Attitude for Success

What makes some people very successful? What are their thought patterns which make them super successful? This is an interesting area I would like to analyze and deep dive. Here are the 12 ways the super successful think and act. As the cliche holds successful people don’t do different things they just do things differently.

They define what success means to them – This is truly the most important step for anyone to take. Without defining what success means to us it will be very difficult to be content or happy. One of the best definitions of success I have come across is by Earl Nightingale “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” This means that if you are moving forward towards something you want you are successful. It doesn’t matter if others think that is success. Only thing that matters is if you are happy with this definition of success. Comparing with others usually doesn’t work because we don’t know what their definition of success is.

They don’t worry about what others think – Top people don’t worry about what others think. They are totally focused on what they want out of life and approval from others is not a necessity for them to feel good. They are totally at peace with themselves and have a powerful sense of self-approval. This is very important to know for all of us on our journey through life. All of us have insecurities but we cannot do what we want to do if we keep trying to get the approval of everyone around us. This does take time to develop but heading in that direction would be a good start.

They are intensely action oriented – All successful people have overcome their fears through intense action orientation. Every successful person acts on their ideas. As they say talk is cheap and action is everything. Instead of dwelling too much on what may go wrong they get into action. Purposeful action cures fear. While you may not always achieve what you want taking action will at least put the odds in your favor.

They don’t put themselves down – You must be your biggest cheerleader. Achievers know that anything worthwhile takes time and there will be inevitable failures on the path to success. They never say anything that puts them down. They always look for the seed of a positive benefit in every negative. They view setbacks as temporary and not a reflection of their inner self worth. It is a given fact that we will all have our falls but it is how we keep our spirits high when things go wrong that ultimately determines our success.

They don’t relate things – A lot of us when one thing goes wrong in one area of life we think some other area will also wrong. However real top achievers know that there is no relationship between two events. If they attain success in more than one thing they don’t assume that they will fail. We should all learn this as sometimes when things go too well we think that something will bound to go wrong. However, this is flawed thinking which will not take us forward. Achievers never relate things and accept everything good that happens. If something wrong happens let’s learn to accept it and focus on the areas that are going well for us.

They are adaptable – In the current world of work the one quality that is essential is the ability to remain flexible when change strikes. You might have made plans but even the best plans will fall astray when new events happen. Never get stuck on one line of thinking and be flexible to change with new input. This is a key characteristic of all top achievers. Adaptability is the single most important quality needed for the 21st century leader.

They see themselves as entrepreneurs – Achievers think of themselves as CEO’s of their careers and lives. They ensure they are always thinking of themselves as owners of their companies and they take charge of their career. They are teachable and are in the cutting edge of the learning revolution. Andy Grove mentioned about this way back in his wonderful book “Only the paranoid survive.” He said everyone must take charge of their career.

They have Big Hairy Audacious Goals – Successful people know exactly where they are going and have big long-term plans for their careers. This is the key to their energy. When you have a big goal that you are after then short-term setbacks will not impact you and you keep moving forward. Setting goals for all areas of your life will keep you energized all the days of the week.

They welcome feedback – No matter how good we are there are areas we can improve. Achievers know that the only way to learn about them is when they get feedback from their boss or mentors. They are totally open to feedback and act on making changes on their areas of weakness. This is also the key to deliberate practice. 360-degree feedback is also another popular tool to get a complete view on where you stand. This is not easy but needed to move forward.

They are unshakable optimists – Achievers are optimistic about their future. As it has been well said successful people see their glass as half full. They always look for the good in every situation and have a deep sense of gratitude. If you are optimistic you will be better placed to cope with failure and disappointment. They associate with positive people and stay away from negative influences. Shawn Achor has done a lot of research for his book “The Happiness Advantage” and the basic premise is if you are positive about everything in your life you will enjoy your work also more.

They are big on personal care – All successful people know that when all is said and done the only thing that can help them achieve all their goals is peak health and fitness. They are committed to a long life full of energy. They take diligent care of their bodies and mind. They exercise their mind and body on a regular basis. It has been found that great athletes and violinists slept more than average which is very important for peak performance.

They project their brand – All successful people are aware of what they stand for and want to ensure that their actions are aligned with their brand statement. It is not only organizations that need to broadcast their brand. Everyone has an opportunity to broadcast and communicate what they want to stand for. The avenues available to enhance the brand through blogs, webinars and podcasts are plenty and the content is always king. Brand strategist Adam Morgan has something he calls “lighthouse identity” which is basically organizations that stand for something and have a strong point of view. Similarly, individuals at the top of their game know what they want to be known for.

There you have it the 12 ways you can develop the attitudes of successful people. All of us can become successful based on our definition and if we adopt some these keys we can go further in our lives than we imagined.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.