I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. (Estee Lauder)
Your success in business, entrepreneurship and in life, in general, can be defined by a number of factors, and through how hard and persistent you are willing to work in order to reach your personal goals. It does not matter whether you are an apprentice, a clerk, a CEO or whatever your current title may be. Rather, forget about and drop your title and focus upon what you truly want to achieve in life.
We continuously grow and learn in and through life. What you are today may not be equal with what you want to be, and will be tomorrow.
Many people dream about being CEO´s, but as soon as they get the experience of being one, they start dreaming about becoming something else. Before you throw yourself into something because of the title (or, the money), consider the WHY. Why do you want to be XYZ? What is your purpose? And, what is your passion?
No matter what, your desires may change with time and experience. After all, we are here to develop, evolve and learn not only about our environments, but also about ourselves. How far you are willing to go in your career depends upon a number of factors, and personal qualities, in addition to your maturity as an individual.
The definition of success is personal, but succeeding in business and entrepreneurship withholds a number of internal and external attributes that you either possess or should actively develop in yourself in order to succeed in business life.
1. Know what you stand for. Know yourself, what you are about, and what you have to offer. Know the services/products you are capable of, and willing to, offer your clients.
If you do not know yourself or your business, how can you assume anyone else can? The first thing you have to do in order to become successful, is to define yourself, your values, your purpose, passion, and what you and your business have to offer.
2. Ambition.
Ambition is a natural attribute in human beings. There is nothing wrong in being ambitious. If people told you otherwise, you have to unlearn this nonsense. Be ambitious in achieving your dreams and in working for a purpose. However, learn how to distinguish between being normally ambitious and in being extremely ambitious. People may fear extreme ambition, so be aware of stepping upon other people´s toes. Nevertheless, learn how to say no and how to stand up for your personal beliefs. After all, you do not want to end up being a people-pleasing doll or anything alike.
3. Determination.
Business, and life in general, requires determination. You have to be willing to throw your hat in the ring. You have to learn how to be stronger than your fears, and even though we all have certain fears, it is necessary to learn how to win your fears and transform these into positive action. Nothing worth doing is easy, but the more actions you take, and the more you step out of your personal comfort zone, the more you will gain. Try it out and see for your self.
4. Vision.
Know yourself, your business, and have a direction. Without goals and direction your ship will simply sail across the oceans being at risk for losing both its sight, and the people on board.
5. Emotional Intelligence.
In business, entrepreneurship, life in general and in all social interaction you will have to learn emotional intelligence skills. Emotional intelligence includes a wide spectrum of capabilities, such as learning how to read people, how to cope and how to negotiate in challenging situations, but also how to protect yourself from toxic people in your environment and how to remove their power over your (business) life. Developing, and learning, emotional intelligence skills are essential for succeeding in life, and in business. I can warmly recommend for you to read Emotional Intelligence 2.0, a book written by Dr. Travis Bradberry and Jean Grives, recommended by The Dalai Lama himself, including life-changing tips in how to become more successful in your life, and in business. Do not let the lack of emotional intelligence be a hinder for your personal, and/or, business success.
6. Soft Skills.
Use your soft skills and life/professional experience to succeed. Be yourself, be authentic. People do, and will notice whether you are authentic or not. There is no point in playing roles, or in trying hard to be something else than you truly are. Get rid of your fears, and get real. People who appreciate your true, authentic nature, will find their way to you and stay around you. In a world that sometimes may feel harsh, soft skills are in real demand. The world needs authentic, true people who are capable of developing leadership and business using soft skills for success. You are the one to demonstrate those traits, and qualities, to businesses, people, organizations, and societies around you.
7. Drive, passion, purpose, and love for what you do in life.
Expressing passion, purpose, and love for everything you undertake in life and in business, will lead you to success. If you have no passion for what you do, you may as well give up and let someone else take over. Dance as if this were your last day in life – do not be afraid to sweat, nor about giving yourself fully into whatever you are practicing, as long as it serves your passions, and purposes.
8. Risk-taking capability and risk-tolerance.
All action, business, and entrepreneurship requires risk-taking capabilities. Without any risks, there cannot be any rewards. However, integrate risk management into your operational practices and never risk more than you can actually handle.
9. Self-confidence, trust in yourself in and in your future plans.
All success requires action, and action requires the ability of overcoming your fears. There is always a risk of failure, but those who want to avoid failure at all costs are never capable of taking action and vice versa. Therefore, have confidence in yourself, in the things you do and want to pursue, and create an attitude for success.
10. Learn how to plan your future, have an open mind, be determined, and willing to succeed.
Things do not always turn out, or unfold, the way we want them to, but all successful action, business, and entrepreneurship requires for its leader to be capable of planning ahead, and most preferably long-term. There is a point in living in the present moment, but future success also requires for you to be capable of planning the future of your life, and business.
11. Essential business AND people skills.
You can, and will, learn business and people skills through work and business life, but also through international business management education such as earning an MBA (or, another higher education including people management skills). If not through education, then through practical experiences. Life, and business, are about developing and creating long-term partnerships and relationships. Therefore, these skills will be essential for your success in business, and in life. Essential business skills, knowledge, understanding and wisdom also include the capability of understanding global operations holistically, understanding economics, politics, and geography.
Finally, learn through this YouTube video what Richard Branson has to say about succeeding in life, and in business:
Thank you for reading, commenting, liking and for sharing this post. Thank you also for having passion, purpose, and drive in your life, as well as using your soft skills together with your emotional intelligence.
Anne-Maria Yritys 