Last Updated on February 22, 2024
“Success in not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts,” said Winston Churchill, hitting the nail on the head in many ways. Success, if measured materially, is certainly vulnerable to change, but the qualities that make you successful to begin with, don’t need to change.
If you are a budding entrepreneur and you’d like to find a bit of inspiration in those who have shone before you, try to embrace the following qualities and remember that in business as in life, resilience is everything!
1. Focusing on the Positive
Thomas C. Corley has spent much of his professional life focusing on what makes successful people tick – so much so that he has published four books on the topic, including Rich Habits – The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals.
According to Corley, one habit that is impossible to cope without if you want to succeed, is positivity. Negativity affects you at a deep level, he notes, suppressing the part of your brain that is important for decision making and for finding solutions, instead of just problems.
2. Giving Due Importance to Physical and Mental Wellbeing
Academics at the London Business School note that truly successful people give priority to exercise and mental wellbeing. Without these two crucial factors, it is difficult to remain mindful and positive, or to maintain positive relationships with others.
Team or group activities (like CrossFit) in particular have an added bonus – they give you a sense of support that helps boost mood and provides an almost spiritual sense of camaraderie that is priceless. This is especially true if your job is high-stress and you don’t get as much time to socialize as you’d like to.
3. Focusing on the Future
Having financial goals and saving for them are key. You may need to borrow money for a new business or deal, but keep your eye firmly on the future and ensure your decisions are based on very thorough research.
A study by the American Psychological Association found that two qualities in particular – impulsiveness and materials – can lead to bad decisions and a failure to save. By focusing on your financial future, you can make more reasoned decisions which will ensure positive credit; research shows that this is the case across the board, irrespective of financial literacy.
4. Being a People Person
Reflective intelligence types are fine for research and support-based work, but a person who is making and breaking deals needs to love to get out and about. As noted in an article published in the Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, business networks are the motor for innovation. They result when two business people interact and generate new ideas beyond their initial plans.
5. Confidence is Key
Leaders often need to make groundbreaking decisions that change the status quo, and that means that they need to be confident enough to take risks when they need to. Confidence goes beyond decision-making though.
It also involves being secure about your ability to learn new skills, negotiate, achieve your goals, and create meaningful business relationships. In many ways, confidence is strongly linked to positivity. Both go hand in hand in leaders that are truly capable of inspiring and bring about meaningful change to their organizations.
The definition of success is different for everyone. For some, it implies material success; for others, it is based on the joy of leading a tight, well-oiled team.
Interestingly, although individual ideas on a happy life may differ, essential qualities such as interacting socially, building meaningful connections, and focusing on the solution rather than the problem, can almost be universally hailed as crucial components of a purpose-filled life.