What is it that makes people successful and I mean really successful compared to you or me?
Are they smarter or do they work harder?
Are they risk takers or have powerful and influential friends?
Reproduced here is their list of 10 Secrets to Success along with my commentary on each no-so-secret, ‘secret’.
"1"
How You Think is Everything.
Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.
This
trait has to be one of the most important in the entire list. Your
belief that you can accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The
moment you say to yourself “I can’t…”, then you won’t. I was always
given the advice “never say I can’t” and I’d like to strike those words
from the dictionary.
I’ve
found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once
said “it’s ok to visit pity city, but you can’t stay and there comes a
time when you need to leave”. Positive things happen to positive people.
"2"
Decide upon Your True Dreams and Goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.
Write
down my dreams and goals? Develop a plan to reach them? You mean like a
project plan? Yes, that’s exactly what this means. You may have heard
the old adage: A New Years resolution that isn’t written down is just a
dream, and dreams are not goals.
Goals
are those concrete, measurable stepping stones of achievement that
track your progress towards your dreams. My goal is to start a second
career as a freelance writer – what are your goals?
"3"
Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.
Be
like Nike and “Just do it”. I took action by reaching out and started
writing. Every day I try to take some action towards my goals. It may
be small, but it’s still an action. Have you taken action towards your
goals?
"4"
Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.
Becoming
a life long learner would benefit us all and is something we should
instill in our kids. It’s funny that once you’re out of school you
realize how enjoyable learning can be. What have you learned today?
"5"
Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.
I
think every story of success I read entails long hard hours of work.
There is no getting around this and there is no free lunch. But, if
you’re working towards something that you’re passionate about,
something you love – then is it really work?
"6"
Learn to Analyze Details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.
I
think you have to strike a balance between getting all the facts and
making a decision with incomplete data – both are traits of successful
people. Spend time gathering details, but don’t catch ‘analysis
paralysis’.
"7"
Focus Your Time And Money: Don’t let other people or things distract you.
Remain
laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people
that believe in you. Don’t be distracted by the naysayer’s or tasks
that are not helping you achieve your goals.
"8"
Don’t Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.
Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”
"9"
Deal And Communicate With People Effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.
Successful
people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating
people openly, fairly and many times firmly. There is nothing wrong
about being firm – just don’t cross the a-hole line. How do you deal
with people?
"10"
Be Honest And Dependable: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 – 9 won’t matter...
.
Are they smarter or do they work harder?
Are they risk takers or have powerful and influential friends?
Reproduced here is their list of 10 Secrets to Success along with my commentary on each no-so-secret, ‘secret’.
"1"
How You Think is Everything.
Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.
This
trait has to be one of the most important in the entire list. Your
belief that you can accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The
moment you say to yourself “I can’t…”, then you won’t. I was always
given the advice “never say I can’t” and I’d like to strike those words
from the dictionary.
I’ve
found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once
said “it’s ok to visit pity city, but you can’t stay and there comes a
time when you need to leave”. Positive things happen to positive people.
"2"
Decide upon Your True Dreams and Goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.
Write
down my dreams and goals? Develop a plan to reach them? You mean like a
project plan? Yes, that’s exactly what this means. You may have heard
the old adage: A New Years resolution that isn’t written down is just a
dream, and dreams are not goals.
Goals
are those concrete, measurable stepping stones of achievement that
track your progress towards your dreams. My goal is to start a second
career as a freelance writer – what are your goals?
"3"
Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.
Be
like Nike and “Just do it”. I took action by reaching out and started
writing. Every day I try to take some action towards my goals. It may
be small, but it’s still an action. Have you taken action towards your
goals?
"4"
Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.
Becoming
a life long learner would benefit us all and is something we should
instill in our kids. It’s funny that once you’re out of school you
realize how enjoyable learning can be. What have you learned today?
"5"
Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.
I
think every story of success I read entails long hard hours of work.
There is no getting around this and there is no free lunch. But, if
you’re working towards something that you’re passionate about,
something you love – then is it really work?
"6"
Learn to Analyze Details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.
I
think you have to strike a balance between getting all the facts and
making a decision with incomplete data – both are traits of successful
people. Spend time gathering details, but don’t catch ‘analysis
paralysis’.
"7"
Focus Your Time And Money: Don’t let other people or things distract you.
Remain
laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people
that believe in you. Don’t be distracted by the naysayer’s or tasks
that are not helping you achieve your goals.
"8"
Don’t Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.
Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”
"9"
Deal And Communicate With People Effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.
Successful
people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating
people openly, fairly and many times firmly. There is nothing wrong
about being firm – just don’t cross the a-hole line. How do you deal
with people?
"10"
Be Honest And Dependable: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 – 9 won’t matter...
.