If you look at the number of successful people in the world, it’s easy to say there’s a formula to it, and all of them just went ahead and followed it. Sure they worked hard, but they still followed a tried-and-tested formula, and the results are as clear as day. So what exactly is the formula?
Well, nothing. Believe it or not, there’s no secret to success. There never was. Just as there’s no clear-cut path that will guarantee immunity from making failures. Attaining it in your life is not a matter of luck either. What it is in fact, is a matter of taking the time to learn the trade, using what you learned (while also being open to learning more) and putting in the hard work despite adversity and failure, because there will be many along the way.
However, what successful people have are a few common traits that make them great. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that these attributes don’t happen by luck; neither do they happen overnight. They start as habits, followed consistently day by day that it becomes a part of them.
So without any further ado, here are top qualities that successful people cultivate. Do you exhibit any of them?
1. Self-Discipline
This is on top of the list simply because nothing is possible without it in your life. You can be the most driven or most ambitious or most passionate person in the world, but without self-discipline, those characteristics all mean scat. It’s an important quality that can be developed by having a crystal clear idea of what you want, while also making sure that your desire to get it is much, much bigger than the consequences of not getting started at all.
Success means consistency, and it rewards it. Of course, the way you can utilize self-discipline in your life may vary from how others do it, but most successful people share a common routine. This includes waking up early to start ahead on daily tasks and making the most out of the day, or exercising, or even using 30 minutes to read a book and learn something new or increase their knowledge about something.
Whatever the routine, keeping yourself disciplined and devoted to learning will result in success down the road.
2. Belief
In one of his songs, world-famous guitarist and artist John Mayer laments, “belief is a beautiful armor, but makes for the heaviest sword,” and that is true.
While belief can be a beautiful quality to have to push forward, it can also be incredibly heavy, especially in a world where almost everyone is going to try and put you down for it. But it’s what you believe in that matters, not anyone else’s. So keep on believing in yourself, not in what the critics say. Keep those dreams alive and be relentless in your pursuit.
3. Willingness to take risks
According to Chef Gusteau from the movie Ratatouille, “Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great.” And this is true, especially when it comes to achieving success in life.
Anyone can work hard at their 9-5, but only those who are willing to jump into the unknown with their drive still intact can make it out and emerge successful in the end. Success comes when you stop holding back from something and be brave enough to take risks. Only then can you reach your full potential.
4. Willingness to adapt, or admit when they’re wrong
Sticking to your plan is important in the path to success. However, it sometimes keeps us from seeing the bigger picture and stops us from realizing that our way is not the most effective. Successful people understand that some plans don’t always go the way they want to, and they can easily roll with the punches when needed.
Same goes for making mistakes. The path to success is littered with mistakes, and everyone is bound to make them. What differentiates successful people from others, however, is the willingness to admit when they’re wrong, and the drive to learn from it and make the necessary changes to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
5. Drive and resilience
Successful people are willing to put in the work, day in and day out. Of course, innate qualities, such as talent and intelligence, play a huge factor when it comes to achieving success. But then again, talent is 80 percent hard work, and devoting yourself to learn is just as good.
Studies have shown that when it comes to success, nothing can beat good ole’ fashioned hard work and grit, combined with resilience and determination.
6. Patience
Last but not least, is patience, which, as we all know by now, is a true virtue. And we know, we know. It’s not exactly the most exciting of traits, but its importance within the confines of achieving success is irreplaceable.
Unless you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, success often takes time. And by time, we mean a whole lot of time. Then again, anything worth getting is worth waiting for.
While it isn’t always fun and can be challenging at times, slow and steady wins the race, and future successful people understand this. It’s all about the long-term for them, and that takes a whole lot of patience. Patience for committing (and learning from mistakes), patience for the day-by-day grind, patience for learning, and patience for all the setbacks you are bound to encounter.
So there you have it, 6 traits and characteristics that successful people have in common. Cultivating them as a part of our daily lives increases our chances of success as well, though it’s also important that these are merely steps you can take, as the path to success still depends on you, and how much you really want it to happen.
Be the captain of your own ship, and go ahead and sail yourself to success.
