You may not be proud of your financial achievement today. But understand this; many people who are successful today were in your position a few years ago. You do not become a successful person when you have made a lot of money. You become a person of success before you start making good money. For instance, a medical school graduate doesn’t become a medical doctor when he gets a job and starts making money. He became a doctor from the moment he was qualified a doctor. His qualification as a doctor is not defined by his bank account but by who he has become. In the same way, there are qualities people who eventually become financially successful demonstrate before they achieve success. In this article, I’ll share with you 7 signs that show you’ve got what it takes to attract the success you desire.
1. You Channel Your Focus on One Industry
According to Andrew Carnegie, “The way to become rich is to put all your eggs into one basket and then watch that basket.”
Think about the most successful people you know. They are all known for one thing. Even when they have many sources of income, they usually started with one thing for a long period of time. When you think about Bill Gates, you think of Microsoft: Jeff Bezos, you think Amazon; Strive Masiyiwa, think Econet Wireless; Aliko Dangote, you think of Dangote Cement; Mo Ibrahim, think telecom. These people may have diversified into other businesses, but their breakthrough came from staying focused and putting all their effort into one industry.
It’s a simple law of nature. If you want to take down a building, you have to focus your blow on one spot until that spot weakens, cracks, and then the building comes down. If you want to cut through an object with a beam of light, you have to laser-focus light to a spot on the surface of that object before it can cut through. Wealth is created when you exert enough focus on one idea. But it is important that you understand the economic importance of your idea or industry, its market potential and your interest in the field. Most people are not good at staying consistent with one thing when they are not under obligation to do so. The people who become successful don’t stop until they get what they want. Persistence wins talent over time.
2. You’re decisive
It takes a decisive person to focus on one idea over a long period of time. Most of the people you meet have several potential great ideas. In fact many people do not start anything because, they have too many options and cannot decide on which one to start and which to abandon. Being decisive is not a common trait among the masses.
There is a scientific prove that we struggle to make a decision when presented with too many choices. In the 21st century, you can learn almost any skill you want over the internet that can make you successful in your field. Then there is social media, dating sites, gaming sites, entertaining videos and a host other things bargaining for your attention. It takes decisiveness to cut through the noise, and focus on what is really important to you. After studying over 500 millionaires, journalist and author Napoleon Hill found that every one of them had the habit of reaching decisions promptly. People who reach decisions promptly know what they want, and generally get it.
3. You surround yourself with Great minds
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
Life is tough. It is even tougher when you surround yourself with counter-productive people but easier with you have great people around you. While the masses talk about the cars other people bought and the movies that made Box Office, the people who become successful learn what makes these companies or products successful or even co-own the companies through shares. They understand that ideas rule the world.
You are only as successful as those you frequently associate with. We become like the people we associate with. And that’s why winners are attracted to winners. And winners are fond of discussing ideas over trivial things. If the people around you are supportive of your dreams and also inspire you by their actions, you have a higher chance of achieving success.
4. You Delay Gratification
I saw a video on Doctor Phil’s Show of a 15 year old girl who was mad at her rich mum because she cut her monthly allows to $1,000 after she had lavished up to $100,000 the previous year. She claimed her rich lifestyle was all she’s ever known and can’t survive on a thousand dollar. And she unequivocally wants a G-Wagon for her 16th birthday. When she was asked to get job, she felt so upset that she burst into tears. She doesn’t want to work but she wants all the things money can buy. Her story demonstrates an exaggerated version of a life of instant gratification, where ones self-image is tied to their ability to get all of the fancy things they want. The problem is that, when one’s self esteem and self acceptance is tied to their ability to have things, they are bound to rob from their future for today’s gratification. And the society encourages this attitude. You cannot talk about the qualities of successful people without mentioning the ability to delay gratification. If you have the mental toughness to delay pleasure for a more rewarding future, you are built to succeed. And succeed you will.
5. You save to invest
Growing money is how the rich keeps getting richer. The only reason to save money is to invest it. In fact, how much you save and invest is often more important than how much you earn. Investing money is not necessarily about investing in stocks and real estate. You invest your money to improve your skill, to grow your business, to grow your network.
To put this into perspective, here is what most people do. They save money to buy their dream car, dream house, dream vacation and fancy home appliance. Money depreciates in value. And your money in the bank loses its purchasing power the longer it stays there. If you are wired to pay attention to growing your money over spending on impulse, you have a solid foundation for creating wealth.
6. You’re open-minded
We have talked a lot about the future of work in many of our videos; how the job market is changing due to technology; the opportunities of the future and now. Your attitude towards this growing trend and inevitable change will say a lot about your financial future.
Are you open minded about the direction the world is moving or are you cynical about it? 10 years ago many people where just getting to know about blogging, social media, and digital marketing. It wasn’t until these online entrepreneurs starting buying big houses and cars that majority of people started taking them seriously. The reward of being open minded is that you will often identify opportunities before the majority. And the reward of being closed-minded is that you will always be late to opportunities. If you are open minded, you will encounter more opportunities to attract success than most people.
7. You prefer to be educated than entertained
When Emperor Vespasian of the Roman Empire wanted to keep the people from rising to demand for their rights, he gave them the coliseum to keep them entertained. Since the beginning of time, humans want to be amused. But it becomes a problem when you make life all about entertainment. The masses are endlessly hungry for entertainment. But people who go on to build the life they want seek education and enlightenment over entertainment. If you love to be educated through books, experiences and other educative content over being entertained, you are on the right path to a prosperous financial future.
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