The Seven Qualities of a Disciplined Achiever
Achievers Develop Traits that Lead to Success
Jan 9, 2009
What makes one person successful while another with equal talents only manages to get by? When the economy is booming neither stands out. But when the economy sours, that's when the self-driven man and woman suddenly appears and does what everyone else perceives as impossible.
If it can be boiled down to a single word, it's self discipline. The self-disciplined man has programmed himself to expect success and doesn't harbor excuses.
To be an achiever, you need to develop the characteristics that develop self-discipline that ultimately lead to the wealth and happiness that many only dream about.
A Positive Outlook
The problem with a negative outlook is that it amplifies problems and subdues the strategies for solving them. It's virtually impossible to find solutions if you focus only on problems. Recessions, depressions, stagflations come and go, but the overall trend is always towards growth. One of the most important abilities is just to take action. Do something to address your problems instead of worrying about them.
Strong Belief in Self
The world is filled with naysayers who only see the gray lining in the clouds. Achievers don't pay attention to negative remarks and criticism as they work toward their dreams. They have a strong sense of purpose that comes from focusing on a goal. Confidence comes from knowing that you can accomplish whatever it is you want if the dream is big enough.
The Ability to Plan
Setting goals is important. Planning helps to clarify the steps leading to the destination. You know what you're after so putting down a list of activities helps give you the incentive to get moving toward those goals. Planning seems like drudgery, but you would never consider building a house without a foundation. The problem is that it takes time to plan and that's the one area that simply doesn't produce immediate results.
Keep Learning
Learning is an ongoing process that never stops, even after you've acquired a diploma. Every achiever maximizes his potential and his worth through polishing his current skills and learning new ones. Achievers are readers. Achievers learn from the masters through and associating with role models. Above all things they learn from their mistakes. They're not afraid to ask questions in fear of looking stupid. They're communicators, involved with like minded people and groups who share the same vision. They work together toward a common goal so they can learn to do things better.
Taking Risks
Men of vision throughout history have taken calculated risks. Even when the economy offers little hope for a better future, the entrepreneur is the one who isn't afraid to take some risk. Risk comes in many forms. Your time, your effort and the money you spend toward a venture all stand a chance of leading nowhere. But if the goal is worthwhile taking a few risks can mean the difference between success and the ultimate failure that comes from not trying.
The Virtue of Patience and Persistence
In a society that focuses on quick fix solutions and getting what you want the easy way through credit and other methods, many people have lost the virtue of patience. Success never happens overnight. It takes consistent action to achieve any goal. Both patience and persistence give you a better feeling of satisfaction when a job is well done than it does when something is reached through little effort. Both qualities teach discipline. Study the lives of men like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Nelson Mandela who epitomize the values of patience and persistence.
Vision and Imagination
What you want has to be strong enough to move you toward it. If your goal is weak and ill defined, you'll have little motivation to get there. Without vision, there's no way you'll find imaginative solutions along the path to your goal. Achievers use their imaginations, always looking for ways to do things better, improve relationships and solve problems.
To be a real achiever doesn't mean you must have a degree. You only need to be realistic, look seriously at what you want to accomplish, set a goal and implement the skills of the achiever. There's no reason that you can't succeed no matter what the state of the economy.
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