We all hope to achieve exceptional success, so we look up to powerful and successful people for clues on how to achieve the same level of success or more.
However, the people that get our attention the most are those who built their success stories having nothing, living ordinary lives like a good number of us that weren’t born with silver spoons.
Apparently, this category of people happens to be our favorites because we can relate to the kind of lives they lived in the past. Hence, we believe in our ability to become successful like they are.
So, how do we know if we have what it takes to be just as successful as our favorite role models? What traits do successful guys have in common?
In this blog post, we’ll be sharing with you 10 signs that indicate you’ll become successful in life.
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You have a vision of the kind of life you want
It sounds unbelievable, but most people don’t really know exactly what they want out of life. Successful people may not know the exact steps to achieve success, but they know what kind of life they want. They have a clear vision.
Former ReWork CEO Nathaniel Koloc said instead of asking yourself, “What job do I want?” you should be asking yourself, “What life do I want?” And how does my current job/business or whatever it is that I’m doing fit into the picture?
A career coach and former Googler Jenny Blake, suggests adding these questions to the list, “What does my ideal average day look like?” and “What kinds of people do I want to be connected with or meet?”
Asking yourself these questions will help you determine if you know how you want your life to look. It will also help you set clear visions and long-term goals.
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You are dependable
It is quite difficult to find people who keep to their word every time and are also dependable.
You see, people who are dependable are held in high regard, both in the business world and among their friends, thereby creating a pathway to success.
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You are willing to take responsibility for everything that happens to you
It is far easier to blame people and things like the government, the weather, the economy, bad bosses, or bad friends for your predicaments than yourself.
By doing this, it means you’re giving power to other people and things like the economy and the weather to control your life. Rather than become stronger, you get weaker.
One of the worst mistakes you can make is to sit around complaining about the myriad of trivial problems that keep you from reaching your goals and then waiting for the world to sort out your problems.
Take responsibility for your actions and create your success story.
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You’re always looking for better ways to do things
John Sculley, a former Apple CEO and president of Pepsi, said throughout his career he’s always asked questions like, “Why is it done this way?” He said success is largely about the willingness “to solve a problem in a way that’s never been solved before.”
The world keeps revolving. Change is the only thing constant. Do not remain stuck to primitive ways of doing things. Seek better solutions and do not be scared to initiate this change.
Scott Galloway, a clinical professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business and the author of “The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google” says, “Trying to resist this tide of change will drown you. Successful people in the digital age are those who go to work every day, not dreading the net change, but asking: ‘What if we did it this way?”
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You constantly seek new experiences
Dr. Robert Cloninger says, “To succeed, you want to be able to regulate your impulses, while also having the imagination to see what the future would be like if you tried something new.”
New experiences expose you to new opportunities, which, in turn, puts you out for success, but only if you are ready to take a leap.
Cloninger reveals that “Novelty seeking is one of the traits that keeps you healthy and happy and fosters personality growth as you age. If you combine adventurousness and curiosity with persistence and a sense that it’s not all about you, then you get the creativity that benefits society as a whole.”
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You are willing to make big changes to reach your goals
If it means moving to a new place or working tirelessly to save up some money to achieve your goals, you are more than willing to do it.
You are also willing to step out of the known into the unknown if that is what it takes to reach your goals.
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You find happiness in other people’s successes
Successful people look out for others and are incredibly happy with their successes. They realize the impact of whatever they’re doing is for the masses, not just for themselves.
A leader always tries to keep his people reasonably happy by looking out for them and compromising on a lot of things. He knows that if he only looks out for himself, he won’t get too far, or he’ll fall as quickly as he has risen.
Every successful person asks himself this question, “Can I make the choice that my happiness can come from someone else’s success?” asked by Bill Walton in his book, “The Secret to Hall-of-Famer.”
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You are positive and confident
What is your outlook on life? Do you see the glass as half empty or half full? Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
It takes positive thinking and confidence in yourself to stay motivated, even if you are not pleased with yourself and your current situation.
If you don’t downplay your capabilities or let others push you around, if you aren’t afraid to speak up when a good opportunity presents itself, then you have what it takes to become fairly successful.
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You are willing to take calculated risks
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and one of the richest men in the world, talking about the need to take risks in your career says, “I knew that when I was 80, I was not going to regret having tried this. I was not going to regret trying to participate in this thing called the Internet that I thought was going to be a really big deal. I knew that if I failed, I wouldn’t regret that.
“But I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried. I knew that, that would haunt me every day.”
You might make mistakes and probably not get it right the first time, but learning to take risks exposes your areas of strength and weakness, helps you improve on your weaknesses, and prepares you for success.
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You see failure as a teacher
Galloway says the four major tech titans- Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon- are all open to occasional failure. It means that if you are not prepared to fail, then you are not prepared to succeed as well.
It’s okay to fail miserably when attempting new things, but do not allow yourself to get defeated. Instead, use your failure to fuel your desire to become better and achieve greatness.
In summary, successful people aren’t successful by accident. Instead, people who succeed master some or all of the above habits and stick with them for a long time.
Thank you.