Success

Winning Strategies

Success leaves clues. If we identify and adopt the qualities of successful people, we too shall be successful. Similarly, there are characteristics common to people  who aren't successful. If we avoid those characteristics, then we shall not be failures. Success is no mystery. It is simply the result of consistently applying some basic principles. The reverse is just as true: Failure is simply a result of making a few mistakes repeatedly.

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heart-breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats. - B.C.Forbes

Trials in life can be tragedies or triumphs, depending on how we handle them. Triumphs don't come without effort. People who have overcome obstacles are more secure than those who have never faced them. We all have problems and sometimes feel discouraged. Everyone faces disappointments; but winners don't get disheartened.

An English proverb says," A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner." Everything is difficult before it becomes easy. We cannot run away from our problems. Only losers quit and give up.

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown. - H.Ross Perot

Failure is the highway to success. Tom Watson Sr, of IBM, said, " If you want to succeed, double your failure rate."

Some examples of the failures of successful people:

• Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb.
• Henry Ford was broken at the age of 40.
• Lee Icocca was failed by Henry Ford II at the age of 54.
• Young Beethoven was told that he had no talent for music, but he gave some of the best music to the world.

Setbacks are inevitable. A setback can act as a driving force and also teach us humility. In grief, you will find courage and faith to overcome the setback. Learn to become victors, no victims.

QUALITIES THAT MAKE A PERSON SUCCESSFUL

1. Desire

The motivation to succeed comes from the burning desire to achieve a purpose. Napoleon Hill wrote, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve."

A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results.

2. Commitment

Prosperity and success are the result of our thoughts and decisions. It is for us to decide what thoughts will dominate our lives. Success is not an accident. It is the result of our attitude. Success is not in the achievement, but n the achieving. Some people never try because they are afraid to lose. At the same time, they don't want to stay where they are because they are afraid to be left behind. There is a risk either way. Ships that go out into the open waters face risk from a storm. But if they sit in the harbor, they would rust anyway and that is not what they were build for. The difference between playing to win and playing not to lose is that you cannot to be committed and not take risks. People who play to win thrive on pressure and those who play not to lose don't know how to succeed. That is why it is important to have a good value system so that our convictions are worthy because convictions in turn lead to commitment.

3. Responsibility

People with character accept responsibilities. They make decisions and determine their own destiny in life. Accepting responsibilities involves taking risks and being accountable, which is sometimes uncomfortable. Most people would rather stay in their comfort zones and live passive lives without accepting responsibilities. Accepting responsibilities involves taking calculated, not foolish, risks.

If you are climbing an icy mountain or fighting a war, a mistake may kill you. However, for most of us, our, our reactions to the mistakes we make are more important than the mistakes themselves. Responsible people accept and learn from their mistakes.

4. Hard Work

Success is not something that you run into by accident. It takes a lot of preparation and character. Everyone likes to win, but most people aren't willing to put in the effort and the time to prepare to win? It takes sacrifice and self-discipline.

The harder you work, the luckier you get. -Henry Ford

Just as a person cannot learn to spell by sitting on a dictionary or cannot develop a capacity to do anything without hard work. Professionals make things look easy because they have mastered the fundamentals of whatever they do.

If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all. 

-MichaeLangelo 

Nature gives birds their food but does not put it in their nests. They have to work hard for it. Nothing comes easily. Even small accomplishments require hard work. The smallest of accomplishments is better than the biggest talk.

5. Character

Character is the sum total of a person's values, beliefs and personality. It is reflected in our behavior and in your actions. It is not the polls or public opinion but the character of the leader that determines the course of history. The road to success has many pitfalls. It takes a lot of character and effort not to fall into them. It also takes character not to be disheartened by critics. 

Under adverse circumstances, some people break records and others break down. John F. Kennedy once said that it is a mark of character how well a person behaves when things are not going well. When things are going well for us, it is easy to be logical, kind and gracious. But when things aren't going well and we're under a lot of pressure, some people can't think clearly and snap at others around them, while others remain clear-headed and continue to treat others with respect. Adversity reveals a person's character. Russian saying: "A hammer shatters glass but forges steel." There is a lot of truth in the saying. Are we made a glass or steel? It is the same hammer. Just as carbon determine the quality of steel, character determines the quality of a man.

6. Positive Believing

Positive believing is more than positive thinking. It is knowing that positive thinking will work. Positive believing is an attitude of confidence that comes from preparation. Having a positive attitude without making the effort is nothing more than having a wishful dream.

7. Give More Than You Get

If you want to get ahead in life, go the extra mile. Most people don't want to do what they get paid for and a second category of people want only to do what they can get by with. They fulfill their quotas just to keep their jobs. Only a small fraction is willing to do a little bit more than what they get paid for.

The advantages of doing more than you get paid for are:

• You makes yourself more valuable, regardless of what you do and where you work.
• It gives you more confidence.
• People start looking at you as a leader.
• Others start trusting you.
• Superiors start respecting you.
• It breeds loyalty from both your subordinates and your superiors.
• It produces pride and satisfaction.

If you work for a man, for heaven's sake work for him. -Kim Hubbard

Always think in terms of giving more than is expected by your customer, friends, spouse, parents and children. Whenever you do anything, ask yourself. "How can I add value to what I am doing?" or "Ho can I give added value to others?"

The key to success can be summed up in four words: "and then some more." Winners do what they are supposed to- and then some more. Winners do their duty- and then some more. Winners are courteous and generous- and then some more. Winners can be counted on- and then some more. Winners put in 100%- and then some more.

Why are some highly intelligent people, often with impressive academic qualifications, living failures or at best, practicing mediocrity? Because they become experts at why things won't work and build a reserve of negative energy. They don't want to do what they get paid for or wonder they are living failures. When we give or do more than what we get paid for, we eliminate our competition. In fact, we become the competition. This attitude is much more important than intelligent or a degree.

8. The Power of Persistence

The journey to being your best is not easy. It is full of setbacks. Winners have the ability to overcome and bounce back with even greater resolve. Persistence results from commitment and leads to determination. Athletes put in years of practice for a few seconds or minutes of performance. Persistence is a decision. It is a commitment to finish what you start. When we are exhausted, quitting looks good. But winners endure. Lots of people who are failures began well but never finished anything. Persistence comes from purpose. Life without purpose is drifting. A person who has no purpose will never persevere and will never be fulfilled.

9. Pride of Performance

In today's world, pride in performance has fallen by the-wayside because it requires effort and hard work. However, nothing happens unless it is made to happen. When one is discouraged, it is easy to look for shortcuts. However these should be avoided no matter how great the temptation. Price comes from within- it is what gives the winning edge.

Excellence comes when the performer takes pride in doing his best. Every job is a self-portrait of the person who dos it, regardless of what the job is, whether washing cars, sweeping the floor or painting a house. Do it right the first time, every time. The best insurance for tomorrow is a job well done today. The feeling of a job well done is a reward in itself. It is better to do small things well than do many things poorly.

10. Be a Willing to Be a student- Get a Mentor

A mentor or a teacher is a person whose hindsight can become your foresight. Look for someone who can mentor you. Choose your mentor carefully. A good mentor will guide and give direction, whereas a bad mentor will misguide. Show respect . Be an interested student. An interested student gets the best out of a teacher.

The best teachers will not give you something to drink, they will make you thirsty. They will put you on a path to seek answers.

This is like having a million dollars buried in your backyard and not knowing about it. You wouldn't be able to use it. But the moment you find out, your thinking and behavior will change. e all have hidden treasures. All we need to do is bring them to the surface and use them.