The Seven Sisters of Success

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I recently had a chance to interview several groups of extremely successful people.
A handful are famous athletes, several are nationally known artists, writers or politicians, and all are multi-milli... I recently had a chance to interview several groups of extremely successful people.
A handful are famous athletes, several are nationally known artists, writers or politicians, and all are multi-millionaires. I asked themfor the keys, or essential factors that allowed them toaccomplish so much more than the rest of us.Their answers included a wide variety of specifics, but to an astonishing degree, 7 items came up in every discussion.
I've called them the "Seven Sisters of Success", and want to share them with you.1. Self-awareness.
The first thing that struck me about these men andwomen was the degree to which they understood themselves. They know their values and goals, and are comfortable with the choices they have made in life.They admitted some regrets and mistakes, but theyhave made peace with the past and are eager, confident and optimistic about the future.2.
Specific Goals.Every single one of these 26 people have written goals, ranging from 30-day projects to 10 year programs.I was impressed that their goals are IN WRITING. Athletes had performance targets, and the businessleaders had sales goals.
They all had family or personalgoals that were just as detailed as their professional objectives. The advice we have all heard about writing down your goals really works!3.
Powerful Networks.They all acknowledged their network of friends andcolleagues. Each one gave credit to a mentor orfriend who taught them the ropes, opened doors, orgave them a chance when they needed it.
They wereprofoundly grateful and appreciated that success is theresult of partnering with many people over many years.4. Surprising Idealism.I was surprised at the degree to which these seasoned,mature individuals openly discussed their ideals.
Some talked about religious beliefs, others framed it in politicalor psychological terms, but they all want to make a difference, fulfill a life-purpose, or pursue a dream. Theyare motivated by a desire to create a better world, to contribute, and to help others.5.
Intense Pragmatism. Balanced with their idealism, these highly successful people were extremely practical.
They are solution-focused, and use technology, information, and skills to reach their most important goals. They were not interested in theories, or in defending past choices orold traditions.
They use practical tools to help themreach their goals.6. Extraordinary Curiosity.They observe culture, read the paper, read about theirindustry, and try to learn about everything around them.They read about politics and religion, they want toknow about the stock market and cooking.
I wassurprised that most of them were not "experts" in the usual sense, but they are extremely educated, brightand curious. They have earned their doctorates in "real life".
Very interesting!7. Personal Discipline.They don't waste time, and they don't lie to themselves.
They don't exaggerate or minimize, and they don't generalize. These people were precise when they spoke about their age, relationships, business affairs or dreams.
Numbersand dates, dollars and cents were important to them, andI found them easy to talk with, and very clear in their communications.What impressed me was that the keys to their success were not related to family or background. They had not been born wealthy, and only about half completed college.
They did not seem "driven" for success. They did not make their fortunes in high-tech or by winning a lottery.
Instead, they followed a plan that created persistent, high levels of success or a lifetime.Each of these skills can be learned by anyone! There are no "secrets" of success, and talent, family and luck had little to do with it. These highly successful people knew what they wanted, and used their networks, hard work, patience and discipline to achieve outstanding results.
So can you! Article Tags: Seven Sisters, Successful People Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com.