Do you have what it takes to succeed?

December 21, 2007 · Posted in Choices, Goals, Motivation, People Skills, Self-help, Success

To hear people talk, you would think that success is a mythological term – something that other people can get, have or acquire, but not themselves. Why not? Why can’t everyone succeed?

While we’re at it, let’s go ahead and admit that we are talking about financial success – that just-out-of-our-reach condition of financial security. The place where income exceeds expenses and results in a surplus of money that provides you with options like:

driving the type of vehicle you would choose if money was not object
vacationing when and where you want to
providing your children with an education that is free of many of the public school distractions
becoming involved in the community
living in the neighborhood / city / country of your choice
sharing your skills

Do you have what it takes to be successful? Ask yourself the following questions, be honest and then decide if you have what it takes.

1. Are you a self-starter?

Successful people take the bull by the horns. They:

get to work on time (but early is better)
volunteer to take on the “hard” jobs
don’t give a crap what everyone else thinks about their desire to “get ahead”
produce well developed ideas and the plans for implementing them
don’t stand around the shop / water cooler / coffee machine wasting time discussing their latest dating escapades, the current “hot” sitcom, plans for the weekend or the latest office / shop gossip
pay attention and they take notes – lots of notes
are focused on achieving the goal or objective

2. Are you a visionary?

Successful people have a vision and they project a mental picture of the future they desire. When you create a vision of what you want, you automatically begin to formulate the plans to make your vision happen

The difference between the “average joe” and those who acquire financial security is that:

for the “average joe” this is just a daydream and it is discussed in day-dreamy terms. One day – someday – hopefully – if everything comes together – when my ship comes in – when the kids are gone to college – when I have more time – yada, yada, yada. Let face it, for the “average joe” it “ain’t gonna happen”. That’s why he / she is the “average joe”.
for the successful person their vision is a destination that they are on the road to arriving at. They complement their vision by have props that continually keep their goal in sight. These are the people who plaster their office / work area with pictures of their dreams. They post encouraging quotes. They read about other successful people. They attempt to motivate others, because in doing so, they keep themselves motivated.

3. Do you have the needed “people skills”?

Successful people understand that “it ain’t about themselves”. Like Zig Ziglar says, “You can have anything in life that you want, if you will help enough other people get what they want”.

Its called the Law of Reciprocity. When you help someone else, this creates a desire in the other person to do something to help you and “even the score”. This desire is not an overt one – it is more of a subconscious emotion. But all successful people recognize that by helping others, you are helping yourself.

Look at all the successful people that you know. How do they interact with others. Do they stand around and wait for other people to “pay homage” to them? I doubt it.

They are the people you see approaching with their hand out ready to firmly shake your hand.
They look you in the eye and “lock” on to what you are saying.
When they speak with you, you get the feeling that you are the most important person in the room.
They “listen” actively, hear what you are saying and they understand.
They follow-up. This says that you are important and it demonstrates your importance to them.
They are open to intelligent input / ideas.

4. Do you think on paper?

This simple concept is probably the most important. All successful people take notes because they are not vain enough to think that they can remember everything. Making notes:

keeps your eye on the ball – you stay focused on the important stuff and are not sidetracked by the immediate emergency
allows you to record your ideas
allows you to schedule your day
keeps the project moving in the right direction
allows for follow-up

Is this all that there is to being successful? No way, but it’s a start. If you have these characteristics, then you are on your way. If you don’t have these traits, then I suggest that you begin to acquire them – IF YOU DESIRE FINANCIAL SECURITY!

Tags: success, traits+of+success, success+characteristics

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Comments

4 Responses to “Do you have what it takes to succeed?”

Brad Baggett on January 3rd, 2008 11:47 pm

I sure have missed some good ones over the past couple weeks. Another amazing article Chris. You are straight talking and people need to listen up.

It is amazing how much time our society spends on talking about things that do not matter. If you even watch the news on TV, which my wife and I basically stopped watching over 6 months ago, you will see stories on O.J. Simpson, the Spear’s sisters, and countless other people and subjects that do not mean or contribute anything to society!

http://www.JuiceofChampions.com
Chris Melton on January 4th, 2008 2:29 am

If being successful was easy, then you, I and all the rest of the people who blog about it would have nothing to write about.

Thanks for the compliments, Brad.
Be more Successful Today! | JuiceofChampions.com on February 5th, 2008 9:20 pm

[...] yourself know that you will not only achieve it but surpass it. It is all about focus and vision. Are you a visionary? If your answer is no, get started formulating a mental image of exactly what it is you want. Focus [...]
Be more successful today! | JuiceofChampions.com on February 17th, 2008 9:44 pm

[...] know that you will not only achieve it but surpass it. It is all about focus and vision. Are you a visionary? If your answer is no, get started formulating a mental image of exactly what it is you want. Focus [...]