Top 10 Ways to Be Successful in Both Business and Life

by Gayle E. Santana

Why do some people succeed, while others fail to reach their goals? Here's one business owner's observations about what successful people do that others don't.

I have been a business owner for about a minute. In fact, that would probably be quite generous if you compared me to the business moguls out here or anywhere for that matter. But in spite of that fact, I probably know a lot about business, more than I realize and much more than you would expect, if you knew my background. It is my life as a business owner that has finally made sense of all the data and observations that I have gathered over the years. I spent 20 years of my life working for others, most unknown, some infamous.

Because my jobs were in an executive assistant capacity for the past 20 years I, like all assistants, get to see the workings of the company almost like a fly on the wall. We get to see the inner workings of the people we work for. We get to hear the opposing view from others who work for the company, both those who are close to the boss and those far removed.

I don't know about other assistants, but for me it's like watching a horror movie where you know what's behind the door but the person opening the door has no idea. And you are in the audience screaming don't do it! But who is going to listen to you? So you just see and feel certain behaviors and actions and you file them away like you are gathering data for future analysis. Well I am now in that future and this is my analysis. Life and business are not all that different. Some people would like you to think the rules of the game are different in business, but they really are not. They like to keep the mystery about it, the smoke and mirrors going. But in my own experience, observation of others and readings about the lives of countless others, this is what I believe it takes to be successful in both life and business. It is what I constantly strive to achieve for myself. And in the style of David Letterman, we'll begin with number 10!

10. Letting your gut-instincts keep you safe.

This is more than street-smarts. I believe that gut instinct is not just some strange source but 1- the spiritual essence of us and our connection with the source of life, but also 2- it is a lifetime of observation and learning from experience. I surely have experienced life and I have spent my life observing people. I have the ability to peer into the insides of people. My mother could do it. She would make these statements about people she barely knew and she'd hit the nail on the head about their very essence. I too have this ability. The thing is it's not always something you can verbalize but your gut tells you some things right off the bat. This is a very useful thing in the business world and I believe we all have this ability but not everyone taps into it. Being able to read people doesn't mean that you immediately run or become best friends, it means that you proceed with caution filing away the info you've got on hand right now. If there is something queer about a business proposition, keep this up front as you examine it. You know in your gut when something's right and when something's not right.

9. A lifetime of self-examination -

I cannot stress this enough. We are a work in progress. You will make mistakes, your attitude will change and you will grow. But if you don't take the time to examine yourself and your attitudes along the way, you run the risk of becoming stagnant and brittle. And brittle is a good candidate for crumbling dust. Examine your relationships with people, your business practices, not just your finances. In the end, it is your relationship with people that makes you successful in both life and business. If you find yourself having the same issues arise, it's time for some self-examination. What are you doing to contribute to this issue? What can you do to create a change?

8. Open mindedness to new ways of thinking.

How many times have we seen people, throughout history, hold on to what they believe is the ONLY way to think, to find the world moving on without them? It was generally thought the automobile would never catch on; after all, weren't bicycles and trains more than enough? It doesn't mean you have to change your way of thinking or embrace it, just examine it, educate yourself about it and recognize that it may be here to stay.

7. Open mindedness to new technology--

This relates to number 8 but in a business capacity, it is even more important. A pencil and paper may be your preferred method of working on finances, but you had better know a few things about technology or you and your pencil will be left behind. Sure you can hire others who know, but what you don't know CAN hurt you. Read! You can learn so much about anything by reading. And if you were tech savvy you would know the internet is the greatest addition to the library in regard to learning about everything!

6. Being streetwise and book-smart -

There is nothing more important than having a reasonable balance of both. Naivety can cost you and not being educated to the level you need to function well in your chosen environment can cost you as well. Don't leave your street-smarts at the door in business environments but temper it with real knowledge as well.

5. Education and constant re-education --

I am not talking about college degrees here. Though they are a great start, you must continue to educate yourself. Take part in seminars, read everything, surf the net. Even when you think you've got it, press on.

4. A willingness to give back -

First, take care of yourself. Put yourself in a position to give back. I've had the privilege to hear so many people speak about their ideas for new businesses. The first thing they say is that they want to help people and that they want to give away what they've got.

Andrew Morrison, from Small Business Camp (http://www.smallbusinesscamp.com) and believer that questions are more powerful than answers (see his book "21 Questions that Will Build Your Business in 90 Days") always asks the question, "Where's the money?" because if you can't support yourself, if you have to close your doors because you are bankrupt, how can you realistically help others?

Sure there are exceptions to this, but most people have been able to give back and help others because they helped themselves. When you've helped yourself, GIVE BACK! I've seen many people become selfish and bitter in this regard. "I had to do it for myself! Nobody helped me!" They begin to dole out help in a miserly manner, looking for something in return including gratitude. They also give with suspicion. They suspect that those they give to will use it to steal something from them. If you watch closely, here is where they will begin their descent.

If you feel like you got where you are on your own, look carefully I say, because you did NOT get to where you are without help. And much of it was given unselfishly and without restraint. Give generously and from the heart and don't look back! (CAUTION: DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DRAINED DRY BY THOSE WHO LIKE TO PLAY UPON THIS NOTION EITHER)

3. Love and caring for yourself -

Here is a simple analogy. When you board a plane you are treated to a demonstration of what to do in case the oxygen masks drop from above. The first instruction is to put your mask on first. This is especially important because if you don't take care of your need first, you will not be able to help others and that includes your children, your spouse or anyone else. How does this relate to business? Create the situation that best helps you first. Put yourself in a position of power or at least close to the ear of power. Do a great job, first for you. Excel for you. Then assist others, speak up for others, do for others.

2. How you treat people --

I believe in this. I don't think you really have to right to abuse people. Some people think that certain groups of people are okay to abuse. I am not speaking from a standpoint of race here either. These people think that it's okay to abuse "the help" i.e. countless waiters and waitresses, assistants, maids, children. They also think it's okay to abuse what they deem "fat people" or people they believe are "ugly". They believe it's okay to treat "telemarketers" with disrespect when these are just people doing a job (I'm not talking about rude or abusive telemarketers either!). I believe that the golden rule is truth that still stands, because truth will always stand. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, or your daughter or son, or spouse, etc. I urge you to read "How to Win Friends and Influence People", by Dale Carnegie, over and over again. Study the lives of the charismatic. Success was written in their everyday dealings with people. Not on a superficial level but on a deeper connecting level.

1. Commitment to the journey -

Here is what I believe is the number one key to success for an entrepreneur. Are you committed? What I am trying to say is that in all of my observations, and from my own experience, I find that the journey is always the same. It's a long road of self examination and improvement, skill examination and education. It's making judgment calls about people, things and situations. You continually correct the "course" until you are headed in the right direction. To trust your gut, to keep the faith, to make it through tough times, takes practice. The question is can you stick it out? Do you quit because the money is low? Do you quit because you can't find the right people? When do you say it's over?

Commitment to the journey. It is the key to success. Because you will always see things that make you want to run. But you have to put your faith on the table. You really have to stand against all odds. It takes courage. And when you do this, you will succeed. As Goethe put it:

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative (and creation). There is one elemental truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans--- that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves all. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, Raising in one's favor all manner of incidents and meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would come his or her way.

Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Begin it now.

- Goethe (1749-1832), German poet and dramatist

I am committed to the journey. Let's see if Goethe and I are right.

Gayle Santana is the owner of PVS Network and the PVS Network Virtual Call Center (http://www.glmediagroups.com/pvsnetwork/news.htm) and is committed to the PVS mission . "Our mission is a call to service. We are called to provide business owners with the support they need to achieve success. Whether it's making calls or assisting them with creating a more efficient operation, our success is tied to the success of others and there lies our passion."

The Top 10 Things Successful People Do To Reach Their Dreams

www.elitedaily.com

Success is something we all aspire towards. Unfortunately, it doesn't come easy and it won't just happen over night.

It takes hard work, time and perseverance. To be successful, one must mirror the common practices of people who are already successful and follow in their footsteps.

Amassing great wealth is no walk in the park, but having case studies and understanding what others have done can help set you on the right path to reach your goals and dreams.

Here is a brief list of the 10 things that these ambitious and unstoppable people did to see success.

The 10 things successful people live by before they make it:

 10. No excuses

We all have several voices in our minds that speak to us. There is the voice that tells us to work hard, never quit and focus on the task that is presented to us. It also pushes us to finish the task before we move on to the next and aspire towards our utmost potential. On the contrary, we unfortunately also have a voice that tells us to take a break, procrastinate, be lazy or stalk girls on Facebook.

No ones life is perfect and we are all faced with variables and injustice from time to time. Instead of sitting there feeling sorry for yourself, letting it get to you and giving you reason to make excuses, push forward and put it behind yourself. Use it as motivation and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Listen to your excuses. Understand why you have them. Then figure out how you can use them for good. Excuses will only slow you down, making it imperative to find a way to erase them from your mind.


 9. It's not just about materialism

Materialistic items are surely a part of your motivation, but they should be a tiny part of the motivation within you. The truly successful in life always get there because they created change in the lives of others, not just their own.

Find other motivators besides materialistic objects that will drive you-more fundamental motivations instead of just objects that can just come and go. It will be something within you that will trigger your ambition. It could be an ex girlfriend, someone telling you that you will fail or even revenge.

8. Early mornings and late nights.
The early bird gets the worm, as the saying goes. Successful people didn't sleep in late or take days off. They worked extremely hard and passionately every single day until they reached their goals.

Your personal life and social life will be toned down, but your focus will completely be on your goals with early mornings and late nights.

When you are striving for success there is no such a thing as days off. Until your goal is complete everything else in life should come second. You should be up as early as possible and not go to bed until you can't physically keep your eyes open anymore. There is no substitute for hard work.

Abraham Lincoln said, "Things may come to those who wait... but only the things left by those who hustle." If you want to be successful, you're going to have to out hustle everyone else.

7. The greatest commodity.

The greatest commodity we all have is time, but energy is just as important as time. The more energy we have within us, the easier it is to focus, and a higher quality of work is the result. Your output equals your input.

One of Richard Branson's 'keys to success' is staying in great physical shape. So would raised energy levels be the greatest benefit to working out? It may be.

Keeping physically fit gives us greater blood-flow to our brain, enhanced alertness and improved focus. Make training a routine part of your life and increase your chances at success - in every meaning of the word.

 6. Principles.

Principles and morals are two things that are in-existent in our modern day society. It has almost become a thing of the past.

Take a look at Winston Churchill. The man had principles like no other. The difference between him and the general populace is that he stuck to his principles at all costs. If you want to be successful, you will emulate Churchill and have faith in your ambitions. Live your life by what you believe, don't just change because it's the cool thing to do.

One of Apple's principles is to bring change to the world through technology, and they do it with every product they release.

Identify what principles you have that guide your life through tough times, and when things couldn't be any better. They shouldn't change no matter what.

5. Wavering and unbreakable faith.

We cannot stress how important it is to have unbreakable faith instilled within yourself and in your mind. Many people question if their dream is going to come true. The strong have unbreakable faith and believe what they are doing is right.

Even if you have moments that are doubtful, take your unbreakable faith to defeat your self-doubt.

Have your moments of doubt. You're human. Just don't let that doubt eat you up. Instead, let it motivate you to prove your optimism right.

4. A reason.

You would be surprised how insecure many successful people are. What has motivated many of them to succeed is having something to prove to others to help alleviate their insecurities.

 From these insecurities emerges a desire to elevate their status and create change that was so strong that failure simply was never an option. If you want to be successful you have to have that powerful driving force behind you to stay motivated.

 Understand why. You have that reason to work when others sleep, to sacrifice a safe life for a risky one with no ceiling. Find it by asking why, and not stopping until you hit your core, emotional reason for wanting to change your status, or the status of others.

The reason is completely up to you and no one can judge you from it. One of our reasons is a teacher a very long time ago telling us that we would never amount to anything. I remind myself that quote every morning when I wake up.

3. They persevered when others didn't.

As we have stressed in many other articles before, perseverance is one of the biggest tools to success. Success can come tomorrow or 5 years from now. You truly never know.

Quitting should never be an option or even a thought. The only time you should stop is when you ultimately reach your goal and then create a new mission and a new apex.

We don't know when our breakthrough will come. So don't guarantee your failure by quitting. You can adapt, change, and evolve, but never, never, never quit.

2. Great people relentlessly studied their craft.

If you know the system then you will understand how to beat it. Our society downgrades how important it is to know the craft, but we here understand how important this is. Take hours of your time and study to perfection. Be humble and know the craft better than anyone.

When people think of Mike Tyson, they think of an animal, but what we fail to see is the student. No one studied boxing like Tyson did. Tyson watched more film than anyone in the history of the sport.
He was a student first and a fighter second.

 Being a drone and simply going through the motions is no way to achieve greatness. Assuming success is something you want, you have to study your craft. Learn it inside and out. Build a wealth of knowledge. It'll help you create great, inspiring, and unique work.

1. Risk.

As the saying goes, with no risk comes no reward at all. Those who have achieved the most success have laid it all on the line for what they passionately believed in. It truly takes guts to risk it all, but eventually that is what you are going to have to do. If you believe in what you are doing there should be no fear in risking your life on it.

Do you really want to sit there in regret with a bunch of "what ifs" in your mind?

"The greatest tragedy in life is wasted talent"- A Bronx Tale
 Risk if you truly want to see the reward. Find your dream. Then risk everything to get it. The world is yours you just have to take it.