The Common Traits of Successful People

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The Commmon Traits of Successful People
 by Mark Wager

I'm fascinated by people who are successful, who are at the top of their field, whether that's building a business, sports, or entertainment. I read books, I have studied videos and even had the opportunity to interact with some of these successful people and the combination of all that research and experience leads me to believe that each and every single one of these truly successful people share some common traits. In this article, I plan to give you an overview of some of those traits.

By studying these successful people we can learn lessons on how to make ourselves a little bit more successful. Whether or not we reach world class levels levels, we can take a step closer to each of our own personal dreams.

⭐️Hundred percent belief
"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." - Muhammad Ali, the greatest heavyweight boxing champion of all time.

Everyone who achieves success at a world class level has belief in their ability to do so. When they succeed they are not shocked or surprised it's more like a realisation of destiny. We all like to think that we have belief in our ability but often that belief is not absolute. In cases where belief is not 100%, you will find that belief is challenged and confidence falls apart like a house of cards.

⭐️Focus on the present
"That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." - Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple Inc.

Successful people don't care about what happened yesterday they only care about today. The only benefits that comes from yesterday is that it provides lessons that can be useful to make today great. I've worked with many people who are being held back from pursuing their dreams by what has happened in the past, usually past failures and regrets weigh them down like trying to swim while chained to rocks. To be successful you need to cut yourself free otherwise you will fail because of your biggest critic, yourself.

⭐️Hard work
"Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price." - Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful coaches in NFL history

It may seem obvious that in order to be successful you have to work hard but what may not be obvious is the level of commitment and sacrifice that success requires. You have to work while others are partying, be awake while others are sleeping and when others are working you are working even harder. The key issue is not whether you work hard but more about how hard you are willing to work.

⭐️Refuse to lose
"It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." - Bill Gates, the world's richest businessman.

We all encounter failure no matter who we are. The difference between the people who succeed and the people who don't is not how many times they fail but how they deal with failure. Successful people take lessons from failure and move on and leave failure where it belongs in the past. They know that every great success has it's genesis in an initial failure.

⭐️Accept responsibility
"Too often in life, something happens and we blame other people for us not being happy or satisfied or fulfilled. So the point is, we all have choices, and we make the choice to accept people or situations or to not accept situations." - Tom Brady, three time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

An interesting aspect when looking at successful people is having a mindset that enables them to take responsibility for every aspect of their lives. They don't blame other people or blame bad luck they just focus on what they need to do in order to succeed. It's dangerous to place your hopes and dreams into the hands of someone else. They are too important to risk. You and only you have the responsibility to make your dreams come true and no one else is to blame if that doesn't happen.

Each and every one of us is a complex individual but when you look closer you see traits and preferences in behaviour that are shared. When you look at people who achieve things that others can only dream of, they possess traits that are similar. We know the qualities that make up a successful person and even if you are reading this and don't believe that you share these same qualities, don't despair because they can be learned , developed and nurtured. It's not easy.

Nothing ever worth achieving has come easy.

About the Author

Mark Wager is the leader that others leaders go to when they want advice. A Leadership Coach with 25 years leadership experience gathered across a variety of industries both in the United Kingdom and here in New Zealand. Mark specialises in coaching leaders to the next level. To contact Mark use the enquiry form below.

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