Qualities of highly successful people

BY DANIEL COLE

“Success is simply a matter of luck. Just ask any failure.” Earl Wilson.

Public announcement: Attention ladies and gentlemen, the elevator to success has just broken down, I’m sorry you all have to use the staircase, thank you. OK. Ignore the sarcasm, but I believe you get the point. There are no quick routes to a truly sustainable success. Everybody, I believe, strives for success, irrespective of what success means to us individually, but never in history has anyone attained an admirable height of accomplishment on the basis of random chance.

In the words of Chaninnig Pollock, “The only good luck many great men ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome bad luck.”

In my study of successful and highly influential people, I have found out they all share certain traits and qualities in common.

• Successful people are readers and are committed to continuous learning. I have not met anyone who rises above the quality of their thinking. Successful people invest in learning and personal development to stay ahead of the curve. They are not just readers; they are teachable. They ask good, quality questions. High achievers recognize that if they’re not continually getting better, they’re getting worse. They read, they listen to CDs, and they take additional training. They surround themselves with people who are intellectually ahead of them. Ignorance is not bliss.

Alvin Toffler once said, “The illiterate of the 21^st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

There are lots of massive online open courses (MOOC) where people can take free courses from reputable institutions. Coursera.com, Edx.org, Udemmy, to name a few. Remember the words of the great Zig Ziglar, “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”  

• Highly successful people are risk-takers. People only rise to their level of tolerance for risk and failure. Highly successful people are bold, courageous, and audacious. They are not afraid of trying out something new. They take risks. They attempt the seemingly impossible. They don’t take the path of least resistance.
• Highly successful people are committed and consistently working on their dreams. Successful people show up when needs call for it. They are not evasive. They earn their rest. Psychologists have said we are all born with two types of fears, the fear of loud sounds and fear of falling. All other fears are learned, and so therefore, they can be unlearned, I believe. Average and mediocre have one thing in common, they are never committed to anything long enough to see it through. When they experience a slight setback, they quit and move on to the next. Sometimes you just have to stick it out. Commitment is key.
• Highly successful people take responsibility. They are responsible. The top people in our society have an attitude of self-employment. That’s essential, because 100% of us are self-employed. We are presidents of our own personal services corporation. You work for yourself, and the biggest mistake we can ever make is to think we work for anyone else. The person who signs our paycheck may change, our jobs may change, but weare always the same. We are the one constant.

The fact of the matter is that this is not optional, it is mandatory. You’re the president of your own career, your own life, your own finances, your own body, your own family, your own health. You are totally responsible.

We have to be responsible. No one will ever do it for us. It’s the most liberating and exhilarating thought of all, to think, to realize, that you’re the president of your own life.

There is nothing mystical about success. It only requires dedication, discipline and the qualities listed above. Remember, it’s never crowded at the top.