If we want to have success at life we have to develop attributes that will give us an advantage. We can’t keep doing the same things expecting different results. We have to learn as we go and make the necessary changes to our mindset to succeed.
Definition of Success
How do we define success?
We all have different definitions based on what’s most important to us, but that doesn’t change the fact that everyone desires success in life in some form or another.
However, there are different definitions of success and they often conflict with one another; making it hard to measure one’s level of success or rate how successful they are compared to their peers.
This article offers a new way of looking at success at life and suggests how we can make it achievable.
We’ve all heard success defined in many different ways, but one thing remains the same: Successful people are different from others. Successful people have traits that lead them to achieve their goals and create the life they want.
If you want to be successful, it’s not about doing things differently or having an unfair advantage; it’s about having certain traits and using them to your benefit.
While there are many elements of success, including perseverance, intuition and consistency, here are a few more that can help set you apart from the rest.
Keys to Becoming a Success at Life
- Understanding our core values
- Determine how we want to spend our time
- Staying positive
- Developing self-discipline
- Developing an appreciation for learning
Understanding Your Core Values
Identifying your core values and making them a priority—in both work and life—is one of those oft-repeated secrets to success. People often focus on what they want and forget about what they value.
What are you willing to stand up for? What is truly important to you?
When you decide what you value most, your decisions become easier.
For example, if family time is high on your list of priorities but you’re unhappy at work because it keeps you away from home too much, then perhaps it’s time to start looking for a new job that allows you more flexibility.
Your happiness and wellbeing should always come first.
We have to understand the importance of saying no: It can be tempting to take every opportunity that comes along when we’re starting out—especially when our professional networks are small and jobs hard to find.
Determine how you want to spend your time
What are your goals, both short and long term? Take some time to think about how you want to spend your time. Start by asking yourself questions like:
What is important enough for me spend my energy on right now? Which goals do I most want to achieve? How many hours do I spend each day on activities that don’t move those things forward?
If you can’t answer these questions, then perhaps it’s time to reconsider what really matters to you. Write down your answers so they can be easily referenced later. Finding success at your goals has to become a priority.
Stay positive
Sure, it’s easy to feel good about life when you’re making progress toward your goals. But what do you do when things aren’t going your way?
We all have moments of discouragement or negativity—for example, when our boss criticizes a presentation we gave or we don’t get selected for a project at work. Negative emotions can threaten your ability to perform at your peak and are bad for your health.
Despite what the world throws at us you have to be believe in yourself and your abilities. Think back to a recent accomplishment to fortify your trust and belief in yourself.
You are significantly more likely to be successful when you’re surrounded by people who will lift you up, rather than hold you down.
Find like-minded individuals and build a social circle that will help propel your ambitions.
Remember, you are the average of your five closest friends – so if your inner circle isn’t supporting your goals, make some changes.
Develop self-discipline
Self-discipline doesn’t come natural to everyone but the good news is that it can be learned – it isn’t necessarily an inherent trait. This can happen through commitment, perseverance and sheer willpower. You must have desire and focus on your goals.
It takes discipline to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done, even when you don’t feel like doing it.
Self-discipline is essential for success because without it there are no limits; without limits there are no results; without results there is no progress; without progress there is nothing but excuses!
If you want something badly enough, discipline yourself well enough so that you are able to achieve your goals.
Develop an appreciation for learning
You may already know that having an educational mindset—i.e., a desire to learn and grow every day—is one of life’s greatest assets. But did you know that it’s also one of life’s best secrets for attaining success?
I think we all intuitively know how important learning is; even our language reflects that:
We speak of people as being well-educated or highly educated, not well-learned or highly learned.
When we speak of ourselves, we say we are trying to learn something new rather than simply do something new.
We praise children for being curious about learning, not curious about doing. And when we want others to understand us better, we ask them to teach us a little more about what they know—not what they’ve done.
In short, everyone knows that education and learning are good things, but few of us realize just how powerful an asset it can be in attaining success at life.
The more we learn, the more we are able to expand our knowledge base and improve our decision making process.
Over time through making better decisions and understanding the inner workings of the world better, we are able to inevitably achieve success in our desired fields.
