Some people are more successful than others. Why is that?

Is it intelligence?
Is it education?
Is it "who you know, not what you know..."?
Are the educated and intelligent people always the most successful?
If we could answer these questions, we might gain some valuable insights.

I wish to make a claim; I claim that "Success is predictable"

Success has certain definite causes:

I want to write about the causes so that that each of us may act on them and, in so doing, become more successful.

Let us first define our terms

What is success?
Success is defined as "the achievement a goal". Therefore our first observation is:
Success requires a goal
The identification of a goal a prerequisite of success.
Yet we know that many people do not set goals.

Verify this for yourself:
Ask the next twenty people you talk to for their goals list.
Most will not have one.
Many people have NO goals.
It is a strange phenomenon

Because if success means "the achievement of a goal" then the first step must be to "write the goal down."

Sufficient intelligence
"Knowing the goal" is not enough to be successful.
A certain level of intelligence is required to achieve the goal because success will demand that you solve problems.
If we define intelligence as :
"The ability to solve the problems that face you"
Then "intelligence" means that you have the capacity to solve the problems that stand between you and the achievement of the goal.

But bear in mind that you do not have to be a "Genius" to be successful.

Sufficient education
Intelligence and Mental capacity are not enough.
You may have a large "mental capacity" but nothing of value stored in it.
The guy is brainy but lacks education!
You need sufficient Knowledge relating specifically to your goal
Because in order to solve your problems a certain level of special knowledge and expertise will be necessary.
Therefore a level of specialised knowledge and education will be a prerequisite for your success
Education should be continuous and purposefully related to the goal for which one is striving

Good social skills
But that is still not enough!
Success demands that you are Harmonious
Harmonious means: "Able to work in concert with others"
The achievement of a goal will require the cooperation of others
Therefore good social skills would be beneficial to you.
Poor social skills will be a serious liability.

How able are you to forge productive working relationships with others?
Do you have habits that prevent effective relationships?
If "yes" make the necessary changes in your personality.
You owe it to your family!

Good character
Harmoniousness on its own is still not enough.
On a deeper level, your actions are guided by your
Good character that you have built up over the years.
Your character is
"the sum total of your thoughts, values and habitual actions"

There are two particular characteristics traits that invite success

Honesty
Honest is vital and has two aspects:
1. Honest with regard to property : Fraudulence or thieving will cause failure
2. Honesty in regard to a respect for truth; Lying or cheating will cause failure

Why?
Nobody wants to work with a dishonest person
Dishonesty will cause failure

Honesty will promote long term success

Industriousness
You must be a good worker.
Being willing to work is a powerful indicator of success
Being lazy is a powerful indicator of failure
If we combine the above to say that success will be attracted to the people who are
Honest and hardworking
And success is repelled by those who are

Dishonest and lazy
Now we have something to work with
Here is a list of success attributes:
1. Clear written goals
2. A problem solving intelligence
3. Sufficient specialised education
4. Good social skills
5. Honesty
6. Industriousness

Here is the opposing list for failure
1. Drifting: No goal focus, waiting for your luck to change.
2. Unwillingness to take the initiative to solve problems as they come up.
3. Unwillingness to study and learn new skills and master changes in technology
4. Any disagreeable habits or any poor social skills
5. Habitual dishonest in any form
6. Habitual laziness.

Check yourself against this list and see what you can learn.

Author's Bio - Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer Chris Farmer is the leader of The Corporate Coach Group, which he started in 1997. Chris has presented his material to various audiences, from both public and private sectors at home and abroad. For more information, please visithttp://www.corporatecoachgroup.co.uk/default.asp

Someone once said: "You do a very good impression of yourself". Now, here are 3 simple steps for making the best possible first and lasting impression, as you network naturally -- whether or not you are an introverted, shy or reserved networker.

Step 1 - Let your mouth do the talking: Firstly, make peace with the idea that you will need to actively and regularly tell people about your accomplishments. You cannot depend on others to read your mind or ask you about your accomplishments. These accomplishments could be: testimonials received or results experienced from your clients, your newest promotions and/or other relevant news.

For instance, lately, sometimes I share with fellow networkers the fact that I attract and work with many introverted, shy and reserved entrepreneur clients. Amazingly, the response I receive from others is often: "I am an introvert!". The Universe is certainly reliable: You can count on it to do its job of pulling together like-minded people.

What you may perceive as bragging, others around you will often see as, "I am so glad you told me about this; I never would have known that you work with people like me!" Why? Because the reality is, few people pay full attention to what is being expressed and instead, worry more about themselves.

Step 2 - Let your fingers do the talking: After collecting the business cards of people you enjoyed speaking to, prepare and e-mail a follow-up note or mail them a greeting card. (Introverts usually make more compelling and persuasive writers than oral communicators.) This way you can be sure of communicating exactly what you want to say.

Step 3 - Walk the talk: Also, although self-promotion is key for attracting more success into your life, it can never act as a substitute for doing good work that sells itself. According to Marshall Goldsmit, author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, "Being smart turns people on. Announcing how smart you are turns people off."

When your work or alignment is in alignment with your natural working style, self-promotion becomes that much easier.

According to Donna Dunning, author of What’s Your Type of Career, introverts fall into these four main categories of working styles:

(1) Analyzers: They prefer working alone -- assimilating and analyzing information, solving problems and working independently. Examples: computer technicians, economists, engineers, investigators, and programmers.

(2) Assimilators: They prefer having a stable structure -- adhering to procedures, plus processing and categorizing detailed information. Examples: administrators, health care workers, librarians, supervisors, and veterinarians.

(3) Enhancers: They are behind-the-scenes workers, who typically avoid promoting themselves and love forming personal relationships and making things work for groups. Examples: administrative assistants, nutritionists, personal coaches, social workers, and therapists.

(4) Visionaries: They are big-picture planners, who enjoy integrating ideas and developing mental models to interpret experiences. Examples: architects, attorneys, consultants, designers, physicians, researchers, and strategic planners.

Which one best describes you? Are you in the right context and career for your natural working style? Also, even though recognizing and understanding your introvert tendencies is important, you can still be happy and successful in traditionally extroverted careers, like sales and teaching.

In summary, Talk, Write, Act.

Author's Bio - Monique MacKinnon

Monique MacKinnon is a globally recognized creativity expert, speaker and ebook author whose specialty is helping passionate entrepreneurs who need more direction, focus and accountability to monetize their abundant ideas, talents and interests. Monique’s work is grounded in both practical and esoteric principles and includes expertise in hand analysis (via the International Institute of Hand Analysis) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP via The WEL-Systems Institute). Monique has 20 years’ experience in marketing, management, training, consulting and coaching.

To claim your 3-in-1 Joint Venture Your Way to Success articles, including to start with... 'Commitment anxiety: Are these top 10 signs true for you?’, email monique@energeticevolution.com and put ‘GIFT PACK’ in the subject line.