If you had to choose critical things you need for success, what would they be? Maybe top on your list would be a well-paying job as a critical factor for success. Whatever it is, you can be sure that success comes not from one, but a combination of many factors that make it happen. Cars, money, houses, a good job are results of success. These things are NOT success.
Success is an inside-out concept. What is on the inside of you determines what you achieve on the outside. If you have it right inside, you can be (and do) anything you want out there. You don’t even need tons of money to be successful at all. Here are 10 factors that rank highly on lists of critical things you need for life success.
1. Belief.
The mere belief that you can succeed is critical to your success. You cannot perform at your best if all you have is self-doubt. You need to believe in yourself and your dreams if you are going to have a chance at success. When your heart and mind are fully convinced that you can do it, nothing can stop you. You can soar to any height and be everything you ever wanted. Just believe.
2. Action.
Belief is not enough on its own. You need to follow it up with consistent action. Take the first initiative and plan a concrete course of action to gain focus. Act upon those plans wholeheartedly to reach your goals and achieve success. Remember nothing moves until you do.
3. Discipline.
Action alone is also not enough. You need discipline to succeed. Discipline means having self-control in thought and action over base desires like immediate satisfaction. Discipline means making no excuses for poor or inadequate execution of your plans and course of action for success. Discipline is asserting your willpower to succeed.
4. Effort.
Hard work and effort are irreproachable virtues. You may not know exactly how something is done or have all the right answers to questions, but if you put effort and work hard to learn and understand you are already a winner. Success comes to those who put in hard and dedicated effort.
5. Persistence.
The most successful people are persistent in their causes and practice. They don’t waiver from their core goals and objectives even when things are not going their way. They remain focused and committed to what they are working toward because they believe in it. If what you are doing or working toward is important, you will stick with it to the end no matter what. Success doesn’t come without persistence, patience and practice.
6. Attitude—the right attitude.
The right attitude is a rational, positive attitude. A rational, positive attitude enables optimism, builds confidence and facilitates genuine friendships. These things drive people over the worst of life’s storms and bring them to shore in one piece. If you can think positively and act optimistically, then you are destined for great things. Your attitude determines your altitude.
7. Character.
Character is who you are when no one is seeing you. It is the real you. You can smile and laugh when in company and be angry and vengeful when alone. Who you really are determines how well you relate with others and build relationships. Choose to be a man or woman of integrity even when no one else is looking. Your integrity and good character will shine through and help establish healthy relationships and a good reputation that precedes you and opens doors of opportunity and success for you.
8. Sacrifice.
Success comes with sacrifice. You must be ready to make some concessions on the path to success. For example, you will need to sacrifice some personal time to do important initiatives. Similarly, you will need to sacrifice a certain degree of your comfort to commit to your goals fully. As with most things in life: “No pain; no gain” holds true here.
9. Creativity.
Although creativity cannot deliver success on its own, it is an important ingredient for success. Your creative power, talents and skills can help you perform dynamically and solve problems intuitively. Tune in to the infinite intelligence of your creative spirit and talents to stamp your authority in your practice. Your creativity is the one thing that can set you apart from the competition and guarantee your survival and ultimate success.
10. Gratitude.
True success comes from a place of gratitude. Melody Beattie says,
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
If you ever manage to be successful, remember gratitude is the cherry on the cake!
