A few weeks ago I received a postcard in the mail from the CEO of
Petra Coach, the creator of
Align Software and a fellow member of
Entrepreneurs Organization.
I've never met him, but Andy Bailey and his postcard that I hung up on
my wall have already had a profound effect on me, reinforcing values I
believe in and reminding me on a daily basis of the attitudes and habits
that I know I need to embrace in order to become successful.
Below
are the 16 differences between successful people and unsuccessful
people that Andy Bailey and the postcard claim, followed by a picture of
the postcard itself:
1.
Embrace change vs. Fear change
Embracing
change is one of the hardest things a person can do. With the world
moving so fast and constantly changing, and technology accelerating
faster than ever, we need to embrace what’s coming and adapt, rather
than fear it, deny it or hide from it.
2. Want others to succeed vs. Secretly hope others fail
When
you’re in an organization with a group of people, in order to be
successful, you all have to be successful. We need to want to see our
co-workers succeed and grow. If you wish for their demise, why even work
with them at all?
3. Exude joy vs. Exude anger
In
business and in life, it’s always better to be happy and exude that joy
to others. It becomes contagious and encourages other to exude their
joy as well. When people are happier they tend to be more focused and
successful. If a person exudes anger, it puts everyone around them in a
horrible, unmotivated mood and little success comes from it.
4. Accept responsibly for your failures vs. Blame others for your failures
Where
there are ups, there are most always downs. Being a leader and
successful businessperson means always having to accept responsibility
for your failures. Blaming others solves nothing; it just puts other
people down and absolutely no good comes from it.
5. Talk about ideas vs. Talk about people
What
did we all learn in high school? Gossip gets you nowhere. Much of the
time it’s false and most of the time it's negative. Instead of gossiping
about people, successful people talk about ideas. Sharing ideas with
others will only make them better.
6. Share data & info vs. Hoard data & info
As
we all learned in kindergarten, sharing is caring. In social media, in
business and in life, sharing is important to be successful. When you
share you info and data with others, you can get others involved in what
you are doing to achieve success. Hoarding data and info is selfish and
short-sighted.
7. Give people all the credit for their victories vs. Take all the credit from others
Teamwork
is a key to success. When working with others, don’t take credit from
their ideas. Letting others have their own victories and moments to
shine motivates them and in the long term, the better they perform, the
better you'll look anyway.
8. Set goals and life plans vs. Do not set goals
You
can't possibly be successful without knowing where you're going in
life. A life vision board, 10 year plan, 3 year forecast, annual
strategic plan, and daily goal lists are are useful tools of the
mega-successful people in your life. Get your vision and goals down on
paper!
9. Keep a journal vs. Say you keep a journal but don’t
Keeping
a journal is a great way to jot down quick ideas or thoughts that come
to mind that are not worth forgetting. Writing them down can lead to
something even greater. You can even use mobile apps or your Notes
function in your phone. But don’t fool yourself by saying you keep a
journal and not following through.
10. Read every day vs. Watch TV every day
Reading
every day educates you on new subjects. Whether you are reading a blog,
your favorite magazine or a good book, you can learn and become more
knowledgeable as you read. Watching television, on the other hand, may
be good entertainment or an escape, but you'll rarely get anything out
of TV to help you become more successful.
11. Operate from a transformational perspective vs. Operate from a transactional perspective
Transformational
leaders go above and beyond to reach success on another level. They
focus on team building, motivation and collaboration across
organizations. They're always looking ahead to see how they can
transform themselves and others, instead of looking to just make a sale
or generate more revenue or get something out of the way.
12. Continuously learn vs. Fly by the seat of your pants
Continuously
learning and improving is the only way to grow. You can be a step above
your competition and become more flexible because you know more. If you
just fly by the seat of your pants, you could be passing up
opportunities that prevent you from learning (and growing!)
13. Compliment others vs. Criticize others
Complimenting
someone is always a great way to show someone you care. A compliment
gives a natural boost of energy to someone, and is an act of kindness
that makes you feel better as well. Criticizing produces negativity and
leads to nothing good.
14. Forgive others vs. Hold a grudge
Everybody
makes mistakes; it’s human. The only way to get past the mistake is to
forgive and move on. Dwelling on anger only makes things worse - for
you.
15. Keep a “To-Be” list vs. Don’t know what you want to be
A
“To-Be” list is a great way to strategize for the future. I want to be
an elected official one day. I want to be a TED speaker. I want to be
the CEO of a public company. I want to be a great father and husband.
Unsuccessful people have no idea what they want to be. If you don’t know
what you want to be, how can you achieve success? What do you want to
be?
16. Have Gratitude vs Don't appreciate others and the world around you.
Moments
of gratitude, each and every one, transform my life each day- and
unquestionably have made me more successful and more happy. The people
who you are grateful for are often the ones who have a huge part in your
success. Be sure to thank everyone you come in contact with and walk
with a spirit of gratitude and appreciation and even wonder, about the
world around you. Gratitude is the ultimate key to being successful in
business and in life.
Mais
"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves." -Buddha
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