8 Ways to Be More Successful When Starting a Business - Part 1

Why are some people successful while others are not? How can you predict if you or someone else will be successful? Each goal requires different skills and actions, so it’s difficult to create a list of attributes that covers every type of goal.

Completing a marathon requires a different set of steps than writing a novel.

However, the are some characteristics that help to make success more likely.

There is lots of material out there that suggests that success comes from how people are, rather than what they do. That the way to determine whether success is by seeing if you “have what it takes.” Like it’s a group of immutable characteristics.

The truth is, that’s just not the case.

Anyone can develop these characteristics and become much more successful:

1. Know what you want. Success is a narrow line. It’s almost impossible to hit it on accident. You have to know your target. The average person isn’t clear on what they want. Consequently, they get average results. Be clear on what you want and you’re one step closer to being successful. Anyone can do that. Even you. 2. Have predominantly positive feelings when you think about your goals. A great way to gauge the likelihood of achieving a goal is to think about it and see how you feel. If you’re excited and motivated, that’s a great sign. If you clench up, you’re going to struggle. And that may be a sign that your goal isn’t what you truly want after all. 3. Take action daily. At the end of the day, you must take consistent action to be successful at anything. There’s no amount of hoping, praying, planning, crystal stroking, or sending positive mental messages to the universe that’s going to remove those unwanted pounds or put a shiny, new Porsche in your garage. You can do all of those things, and they can add to the positivity you’re trying to create around your goals (see numbers 1 and 2 above), but it’s the little daily actions you take that get you the results. 4. Be organized and reliable. Conscientiousness is strongly correlated with success. If you’re organized, complete tasks on time, and are less likely to procrastinate than the average person, there’s a great chance you’ll be successful. And if you are, by nature, a disorganized procrastinator (I know that type well!), then it means you have to work a bit harder than others NOT to be that way. But 90% of that is just showing up consistently. So do that. All the time. Even when you don’t feel like it or if you are a hot mess and don’t feel prepared.

One trick to getting there is to begin by making a list each day of what you want to accomplish and follow that list. If you can begin making plans and stick with them, you’ll be more conscientious than most. Set timers and alarms if you need to to keep you on track and on your plan. And take your commitments seriously.

Next week, we’ll share Part 2 of this article with more tips to make you more successful.