Doug Belshaw wrote a great reflection piece yesterday on the qualities of being successful.
Talent doesn’t make you successful because talent is just a word which sums up three different character traits. These can all be developed; they’re not ‘innate’.
People who are successful tend to be:
- Confident
- Tenacious
- Articulate
I quite like Doug’s perspective as it suggests that if someone applies themselves, they have the capacity to be successful. I compare this perspective the Roman Philosopher Seneca’s quote:
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Equally as powerful is a quote from motivational speaker Bob Nelson:
The biggest mistake in life is to think that you work for someone else. True, you may have a boss and you may collect a paycheck from a company but ultimately, you are the master of your own destiny. You decide what potential you reach in your career and what you will eventually accomplish in your life.
The bottom line is that people aren’t just successful or lucky, but rather they work at it.
Reference:
- 3 things common to most successful people | Education. Technology. Productivity. | Doug Belshaw | 22 September 2010
Initially published on Brandon Hall’s Workplace Learning Today