Growing up, we were all conditioned to believe the key to success is hard work – You graduate college, secure employment, work hard, and success follows. That could not be further from the truth. In fact, hard work is one of the least significant factors of success and will leave you weary with very little accomplished. David Niven released ‘The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People’ after conducting a study of traits, beliefs and practices of successful people from various walks of life. Below are seven things that can make you wildly successful:
1. To Build A Better Career, First Build A Better You
It might sound fluffy but research shows how people feel about themselves has a huge effect on success.
2. Quality, Not Quantity
In surveys, people say hard work is the best predictor of success. They’re wrong.
It’s one of the least significant factors. Hard work is overrated.
Research shows number of hours does not predict success at work or at home. Success correlates with the quality of those hours.
3. Make Plans And Goals
Sometimes it seems so much is getting thrown your way that all you can do is try to keep up.
But successful people pause, reflect, and think about long-term improvement every day.
4. Focus on the Small Wins
Stop thinking that slaying dragons is all that matters.
70% of long-serving corporate leaders focus on the average events — not the best or worst.
A consistent amount of minor success produces much more happiness than occasionally bagging an elephant.
5. Know What Motivates You
Motivation predicts career success better than intelligence, ability, or salary.
But what motivates people can vary widely.
What reward gets you going? Do you want to be richer? Do you like helping people? Do you want praise?
Don’t speculate. Think about specific times when you were very motivated and what caused it.
Research shows that reward is responsible for three-quarters of why you do things, so align rewards and goals appropriately.
Take the time to reflect on how far you’ve come and the good work you’ve done. It boosts your motivation.
6. Choose The Right Workplace
People and environment affect you dramatically — and bad habitscan spread like a virus.
You want to learn and grow — but you want to be learning the right things and growing in the right way.
Having a diverse set of co-workers can make you much more productive.
7. Learn People Skills
You cannot go it alone. A big network and being liked pay huge dividends.
80% of CEOs feel that people skills are not only essential at work but also make them happy at home.
Being defensive not only makes you disliked, it also makes it hard to learn anything.
*Information retrieved from http://ti.me/1o6PjJJ