How is being successful to you? Is it being a billionaire? Having professional accomplishments? Or having a great job and earning a high salary? Everyone has different definitions of success depending on what we valued in life. Some people value family, romantic relationships, academics, being athletic more than anything else and strive hard to be successful in that phase of their lives.
Being successful is simply being able to reach your goals in life, whatever those goals may be and the feeling of happiness, fulfilment and contentment as you achieve those goals. There are some basic steps you can follow to increase your chance to be successful.
1.Build a Growth Mindset. Psychologist Carol Dweck suggests that there are two basic mindsets that influence how people think about themselves and their abilities : the fixed mindset & the growth mindset. People with growth mindsets believe that they have control of their life, while those with fixed mindsets believe that things are out of their control.
What can you do to build a growth mindset?
- Believe that your efforts matter.
- Learn new skills.
- View failures as learning experiences.
2. Improve Your Emotional Intelligence. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand, utilize, and reason with emotions. Emotionally intelligent people are able to understand not only their own emotions, but those of others as well.
To improve your emotional intelligence:
- Pay attention to your own emotions.
- Manage your emotions.
- Listen to others.
3. Develop Mental Toughness. Mental toughness refers to the resilience to carry on and continue trying even in the face of obstacles.3 People who possess this mental strength see challenges as opportunities.
What can you do to improve your mental toughness ?
- Believe in yourself.
- Keep trying.
- Set goals.
- Find support.
4.Strengthen Your Willpower. In a long-running longitudinal study, psychologists followed a group of children who were identified by their teachers as highly intelligent. As they compared how these subjects fared throughout childhood and into adulthood, researchers found that those who ultimately were the most successful in life shared some key characteristics, including perseverance and willpower.These characteristics tend to be part of an individual's overall personality, but they are also something you can improve. Delayed gratification, learning to persist in the face of challenges, and waiting for the rewards of your hard work can often be the key to success in life.
Strategies you can use to improve your willpower include:
- Distraction. For example, if you are trying to lose weight but are having a difficult time staying away from your favorite snacks, distracting yourself during your moments of weakness can be an effective way to avoid giving in to temptation.
- Practice. Willpower is something you can build, but it takes time and effort. Start by making small goals that require willpower to achieve, such as avoiding sugary snacks. As you build your ability to use your will power to achieve such small goals, you may find that your willpower is also stronger when working on much larger goals.
5.Focus on Intrinsic Motivations. What is it that motivates you the most? Do you find that the promise of external rewards keeps you reaching for your goals, or is it the more personal, intrinsic motivators that keep you feeling inspired? While extrinsic rewards such as money, awards, and praise can be helpful, many people find that they are most motivated when they are doing things for personal satisfaction.If you are doing things because you enjoy them, because you find them meaningful, or because you enjoy seeing the effects of your work, then you are driven by intrinsic motivations. Research has shown that while incentives can be a better predictor of some types of performance, intrinsic motivators tend to be better at predicting performance quality.While it is often the external motivators that get people started, it is the internal motivators that kick in and keep people going in order to maintain those new behaviors.
What can you do to boost your sense of intrinsic motivation?
- Challenge yourself.
- Stay curious. .
- Don't fear competition .
6.Nurture Traits Linked to High Potential. Psychologists have long attempted to link specific traits or personality characteristics to success in life and work. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one widely used assessment that is often utilized by businesses to screen job candidates. However, research often fails to show that the MBTI actually correlates to performance.According to some more recent research, there are certain traits that tend to be consistently tied to success.7 Researchers Ian MacRae and Adrian Furnham have identified six key traits that can play a role in how well people do at work.8 However, they note that there are optimal levels of these traits. Too little of these characteristics can hinder success, but so can having too much.
If you are trying to learn how to be successful in life, consider what you can do to nurture these key traits:
Conscientiousness. Conscientious people consider the effects of their actions. They also consider how other people will react and feel. You can nurture this trait by:
- Thinking about the consequences of actions
- Considering other people's perspectives
Accepting of Ambiguity. Life is full of situations that are not always clear. People with a great deal of potential for success are better able to accept this ambiguity. Rather than being rigid and inflexible, they are ready to adapt when the unexpected comes their way. You can learn to embrace ambiguity by:
- Challenging your perspectives and considering opinions and ideas other than your own
- Not fearing the unfamiliar
- Being willing to change
- Valuing diversity
Capable of Adjustment. In addition to being able to accept ambiguity, success often hinges on the ability to quickly adjust to change. You can nurture this ability to adjust by:
- Reframing difficult situations, to see them as opportunities to learn and grow rather than simply obstacles to live through
- Being open to change; when plans or situations change, step back and look at ways to cope.
Courageous. The world's most successful people often exemplify great courage. They are willing to take risks, even in the face of potential failure. Research suggests that courageous people utilize positive emotions to overcome fear.9 You can improve your tolerance of risk by:
- Quelling negative emotions and focusing on more positive feelings
- Balancing risk with common sense; being cautious and pragmatic can also pay off, depending upon the situation
Curiosity. People who are successful tend to be curious about the world around them. They are always eager to learn more, including new knowledge and skills. You can cultivate your sense of curiosity by:
- Relating tasks to your interests:
- Learning new things
Competitiveness. Successful people are able to utilize competition to motivate, but avoid falling prey to jealousy. You can nurture a healthy sense of competition by:
- Focusing on your own improvements; rather than worry about being the best at something, pay attention to your progress.
- Being happy when others succeed.
There's no right or wrong way to be successful, it will always be a matter of courage, patience and the willingness to do the things that needs to be done in order to step up in whatever situation you're in right now. If you want improvement to yourself, you must go out from that shell you were hiding and explore new things in life. Don't be a coward!
