Successful people and leaders in all walks of life tend to have similar core qualities about them.? Of course everyone is better at some things than others, but there are certain characteristics that most possess.? We all want to self actualize and become the best that we can, so I will provide you with 9 reasons why you have not yet reached your full potential.?
- You are not thinking positively.? How you think is everything.? In this case, you want to think about your own success and how you can get there.? If you are not 100% sure that you are capable of becoming successful, you won’t.
- You have not taken action.? We’ve discussed this one before and John Chow says it best when he says “Someday Never Comes“. You must set concrete goals and take action because saying ‘I will get to it someday’ never works.
- You have stopped learning. You must continue to acquire knowledge and skills. Keep reading books, going to seminars and figuring things out. Learning and keeping your mind sharp must be kept up throughout your whole life.
- You are not persistant enough. Success does not happen overnight. It is a marathon and you must stay persistent and work hard to reach it. Calvin Coolidge said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent… Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
- You forget the details. Success lies in being aware of the details. People like to say they are big level thinkers and don’t have time for details, but you must at least be aware of what the details are in order to succeed. Get all the facts and learn from your mistakes.
- You are not efficient?with your time. Don’t let what other people are doing or other things distract you. You must focus your time and money in the direction you are going.
- You are afraid to be different. To be successful, you can never follow the herd. You must be innovative and different. You will almost certainly face resistance but you must believe in your own thinking and execute your plan regardless of what others say.
- You do not communicate effectively. Good, open communication is the key to most things in life, whether it’s your girlfriend/boyfriend or business relationship. You must be able to communicate your thoughts and desires to people so they understand you and are on the same page as you. Learn what motivates those around you.
- You do not lead by example. The most important part of leading by example is showing that you are honest, dependable and responsible.? If you do not have these 3 qualities, then nothing else matters.
There you have it. After reading this, you have no more excuses to not take strides toward your success today. Engrain the importance of these qualities in yourself and match them with your already existing strengths. If you do this, you will not fail.
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I really love this post. I have come across most of these points somewhere or the other in life but not together at one place straight up. Nothing else has put these facts on my face right up. Very precise.
This is an awesome post, John!!! I think I suffer from #2… without #2, you’re pretty much SCREWED!!!!
Or, you have taken action, but just completely copied the JohnChow.com blog layout and have the exact same content about making money online
Great way to package all 9 reasons in one, easy to read article. This is great!
Time efficiency is something i always try to achieve, yet sometimes I get distracted through friends and other social activities.. altho one could argue that the passtime is necessary to re-charge and keep your mind clear and in balance.
The only thing stopping me from success is the fact that I’m still fresh in … but i always think positive and I know I will be successful soon enough. I just need to keep doing what I do.
If someone can invent the 27 hour day, I’d buy one. Hell, I’d buy a couple months worth!
I’m going to print this out and paste it on my bathroom mirror so I can look at it every day before I start my day! The Checklist to Success! ooh . .that’s a sticker idea for you guys!!!
Gary,
Printing this and pasting somewhere that you can read it daily is a great idea. I did that with SEO Black Hat’s “Do It F***ing Now” post and it’s helps me everyday!
I think #3 is the best one. Once you say to yourself I don’t need to know anything else – you’re goin down man.
I agree. My problem is that I do this to a fault where I read and research so much different material that it takes away time from when I should be ‘taking more action’. That’s the frustrating part… you have all this info you’re ready to use, but the 24 hrs in the day are over. Better time management and organization are the ways to fix that.
I like 1, 2, 3 and 4.
If you can’t think positively, don’t think! Just get in the game and play hard until you get to where you’re going. Just doing something is a great way to learn about it.
Excellent post. I think the biggest key to success is to be motivated, to be driven. The most successful people in the world are also the most ambitious, never being “satisfied” with where they are.
You write very well Jane. Posts like these are inspirational! I’m on my way to becomming an entrepreneur, and the current projects I’m pursuing take a lot of the things on this list.
Emphasize #2 more…not doing anything about your dreams just leaves you sweating.
Bryan,
I have to give credit to John on this one since he’s the one who wrote it. But thanks for the kind words! # 2 is a hard one. I constantly hear of people having million dollar ideas, but they never take action. I agree with you, the thought of watching your life go by without action.
Who you callin’ lazy?!?!?!?
Haha, Why is it that attractive females always get all the credit by default while the hard working males get no love!
umm . . . did you guys hear something?
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oooh . . .wanna email me that list?
Better yet, we can blog about it What do you say John?
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That was a great post on SEO Blackhat. Quadszilla doesn’t pull any punches. I love reading his stuff.
I’m gonna send you a pic of me so you can paste it on that…list…er…nevermind.
I was a bit disappointed when reading people whining about no money to get a review in John Chow’s comment thread and asked them to read T. Harv Eker’s book and listen to his tape. Should I came here first, definitely I will post to ask them to visit this site John.
Almost myself on that List… so it’s time to switch and make something different…. ^_*
Excellent. I am a medical student recently graduated. Through medical school I was a father of 3 (oldest today is 4 and youngest is 7 months). The key is Persistance, Self confidence, hard work, and very importantly is Planning. You must plan your day and you can’t plan it unless you know the “details” as mentioned. You knew my load so I planned accordingly and always left room/time for screw ups because having a family always can set you back but NEVER GIVE UP. Keep your faith in God high, ask God for guidance. Our creator never leaves anyone whether we are given good things or bad things. We are never forgotton. Ask God and keep your faith high, you will Succeed.
Avoid negative people. Give love and you will receive it.
The nine basic requirements to be a successful person not just in career but also in personal life have enlightened my thinking process.
The million dollar question is what will make us apply these rules in our day to day life.
The answer to that question is probably the desire to be successful in life, which sometimes does not exist in majority of us.
I’d say follow number 1 and the rest will follow. Great list!
Guilty as charged, at least on some of these items, but I’m working on it.
Powerful post. This definitely makes my Links of the Week.
Ditto.
I’d also like to add another reason: Failure to have S.M.A.R.T. goals. I feel like I discovered a magic pill when I started setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. I’ve accomplished more since my blog post about it than I could have imagined and I’m practicing it everyday. When I’m not, I ask myself what I’m doing wrong and glance at it again and then I get back on track.
One thing I learned, If you want something different (result), then you have to do something different. You can’t expect to do the same thing over and over and expect things to be different.
Amazing tips Jane. You are a great thinker! =)
Good Advice. I’d like to comment on #1, thinking positively. I believe there are at least a couple of faulty interpretations of this advice.The first is believing positive thinking means always being cheerful about everything in your life. A be happy attitude. If this were true, job stress would be much less.The second misconception is connecting positive thinking to a Nietzschean will to power mentality. This is the idea the merely belief will make things happen. If this were true, life would be simple.Positive thinking, as this post points out, is “think[ing] about your own success and how you can get there.” The reason this is important is not because your thinking directly affects the world, but because your thinking directly affects you.Your brain works much faster than your ability to digest everything going on in your life. If you are positive about your success, then your “instinct” will be geared toward it rather than away. Those little decisions you make that have major results will be influenced subconsciously by positive goal orientation rather than a subconscious thought that you will fail.
Good Advice. I’d like to comment on #1, thinking positively. I believe there are at least a couple of faulty interpretations of this advice.
The first is believing positive thinking means always being cheerful about everything in your life. A be happy attitude. If this were true, job stress would be much less.
The second misconception is connecting positive thinking to a Nietzschean will to power mentality. This is the idea the merely belief will make things happen. If this were true, life would be simple.
Positive thinking, as this post points out, is “think[ing] about your own success and how you can get there.” The reason this is important is not because your thinking directly affects the world, but because your thinking directly affects you.
Your brain works much faster than your ability to digest everything going on in your life. If you are positive about your success, then your “instinct” will be geared toward it rather than away. Those little decisions you make that have major results will be influenced subconsciously by positive goal orientation rather than a subconscious thought that you will fail.
#7 is what many people fear. If you are different then you are ‘not liked’. But hey if you are doing something different and it becomes successful, those people that thought you were weird will envy you in the end. To me it doesn’t matter what people think of me. I am who I am, and if I like doing something that I love to do then I’ll do it. If people want to bash or dislike me because of some passion of mine, then they aren’t a friend or supporter.