Eleven Qualities of Successful People

How do you define successful people? Og Mandino, in “The Greatest Salesman In The World,” defined success as meeting ones goals – whatever they may be. Sounds good to me. Given that definition, what do successful people have in common?

I was challenged to write, in 500 words or less, an answer to that question. Here goes.

They're lucky – if you define luck as the intersection where preparation, opportunity, action and optimism, with a healthy dose of knowledge and prospecting – all come together.

They know you gotta do the work to succeed. No silver bullets. Picasso was asked by a lady in Paris to sketch her likeness. He did. He charged her $5000 . She protested that a five minute sketch for $5000 seemed excessive. He replied “ Madame, not five minutes, but a lifetime.”

They're attractive. Their sense of opportunity and optimism attracts things to them – relationships, opportunity, luck – you name it. Some of the most attractive successful people aren't – by any stretch - Hollywood good looking – but that doesn't matter.

They're competitive and collaborative, and inspired by the success of others – and by the challenges on the way to success. They see the success of others as proof of there being plenty for everybody.

They know what's important to them and they focus on whatever that might be. They respect what's important to others, and work to align their own goals with the goals of others. But when push comes to shove, their goals are the ones that take priority.

They're selfish with their time, so they can be generous with it. Sounds like a contradiction but it isn't. Treating time as the least flexible of commodities - treasuring every moment of it – not spending time where it does no good – being able to say “No” - allows more time for the things that really matter.

They're persistently consistent – what they say and what they do are closely aligned – you can count on it – again and again and again.

They know that trust is the cornerstone of effective relationships. It's hard to earn, easy to lose and almost impossible to regain. They treat gaining and giving trust as top priorities in all their relationships.

They set high expectations for themselves and for others – while being able to separate their ideals from their expectations. They are realistic about the human condition – their own and others.

They are optimistic about their relationships with the people they meet and they seek out new contacts. They go into new relationships with the expectation of something good coming out of it – for everybody.

They have a real respect for people – all kinds of people. They treat people that can do them neither any harm – nor any good – the same way they would treat anyone else.

To add to the eleven qualities, send me an E Mail.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph& Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved