HAVE you often wondered: What drives successful people?
Take a look around and talk to your friends and seniors who are very successful. You will see some commonalties in their behavioural patterns, though they belong to quite diverse fields.
All of them have adopted certain values which have proved vital for their success.
They take initiativeIt is evident that successful people take initiative. When they find that something needs to be done, they just do it, instead of waiting around for someone to tell them what to do.
They believe that responsibility is taken, not given. They size up immediately what has to be done, sooner or later, and do it with pleasure, thus enhancing their reputation.
They are self-motivated Successful people are passionate about the things that they do, especially when they believe in what they are doing.
They are motivated by their own satisfaction and the joy that they get from doing their work, rather than an extrinsic reward.
They work hard even when no one is watching and they throw themselves into their assignments. Having “fire in the belly” is a prerequisite for success.
They do not fear failure Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, once said: “When one door closes, another opens but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
Failures and disappointments in life are inevitable. It is the failure that teaches us much more than the success, and successful people know the lesson so well.
They pick themselves up after a fall and try again with more determination and commitment, capitalising on the lessons learned from each failure. They associate with those they can learn from and enjoy the company of those who appreciate their achievement.
They give respect to others Daniel Goleman wrote about the importance of emotional intelligence and described successful people as those with high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ), and not just high intelligence quotient (IQ).
Having good IQ often gets a person what he wants but it is really the EQ that keeps him there and helps him flourish.
People who are successful are polite to everyone and treat others with respect. As respect is mutual, by giving respect to others, they command respect for themselves.
They never complain Another important attribute of successful persons is that they never complain. They sincerely believe in the saying that complaints will always discredit you.
Complaints provoke insolence and encourage others to behave like those we complain about. It is better to praise others and win favour with them.
So instead of complaining about a situation, successful people always find ways to deal with it. In a nutshell, take initiative in doing things and be passionate about them.
Do not be afraid to fail, get up and start again graciously. When you do so, success will come to you.
About the Author
Article by Dr Alka Prakash, an author and educator specialising in life skills. She coaches in effective conversation and communication skills. E-mail:
prem.prakash@pacific.net.sg