Success deconstructed

Success is the singular goal that everyone aspires for — regardless of race, age, gender or creed. It is the one universal quest where humankind is in total alignment. No one, not even the borderline nut case, the anti-social or the anarchist, sets out to be a loser. Definitions and measures for success may vary, but the bottom line is that everyone wants to be perceived as having achieved and accomplished whatever he sought to do. Thus, as corny as it sounds, “What is the secret of success?” must be one of the most frequently asked questions in the world.

Many have attempted to answer the question in earnest. Through the decades thousands of how-to-succeed books are mainstays on bestseller lists. They offer all kinds of prescriptions for winning. This exploration has carved whole new professions of motivational speakers, wealth gurus and luck experts, all claiming to help unleash the potential for success. And every year, more people resolve to work harder at reinventing themselves or improving their luck so that this time they will make it. Hope springs eternal must have come from this pursuit. As Winston Churchill said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Seriously, though, do successful people share a DNA code? Is there a particular formula or strategy to be able to join the ranks of the winners? A mindset, perhaps, or a set of critical skills that will hasten the attainment of one’s ambition? Apparently, some experts believe the answer is “yes.”

According to George Gallup Jr. and Alec M. Gallup, there is such a thing called a “success personality.” Based on a survey of 1,500 successful people, they listed the characteristics common to this cluster in a book called The Great American Success Story. They identified a dozen traits shared by those who reach the top of their game. These are:

1. Common sense: The ability to make sound judgments on the everyday affairs of life without the distractions of extraneous, irrelevant thoughts and ideas. Achievers get to the core of the matter. A Texas magnate explained that he always tries to reduce the understanding of a complex problem to its simplest terms. The Gallups found a majority of their survey subjects crediting common sense as the foundation of their success. We are all supposed to have it, but as the humorist Dr. Charles Jarvis put it, “We all got a lot of it, because we ain’t used any.”

2. Specialized knowledge of your field: An industrial corporate leader advised, “Do your homework. Nothing helps success more than knowing what you’re doing. It reduces the risks and works like an insurance policy for your own stability.” Making an effort to keep learning constantly throughout life is primordial among achievers in all fields. As another respondent said, “To achieve success, you must want it … then you must work to keep it.”

3. Self-reliance: The determination to get things moving in life, of making goals happen relying primarily on your own resources and abilities. You set your targets with courage and rely on the strength of your willpower to reach them.

4. Diverse intelligence: A high IQ, excellent communication skills that are composed of an extensive vocabulary, reading and writing skills were indicated by the achievers polled as among the fundamental aptitude required.

5. The ability to get things done: Successful people are diligent and hardworking. They have great organizational skills and disciplined productive work habits. They naturally distinguish between what is important and what is not. This is not to be confused with compulsive perfectionists who strive toward impossible goals. In fact, achievers are not threatened by failure and always celebrate their success.

6. Leadership: Winners lead by motivation and inspiration, never by intimidation and coercion. They inspire people to buy into their vision and follow their lead willingly. They are looked up to for guidance and direction.

7. Knowing right from wrong: A clear moral compass, highly sensitive to principled and ethical concerns. During hard times, those that subscribed to the view that the end justifies the means fell into disgrace. Discerning the boundaries of greed and decent profit is a must.

8. Creativity: Natural talent plus insight or intuition equals creativity. But of those who were surveyed, many credited drive and determination as more important than innate talent. Natural gifts take a backseat to making the best out of one’s potential. A well-acclaimed artist rated hard work over his talent as the reason for his wide public acceptance. He ranked ambition, motivation and the desire to excel as more important than inborn ability.

9. Self-confidence: The willingness to strike out in new, uncharted territory is true for those who are self-assured, secure in the belief that they prepared themselves thoroughly for the challenge. This does not mean taking reckless risks, but there is no trepidation at taking the road less traveled.

10. The ability to get the message across: Whether it’s an intimate audience of 10 or a mammoth crowd of 10,000, the facility to connect with your public through oral expression is one of the cornerstones of success. A few among the successful people interviewed admitted to being susceptible to a degree of stage fright. It’s the reason why very few accept speaking engagements and are considered reclusive. But most understand that they must have this trait, and train themselves to tame the fear of public speaking.

11. Concern for others: At the very least, successful people know how to get along with others. They have accepted that although self-reliance is a fundamental criterion for success, it takes healthy interpersonal relationships to flourish. Some even take it a notch higher. Bill Gates, described as Harvard’s most successful dropout, challenged the graduating class with this concern: How can we do the most good for the greatest number with the resources we have? He has taken the affliction of the world’s inequities as his own personal concern.

12. Luck: This select circle of go-getters agrees that luck always helps. The head of a booming insurance conglomerate expressed his thoughts about luck. “Given basic education and good health, it seems to me that individual drive, initiative, and efficient hard work are the ingredients of success — provided that the person has a well-balanced personality and high ethical standards. These attributes will position you to exploit good luck and contain the effects of bad luck.” He was obviously alluding to the karmic cycle, where good deeds beget good outcomes.

The true achievers interviewed agreed on something most of those who have not quite arrived might not believe. They all concur that the usual accoutrements of success — wealth, numerous palatial homes, signature cars, and other trappings — all lose their value once reached. The high fliers continue to strive for a sense of personal worth and self-respect. Many of them still desperately seek the two elusive benefits that money can’t buy — great happiness and satisfaction.

As a final footnote, George Sullivan, author of Work Smart, Not Hard, observes the difference between winners and losers. He calls it “the success mindset.” They have a winning attitude. They’re enthusiastic about their work. Under stress, they have no doubts about themselves. There’s pride and self-esteem involved. They have both a desire for and an expectation of success. Persons who fail often have the desire but not the expectation.

Each person has his own meaning of success. I like Erma Bombeck’s definition. She said, “Don’t confuse fame with success. Madonna is one, Helen Keller is the other.”

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What’s your take on success? Contact the author at e-mail: mscom@campaignsandgrey.net or ms.comfeedback@gmail.com.