Have you ever come in contact with certain people who are successful at what they do, and found yourself wondering how they got there? What did they do differently? How can you learn from them? Well here are 15 traits of the most successful people I have had the privilege of either working with or meeting and relating with constantly.
CONFIDENCE: This is perhaps the very first thing you will notice about every successful person you come in contact with. They possess this aura of confidence because they know who they are, where they are going and constantly work towards the goals set daily. It is important to possess the confidence needed to prove to people you come in contact with that indeed you know what you are doing. You trust yourself. It’s as simple as that. And when you have that unshakeable trust in yourself, you’re already one step closer to success.
READING: Successful people are readers. In this age of information and technology, we no longer have excuses for not being interested in reading, as there are millions of materials daily made available in podcasts, videos, mp3 etc. If you believe that success leaves clues and that you can be successful by thinking and acting like a successful person, then reading should be a part of your daily life. I’ve come to realize that with access to more books than I can read in several lifetimes, it is important to read the books that will make the most difference in my life.
GRATITUDE: Successful people are grateful people. They are grateful to God and to the people that have contributed towards seeing their dreams become a reality. One of my dear mentors usually says, “If you are not grateful, then you are a great fool. You must learn to be grateful as you grow in life and business because if you can’t be grateful when you have nothing, you would not be grateful when you have everything.”
JOY: Highly successful people are joyful people, not because they do not encounter countless of reasons to be moody and sad, but they have made it a habit to keep a joyful spirit at all time. This is the only way to reason and work your way out of seemingly difficult situations. Nobody wants to work or associate with a constantly angry and brooding person.
FOCUS: I can bet someone is saying of course they have to have been focused, how else can you achieve a worthwhile success anyway? That’s actually true, successful people are focused individuals who have refused to be distracted by happenings around them but stay solely focused on their destinations. People who experience success know how to concentrate. They realize that they cannot do everything and they focus on the activities that will give them the highest returns on the goals they want to achieve. What you focus on tells others a great deal what you are passionate about.
COMMUNICATION: Most successful people are great communicators; they know what they see and want, and daily strive to pass that information efficiently over and over in order to give a clearer picture of what they see to others. Over time, I’ve heard people say how poor a communicator they are, but this habit can be cultivated and developed. Believe me there is almost nothing as absurd as coming in front of other people to sell your ideas, dreams and passion but be unable to because “you suck at communicating.” You must strive to be clear and sensitive to the outcome you want to get from your communication and be flexible in your method of communication to achieve your desired outcome.
INTEGRITY: If there is one major lesson I have learnt from highly successful people, it is honesty. Honesty is the best policy for everything you do; integrity creates character and defines who you are. This should not have to be said, but it’s seriously one of the most important attributes you can cultivate.
KINDNESS: It amazes me when I see or hear kindness being equated with weakness. Kindness is one of the most attractive attributes anyone can have. Most successful people have learnt to use this habit to win clients, business associates, and employees, etc. time and time again. People remember an act of kindness years after it’s been done.
POSITIVITY: Extraordinary people have realistic optimism. Realistic because they take action and optimistic because no matter what the result may be, they believe their success is inevitable. Developing a positive attitude allows you to persevere and be resilient when things don’t go a certain way.
BRAVERY: How many times have you heard the phrase “No risk, no reward?” One common habit of successful people is that they have the courage to begin, continue and finish whatever they started. They are willing to not only start but go “all in” in whatever they embark on. To achieve any height in life, we must be willing to take the risk necessary to get the reward we want.
FAITHFULNESS: Successful people are faithful from the littlest of things to the more gigantic ones. Being faithful is a habit that must be developed by anyone striving to be better at one what they do. It shouldn’t be a one way thing, but something that reflects in every area of one’s life.
LISTENING: Successful people are awesome listeners. They understand that as much as it is important to talk, it is more important to listen. Someone once said “In speaking, you share what you already know but in listening, you learn something new. The fastest way to be a good conversationalist is to listen well and ask questions.
EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTER: Successful people are people a lot of us often look up to because of their exceptional character; some of us even consider them mentors or heroes. They are usually generous with others and frugal with themselves. Being a successful person (hero) that triumphs in life is no different.
OPTIMISM: Successful people are optimistic in nature. They have a strong believe in what they do and that it will ultimately succeed. Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Unless you believe that the future can be better, you’ll be unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.
DRIVE AND PROACTIVENESS: This is like the armour for most successful people I have had the privilege of meeting. Successful people possess the strength and determination to get things done over and over again. They are not known to wait on others to get things done; they just jump right in and make it happen.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but watch this space for more lists on successful people; subscribe to our newsletters.
About the Writer: Eniola Adeniji is a woman after God’s own heart, a motivational Writer, Speaker, Fashion and Photography addict. She is also a Business Developer, Social Media Manager and the founder of Woman Of Value. She blogs at
ennmae.wordpress.com
