8 Elements of Success

The Oxford dictionary defines success as “achievement of desired
end; attainment of wealth, fame or social position; successful thing
or person”. Successful people are individuals who purposely set
bigger goals in their lives, who work progressively towards the
attainment of these goals and who enjoy a dynamic, well-balanced
life in the process.
Following are some elements of success:

·         Goal: Successful people are clear about their goals.
In order to be realistic, your goals should be in line with 
your background and experiences, both present and past, 
your education, health, monetary worth and cash flow.

Goals have to be specific, measurable, achievable and
can be tracked – that is to be achieved within a certain time frame.
Goals should be broken down into smaller plans called objectives.
One must learn to attain an objective before moving on to the next.
To achieve any objectives, you have to plan and prepare for it.

·         Relationship with others: Building relationships is a
key aspect to personal success. People who are truly
successful take time to nurture their relationships with their 
spouses and children. According to Zig Ziglar (1998), 
good family relationships motivate you to higher levels
of success. Success really does begin at home.

·         Attitude: All successful people have positive attitudes. 
Your attitude determines your actions; and your actions 
determine your accomplishments. You may or may not have 
thought about it but what and where you are today 
is the result of your attitude. People with a positive attitude
focus their time and attention on solutions, not problems.
When you have a positive attitude, it’s easier to be persistent.

·         Time management: All of us have an equal amount of time –
24 hours per day.
However, some people manage to get more done and yet have the
extra time to spare! Good time management is not just an issue of
work but it is an issue for life. To spend time is to spend your life;

to waste time is to waste your life.

·         Effectiveness and efficiency: Effectiveness is doing the right
things while efficiency is doing things right. In our working and
personal lives, we waste time both in being ineffective and inefficient.
Learn to eliminate ineffectiveness first, then work on inefficiencies.

·         Follow-up: Jeffrey J. Mayer (1999) in his book Success is a
Journey states that a good follow-up system is also one of the most
important tools you need in order to be successful. With that, a
person is able to spend more time working on the things that are
important instead of the things that keep him or her busy.

·         Under promise and over deliver: Honesty in life is absolutely
essential. People who are dishonest experience stress and have
low self-esteem. The best principle is to “under promise and over
deliver” as stated by Richard Denny (1997) in his book Succeed for
Yourself.

·         Love: When people love their work, they’re often willing to put
in more than the standard eight-hours of work. Denis Waitley (1992)
in his book Timing is Everything says that truly successful
individuals look to contribute, not to receive. Hence, loving what
you do helps but loving every aspect of what you do isn’t necessary.

In summary, the elements of success can be abbreviated into a
positive mnemonic – grateful, (g=goal, r=relationship with others,
a=attitude, t=time management, e=effectiveness & efficiency,
f=follow-up, u=under promise and over deliver, l=love). 

We do not have to go to Harvard, MIT or Cambridge to know that
successful people are certainly grateful people.