The following two articles present two different views of the basic principles of success. Remember, success is different for everyone and only you can define what you really want out of life.
How do we define success? Webster’s dictionary defines success as "the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence." I think we would agree that Webster’s definition is quite accurate in terms of how we look at people who we perceive to be "successful."
I would like to expand on this thinking with the following 10 principles of success:
1. Have a Dream Create a vision for your future, no matter how big or outrageous your dream is.
2. Develop your Action Plan Goal setting: Organize your thoughts and feelings on paper; when you do that they become more real. Tape these goals to the bathroom mirror or refrigerator, somewhere you will see them on a daily basis.
3. Control your Focus In this day and age of "multi-tasking" you may find this principle hard to follow. However, you must remain focused on your goals if you hope to attain success. Don‘t let yourself get distracted.
4. Seek Guidance Finding a mentor is of the utmost importance! Find someone you respect and would like to learn from.
5. Practice Self-Discipline There will be times when you will be tested. You need to stay on target and re-focus on your goals.
6. Be Aggressive I don’t know of any successful people who sat around and waited for things to just happen! You need to make things happen, take the initiative and Go For it.
7. Believe in Yourself If you don’t who else will? Be confident in your abilities to turn things around when things don’t look so good. Your attitude is a little thing that can make a big difference.
8. Be a Pioneer You will undoubtedly run into people who will tell you "it can’t be done." Ignore them. If you have an idea that has not been tried before, work to make it a reality. Every great achievement was once considered impossible.
9. Learn to Budget Put your time, energy, and money behind your plan, but do not forget to budget time for you family! They are the reason for your success.
10. Love What You Do No matter what, you must love what you do in order to live a rich, healthy, and successful life.
About the Author of 10 Principles of Success
Christian Csatari is an Internet marketer, specializing in multiple streams of income, affiliate programs, e-books, income opportunities, and the home business tips newsletter for the work at home professional.
10 Universal Principles of Success
by Dr. Kem Thompson
Success is not something that only a chosen few can achieve. Everyone can be successful in every area of his or her life. You just need to know how to do things in such a way as to make sure you succeed every time. Success comes as a result of forming certain habits, and continuing in them. Consistency is key.
To succeed, you need to be a certain type of person. Don't be discouraged if you are not yet that type of person. With practice, anyone can become a successful person. The successful person thinks in a certain way, talks in a certain way, and acts in a certain way. The list below briefly outlines 10 principles of success (and a bonus tip!). Anyone who consistently applies these principles of success to any area of their life will experience success in that area.
1. Vision Have a clear picture of what exactly it is you want to achieve or become. Keep this picture at the top of your mind at all times. Doing something you want to do, because you want to do it, will motivate you to succeed at it. Start with the end in mind.
2. Belief Believe without a shadow of a doubt that you can do it. Believe that you will succeed. Believe in a Higher Power who is helping you get what you want. Stay away from negative influences (people, books/articles, anything negative), which make you doubt your ability to succeed. Surround yourself with things that remind you that you can, and will, succeed.
3. Responsibility Realize that you alone are responsible for your future. You alone are responsible for the outcome of your efforts. Don't look for anyone to blame. Feel free to ask for help as you need it, but remember the final decision is up to you. It's your life, after all.
4. Affirm Make a habit of saying out loud what you hope to achieve. Speak of it in the present tense, e.g., 'I am fit and trim,' as opposed to 'I will be fit and trim.' If you feel awkward speaking out loud to yourself, write down the affirmation. Then look at it (or better still, rewrite it) several times each day. This helps your mind stay focused on the goal. It also builds your self-belief and confidence.
5. Commitment Make a firm commitment to action. Decide to take whatever steps you need to take to help you achieve your goals. Then honor the commitment you've made. Too often we find it easy to keep our commitments to others while neglecting to keep our commitments to ourselves. This pattern has to change if you're to succeed in life.
6. Set a SMART goal Now that you know what you want to achieve or become, you need to define it by making it a goal. Your goal has to be:
Specific
Measurable (you need a standard to help you know when you've achieved it) and Motivational (it's got to inspire you and keep you motivated)
Attainable and Attractive
Realistic (no point setting an unrealistic goal such as "I want to be a millionaire this evening")
Timed (State when you want to achieve it)
7. Plan and Take Action Work out a plan of action. Break down the plan into baby steps. Take a step or two each day, reminding yourself that each step is bringing you closer to your goal. Perform each act to the best of your ability, filled with faith, determination and purpose to reach your goal. Most importantly, be consistent.
8. Persistence Do not give up until you have achieved what you desire. In the course of things, be willing to change any part of your plan that turns out not to work, and try something else. Thomas Edison did not give up in his quest to invent the light bulb, even though he'd 'failed' 10,000 times. Now that's persistence! See every failure as a stepping-stone to success and as a temporary set back. Learn from it and push on towards your goal.
9. Gratitude Maintain an attitude of gratitude, knowing that your dream is about to become a reality. Refuse to grumble when circumstances look contrary. Refuse to complain. Be grateful for where you are now, and for where you are headed. Look around for things to be grateful for. You'll be surprised to find quite a few.
10. Become a Giver In your relationships, always think in terms of what you can do for the other person. What goes round comes round. After all, whatever dreams you have most likely involve interacting with other people. Be kind and generous to all; you never know where your breakthrough will come from.
Bonus Principle of Success Be in the know: Find out everything you can about your situation/goal. Read books, listen to tapes, and talk to experts, whatever it takes. This will help you make wise decisions and keep you confident as you go along.
So there you have it. I have given you a summary of principles of success that, if you apply consistently, WILL guarantee you success in any endeavor. Don't just take my word for it, though. Prove it yourself by actually applying these principles of success to your life situation.
Knowledge is not powerful until you act on what you know. Think about that. Better yet, act on it! You'll be glad you did.
About the Author of 10 Universal Principles of Success
Dr. Kem Thompson is The Success Coach For Women. Sign up for her FREE Weekly Success Tips For Women and receive tricks, techniques, and strategies you can use today to achieve measurable success in your life.
