I f you’ve never managed a financial enterprise of your own Awoke, the kind of discipline you’ll need to follow your particulars.
Than may be new to you. Or you may never have sat down and Consciously thought about it before. Let’s look at some of the characteristics you can develop that will make you more successful
- Id anything you try.
Successful people share certain common attributes. Some people learn how to achieve what they want during childhood, while ethers wait until they’re grown to develop success-oriented behavior. This makes it clear that these traits are not inborn, but can be learned. If you want success, you’ll memorize these characteristics and do everything you can to develop them in yourself.
The first requirement for success, of course, is to have a goal something you want to achieve, a point you wish to reach, whether it’s a dollar amount of money, a tangible item you want to possess, or a particular level of skill you desire to reach in some activity.
The best goals are the most concrete, and I advise you to write down an exact description of what you want in the most specific terms possible. If you want cash, don’t just record your goal as “more money,” but choose the exact amount you desire. You might write “an income of $500,000 a year or a net worth of $3,000,(X10. ” Instead of saying, “I want a better car,” describe it exactly: “I want a red Mercedes convertible with black up hole story.” If possible, find a picture of what you want and pin it up where you’ll see it several times a day. Rather than wishing you knew how to make more money, start with, “I’m going to learn how to generate $10000 [or $5,000] a month in additional income.”
Next, set yourself a reasonable time limit for what you want to accomplish. Break your goal down into individual steps, the small milestones that mark your progress toward your ultimate target, and set dates for the completion of each step. Write all this down and review your progress at regular intervals, revising your targets and timetable as necessary.
Now, assuming you have a goal, what characteristics should you develop and practice so you can reach that goal? Here are the ten that have been found in common among successful people in all fields.
1. Motivated. You must want to reach your goal more than anything else. Working toward it must become the most important activity in your life more important than watching television, socializing with friends, or keeping up with the latest books and movies.
Naturally, when you have family or other important people in your life, you can’t always expect them to take a backseat to your ambitions. Often, though, you can convince them to join you in your interests. Even when you can’t, you’ll want to spend some time with them in mutually enjoyable activities.
I’m not suggesting you cut everyone and everything else out of your life. But you must set priorities and make choices. Decide what’s most important in your life, and eliminate unnecessary pastimes that take away energy and time you could use to work toward your goal.
2. Action-oriented. True achievers reduce daydreaming and useless activities. Instead of dwelling on fantasies of how wonderful life could be when they reach their goals, these people invest their time and efforts in active work to help them achieve what they want.
Notice, I said they reduce their daydreaming. They don’t eliminate it altogether. An active imagination can be an asset in finding creative ways to achieve what you want. Also, a certain amount of fantasizing about your future goal helps keep your motivation fresh.
Ruben you spend too much time envisioning the future, and not imp working in the present, you’ll never get anywhere find your mind wandering during the time you’ve set aside ~ toward your goal, allow yourself a short break, perhaps five minutes every couple of hours, to imagine the fulfillment of reams. Then get back to work to make those dreams come.,.
Not all of us are blessed with perfect bodies, of course, and no point straining to become Jane Fonda or Arnold nvarzenegger if you’re not built that way. Learn your own rwnal most desirable weight and fitness level, probably through visit with your doctor, and adopt a reasonable diet and exercise lid. Get enough rest and maintain a cheerful, positive mental it looks. After all, becoming wealthy is one of the most rewarding lags that can happen to us in life.
4. Independent Successful people recognize that they are Responsible for every step of their achievements. You must be able ids work alone, if necessary, on every task toward your goal.
This doesn’t mean that you must do all your own accounting, o to legal work, or any other specialized job. But it does mean that you’re responsible for seeing that it’s done, and done competently, by someone who is qualified to perform the necessary tasks. You’re a self-starter, ready and able to get going on whatever needs to be done next. You recognize when jobs require your attention, and don’t need someone to give you permission to act or to nag you into performing.
You can direct others when it is necessary. You take charge every step of the way. If others don’t approve of what you’re doing, you’ll listen to their objections, of course. You’ll also listen to the advice of experts. But you’ll make the final decisions for yourself.
5. Flexible. Accepting and adapting to changing conditions is an important part of success. Times change, and so do people and you need enough patience to let profitable enterprises. However, you shouldn’t become so stuck on one thing, Per it’s a particular business or investment, a location, a type Reship a contract form, or anything else, that you continue b follow outmoded patterns when they no longer work. Be open to low ideas, and if they prove more promising than your old ones, be idling to try them out.
6. Determined. Don’t give up on a good idea because of Foolery problems or a lack of faith from others. We all encounter obstacles; nothing in this world is perfect, and things never go smoothly all the time. Realize this before you start anything, and solve to find solutions to your problems and ways around obsta Peas for a lack of faith from others, years ago a woman named Evelyn E. Smith said, “When you discover something new, evi body thinks you’re crazy. Think of all the people in history who Could agree with that statement! Probably the first person to make Reheel was regarded as the tribe mental case. Do you remember Ping about Fulton’s Folly in school? That’s what they called the Steamboat Robert Fulton invented, until it proved a success.
I could go on and on about lack of faith: music teachers called ilk young Ludwig van Beethoven “hopeless”; the telephone, the automobile, and the airplane were all regarded as useless toys by iciest of the people who saw the first models; dozens of the most heinous inventors, writers, and actors were told they should take up Char lines of work. You can probably think of a few examples of won’t believe you can do something. Make up your mind from the start that n decide what you can or cannot do, and of achieving what you want.
They gather as in hefts they have to decide a question. s only a little, they do the best they can. Based on whatever they can learn, they make the best decision they can at that moment and then move on to the next task.
Naturally, you’ll want to make informed decisions whenever you can. But sometimes it’s simply not possible. If it makes you feel better, you can remind yourself to go back and review the decision at a later date, when you have more information. In some cases that’s vital, but more often it’s not. Usually the most important move is to make some decision and act on it, even if occasionally your decision IS to do nothing about the matter and move on to something else.
8. Confident. A belief in yourself and your ideas is vital to your success. It’s what keeps you going when others question your Judgment, your ability, and your sanity. It’s also important in persuading others to follow your directions and your ideas.
Your belief and enthusiasm will convince others to loan you money or invest in projects with you. And as we’ll see later, persuading others can be a vital ingredient in your plan to reach financial independence.
Developing confidence can seem like a difficult job to some people. It’s really fairly simple, but takes some practice. The basic ingredient is knowledge. When you know and understand what you’re doing, you can’t help but be confident. Study what you plan to do until you’re sure you understand it, and ask questions of anyone who might be able to give you good advice. The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel.
9. Thrifty. The most successful financial achievers spend money only where necessary for the success of their enterprises, at least until their profits can support a few extras. It makes no sense to take money out of an investment program, for example, to rent luxury offices if you don’t need to invest from a fancy office.
One of the saddest examples of this I ever saw was a man who ran a small mail-order business. One month he placed an ad in a national magazine and received ten times the volume of orders he had expected. It was the first time he’d ever seen so much money, and he got so excited, he ran out and bought an expensive boat instead of putting the money back into more advertising and greater capability to handle the increased volume of orders. He repeated this pattern of self-indulgence until he lost his business.
Aim Before spending any money, financially successful people ask. Selves two questions: 1) Do I really need this? 2) Where could the money be put to better use? They weigh the answers to these questions very carefully before deciding to commit money to any ‘unnecessary expenses You don’t have to become a total tightwad to the successful. But you must budget your money as carefully as you do your time, particularly in the early stages of your success Ram.
10. Informed. Success depends on knowing what goes on in the world and how it affects your interests. You have to be alert to Dew trends and shifts in the marketplace if you’re going to stay ahead of the competition. You can collect information from all kinds of; sources: newspapers, trade journals and newsletters, books, seminars, computer data banks, and contacts with people who share your concerns. In fact, these days we’re said to live in an “information age” where we’re practically buried in news, facts, and rumors.
That’s why it’s important to be selective about your information