and clean energy industries, pursued turning his dreams into reality. Two of his companies, SpaceX and Tesla Motors, were nearly bankrupt when Musk sold investors (and saved his companies) using nothing other than good ole’ storytelling.
His ability to inspire investors was a powerful gift. Musk and others like him feel emotionally love passing their passion to others who can join them. They inspire other people by their life and character. They gain others’ trust and admiration because they possess a character worth following.
Learn the value of inspiring others, whether at home, at school, or work. People will follow you if you possess the energy to engage them with your excitement about what you’re doing.
10 – Test their ideas
Successful people are willing to take risks to test their ideas. They aren’t afraid of failure because they know that sometimes failing can lead to something better. The great inventors of the past failed and failed again but never gave up. These individuals do these six things:
- Ask questions
- Assess responses
- Get feedback
- Listen to advice
- Think outside the box
- Are open to learning from constructive criticism
Final thoughts on the ten shared traits of successful people
Successful people don’t worry about what people say about them because they’re busy pursuing their dreams. They refuse to bog themselves down when life gets hard but continue to push through. If they fail, they learn from it and continue on a new path if necessary.
They’re disciplined with good habits that often include getting up early. Generosity is another trait of most successful people because they know they are blessed. They see the importance of building up their communities and others.
If you are inspired to become a successful person, begin cooperating with some of these traits in your life.
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