NINE PRESUMPTIONS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

Much has been written about success and successful individuals are often seen as having positive persistence, focused ambition, and an unwavering ability to see a process or project through to its inevitable end.  Many view success as “winning” rather than “losing” (but winning for some might be losing for others so does that mean successful people cannot be “team oriented” or “group thinkers?”).  Some view it more as a short-term result like reaching educational benchmarks within pre-determined timeframes as measured by “passing” or acceptable scores on objective tests.  Others look to things such as their work (are they fulfilling their potential?), to personal life (are they significant in ways that matter?) or their social status (are they SEEN as having “arrived and achieved” by others?).  In each of these perceptions, success is viewed as being more of a destination than a journey.  While it is not wrong to measure success by reflecting upon one’s accomplishments, it might be ill-advised to use such an absolute yardstick (results) as the only measurement.  Truly successful people focus more on the “means” than the “ends” as they approach life – and most would (in some way) adhere to at least nine presumptions about the way success might be measured (or achieved):

• You can become anything you wish to be or accomplish anything you wish to do in life.  Accomplishing what is initiated and measured by being what others feel you should become or by attempting to accomplish ONLY what others think you should be able to do, however, may bring recognition and rewards but not independent success.  One can realize success ONLY if bringing their own dreams to fruition or accomplishing their own objectives – going through the motions to accomplish the assigned expectations of another may complete a task or conclude an assigned activity but rarely will it bring lasting or genuine success.
• There is no limit as to what can be accomplished when one does not care who receives the credit for doing the work or receives praise for initiating an idea.  Successful people often initiate processes or suggest alternative ways of doing things then leverage the results (rather than overtly seeking the recognition) of their efforts as a springboard to further discovery and future growth.
• The only bad decision one can make is unintentionally choosing not to decide.  The only truly wrong action that can be taken is allowing something significant to happen (or not happen) in your life without knowing (or caring) about the potential ramifications.  Successful people recognize that time does not stand still – that conditions, expectations and priorities may change – but that any course correction must be INTENTIONAL and any result should be PLANNED rather than allowing either to occur accidentally or allowed to “just happen on its own.
• Successful people surround themselves with individuals that challenge their decisions and contribute to their abilities – that add to what they have in their tank rather than being afraid of being “out shown” or overshadowed by another.  True success is rarely achieved by those who surround themselves with people that make them feel good or agree with everything they say or do – that accept the status quo as being sacred and untouchable rather than a place from which to begin – for they fear finding themselves trapped within the mundane.
• One can either learn from their mistakes or be defeated by them.  Successful individuals often spend more time picking themselves up from the ground than they do running smoothly upon it – learning what does not work and how to avoid it while seeking to implement things that have not yet been attempted.  Those that accept failure as an end rather than a beginning often look for consolation from others and seek shelter from life’s battles within the comfort of the hole into which they may have fallen.  Successful individuals refuse to accept adversity as being more than a temporary roadblock – embracing life’s detours as pathways to travel that have yet to be fully investigated which could lead to solutions not yet fully developed and results not previously achieved.
• One cannot fail if no goals have been established.  One cannot “miss the target” when shooting an arrow into an empty field.  When one does not care where they are going it is almost impossible to get lost.  Not surprising, though, one will never taste success unless a target is available, a goal has been identified or a destination pre-determined.  Success is a process rather than a result – a path we travel rather than a cave within which we can seek shelter or an island upon which we might find temporary contentment.  The RESULTS of success may be stability, peace, popularity power or security but one cannot bring a dream to fruition – or raise another to his or her full potential – without taking intentional action to advance from the “here and now” to a potential “future reality.” Doing nothing gains nothing – seeking something not yet discovered or acting in a way not yet fully established will typically prove to be more meaningful and significant.
• Success is not measured by how many things one accomplishes but rather by how much is learned along the way...not by how quickly or how far one travels but rather by how many people were impacted during the journey.  Successful people are rarely satisfied with “what is,” choosing instead to pursue “what could be” and how they might better be able to make a difference.
• Successful people do not seek definitive destinations that would showcase their accomplishments as they rest upon their laurels.  They do not find comfort in gathering the “spoils” of their actions or in laying up the fruits of their labor – they are constantly seeking “new and better” whether it be in a process, a relationship or an environment in which they find themselves as they seek to leverage what they know or have into something not yet realized.  Successful people find it hard to accept “the way things have always been done” as being the best way to do anything – especially if they wish to achieve a different result than has ever been accomplished.
• Successful people establish (and accomplish) personal goals rather than living only to meet the expectations of others.  They learn from their mistakes (but do not revisit their lessons more than once) and act intentionally (even if they knowingly choose NOT to act at any point in time).  Success is realized when one seeks to be all they might wish to become, invests the time and energy into equipping themselves to accomplish great things, stretches their limits by reaching for new horizons not yet identified, and refuses to accept temporary setbacks as the end of their journey. 

Successful people do not live in a “probable” or “predictable” world.  Successful people live in a world of unlimited opportunities and possibilities – seeking to achieve what others have yet to consider...resting upon their individual accomplishments only long enough to re-group before moving on.  Successful individuals build their dreams upon a solid and credible foundation from which they willingly and intentionally step forward to investigate new ways of living life, doing things or accomplishing objectives.  They seek to experience the winds – to ride upon them wherever they may be carried – rather than to capture or contain them.  They accept nothing as being impossible, choosing instead to measure the value or risk of each action – its fiscal benefits or limitations – while learning from the path they have taken rather than finding satisfaction only when reaching the destination they seek.  Success is making a profound and unmistakable difference in the lives of others by leading them along until they can explore on their own...by monitoring and guiding their progress while allowing them to learn from their mistakes as they, too, accomplish great things. We must reach outside of our comfort zone – stretch beyond the limits and boundaries of our experience – to achieve true success. Once those borders have been crossed – that reality realized and internalized – one will rarely find satisfaction doing or being anything less.