Secrets to Success

Weeks ago I shared with you excerpts from Prof. C. V. Ramanan’s book, Now I Will Again. This time I’d like to share excerpts from his 101 "Traits for Success."

Here are some of them:

• The process of our achievements in life normally moves through the following stages: a.) desires and dreams; b.) goals; c.) planning and d.) action.

• One of life’s greatest mysteries is, "Why do some people succeed while others do not?"Achievers possess a number of qualities, but perhaps the most important is that they are dreamers. Their desires in life are constantly manifested in their dreams.

• Nothing is achieved that isn’t first conceived as an idea – a dream in someone’s mind. Dreams are visions of the future. Achievers have dreams which can be... a hope for a better future... something to anticipate... and then they do whatever it takes to make these dreams a reality.

• People don’t fail because they plan to fail, they fail because they fail to plan.

• Planning is a vital step in achievement. No trip was ever taken without knowing where you want to go. That’s why goals precede planning.

• The most difficult part of succeeding is believing you can succeed. If you don’t believe you can do something, you won’t have a committed effort. Believe in yourself and believe in others. You can will success by believing you can succeed. This is the magic of thinking big!

• Those who are making the most of their lives are invariably the ones who accept responsibilities.

• Success doesn’t depend upon being at the right place at the right time; it depends upon being ready.

• Make a habit of looking straight in the eyes of people while talking to them. It will give you more confidence and make them respect you.

• I choose my thoughts with care. My wonderful thoughts create my wonderful world.

• Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.

• The reason many people fail to recognize opportunity is because it comes disguised as hard work.

• Talent is only an enabler. Competence is the force that gets things done and it is developed through sweat, mistakes, bruises and pains.

• Along with success, what should also matter is our contribution towards making life better for everybody. The true measure of success is not how fat a bank balance we have. Success is about spreading sunshine around us.

• Do not say you don’t have enough time. The day has exactly 24 hours for us as it did for Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, the Nehru family and Sachin Tendulkar. If we are organized and systematic, we can plan time slots for anything we want to do.

The above are just some of his traits for being successful.

I believe that you have to be passionate about whatever you want. It has to come from your heart. You have to enjoy what you do, what you want to do, the process of getting there.

When I prepared for the contest I joined, I did everything from my heart. I enjoyed each day of my workout even if there were days I was really tired. I welcomed every challenge, embraced everything that came my way. I didn’t know how things would turn out, but that didn’t scare me. I told myself that whatever happened, I had already gained so much.

Remember that if you put in 100 percent, then you get back the same.

Give as much of yourself in anything you do. For me it’s the only way you’ll get the same or even more in return.
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E-mail me at: babyjackster@yahoo.com

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