10 Skills Anyone Can Learn To Become A Successful Individual

We all dream of becoming a successful person one day. This specific thought of “becoming a successful individual” has been instilled in our minds ever since we were children. And as we grow up, it seems that our main focus, or target narrows down to this particular concept. We try hard to achieve our goal. We really try hard. But is it really that hard to become a successful person?

Why is it that we see a certain group of people as highly prosperous, while others are considered unfortunate? In order to flourish, you live, make mistakes, and you observe others. The good thing about observing others is, if you are surrounded by that group of successful people, you are likely to have the opportunity to pick their brains. Well, here are 10 skills to aid anyone in becoming a successful person. If you can follow these rules, one day your name will be up there in the ‘hall of successful individuals’.

1. They teach you empathy.

First thing you require is empathy. “To be a great leader is to be a great listener instead of a talker”, says Gary Vaynerchuk, a CEO. In an article The Most Valuable Skill Every Recruiter Overlooks, he writes about the number one skill every employee needs to have. He says, it is not about being organized– the secret lies in being empathy. Empathy provides room for friendship, understanding, rapport, and host of other things that help to build real and lasting relationships within a company.

2. They want you to “steal” from the greats.

Pablo Picasso once said, “Great artists copy. Great artists steal.” One of the users of Quora, a question-answer based online forum, believes so too. In a recent thread on Quora, Martin Armstrong said that it actually helps to get attached to a great person, whom you look to as a role model. He states, “If you want to be successful, you must learn to steal!” It is not like stealing every idea or every concept from your “model”, but to follow them, to figure out what your model does to make them successful. Follow their footstep, and it will lead you to a path where you have a better future.

3. They teach you to be self-disciplined.

In order to be successful, you must learn the art of self-discipline. Why? Because “without self-discipline, success is impossible”, according to Lou Holtz.

As Brian Tracy, top sales training and personal success authority, and author of more than 60 books, explained in his article, Successful People Are Self Disciplined self discipline is vital in order to prosper in life. Disciplining oneself is a hard task. But it is achievable. And through personal discipline and perseverance, you can obtain any skills.

4. They wish to be a charismatic person.

Being charismatic can add a great advantage to your life. You don’t have to look like Barbie or Ken, you don’t have to be Richie Rich, and you don’t have to be Dexter– if you have the ability to make people love you naturally, then you have a good chance of becoming successful. Another Quora user, Michael Graham, has written that charismatic people are easily recognized even if they are broke, unintelligent, foolish, and unattractive. According to him, a charismatic person can successfully make other people feel better about themselves, and they have an extraordinary ability to inspire trust around them, amongst other skills.

5. They make you understand that schools don’t guarantee success.

Getting first hand experience rather than depending on what others teach you is often a smart move. In simple words, it’s a faster approach, and a highly effective way to learn things for yourself. Gaining higher education is good. But it can sometimes be overrated too. Erika Andersen wrote an article titled Do You Really Need To Go To College? She wrote about whether a college certificate is essential for success. All in all, success totally depends on you, and you only.

6. They encourage single-tasking.

We all know how much we look up to a person who multi-tasks. Whether that person is your official boss, or your own family member, or your best friend– regardless, we all go, “Oh look! That person is so successful in life because that person does so many things at the same time. What genius!”

Wrong. In fact, people who multi-task are not being more productive at all. Dr. Jim Taylor of University of San Francisco wrote an article called Multitasking is Out, Single Tasking is In. He elaborated on the fact that single-tasking requires more focus and attention, which eventually makes a person more committed, focused, and disciplined. And these factors play a key role in making one successful.

7. They teach you how to turn hurdles into opportunities.

We face different kinds of obstacles in different stages of life. Many take this as a negative sign. But if you stay negative throughout your journey, you will never reach your destination. Be positive. Survive the storm, turn your hurdles into opportunities. Atul Pradhananga, for example, believes that success lies in how we perceive the obstacles, how we react to them, and how we keep our composure during those times.

8. They make you an expert in saying “no”.

If there is a problem, or something you are disliking, be honest, and say “no”. “No” is a negative term, but if you can master the art of politely saying “no, thanks”, it will be better for both you and your people. Remember, individuals are not emotionally attached to you, so they would prefer honesty over dishonesty. A review by Harvard Business found that part of success lies in saying “no”. It is believed that people who always say “yes” to everything are either afraid to say “no”, or not sure of what they want. And these kind of people usually don’t success in life.

9. They want a sense of humor.

“Success needs three bones: wishbone, backbone, and funnybone” – Unknown.

Forbes magazine published an article on 10 Reasons Why Humor Is A Key To Success At Work. There, they mentioned how tasteful humor is important in a workplace. The majority of people tend to take everything, including themselves, seriously. This article focuses on the differences between a very serious workplace, and an office where humor plays a role of some sort. Humor can make people feel encouraged and comfortable, which is a marvelous art. People who can make a person laugh without hurting that person can tackle any situation, and thus can become successful in life.

10. They teach you patience and confidence.

Besides acquiring a sense of humor, another very significant skill to become successful is having patience, and confidence. Success doesn’t come overnight. It requires plenty of time. You can not simply stop in the middle of the route and give up. You need patience. You also need self motivation to keep you going. And you need confidence. Research shows that a confident person is willing to learn new things and experiment. Therefore, in order to be successful, one must learn to project confidence.

There are no shortcuts to success. Becoming a millionaire by buying lottery tickets can happen once in a million times. So there’s no point in wasting time in buying lottery tickets, and praying for a jackpot. Go out there, move with the pace every successful person is moving with, make mistakes, learn from them, teach yourself skills, and conquer the world. No, don’t do that. Just conquer your world, be successful, and be content.

Featured photo credit: Quinn Dombrowski via flickr.com

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