Successful people are a catalyst. They make things happen. Driven by passion and fuelled by their dreams, they are determined to take action and make a difference. They are not content to sit idle or procrastinate. They infect others with their passion and courage. Hang around a catalyst such as this and before long you may want to join their cause! As a Business Coach, that’s one of the things that I love the most about spending time with other entrepreneurs!
Business Visionary
Most people hope for a better future. They dream about things being different. Visionaries, however, see themselves making that difference. Dreamers dream about how great it would be for someone to do something. Visionaries look for opportunities to make it happen. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Good things come to those who wait, but only the things left over by those who hustle.”
You have dreams for your personal and professional life. Don’t wait for inspiration to take action! Conditions are never just right. People who stall until all factors are favourable do nothing. They procrastinate over and over again and their dreams never materialize. They are often filled with self-doubt and fear. If you are going to achieve your business or personal goals, you need to act like you expect to get into the end zone. Don’t wait for things to happen. Set yourself apart from the crowd and make them happen.
Most people look outward for success. They look for someone else to appreciate them, someone else to promote them, and someone else to motivate them. Success is not something external shining in, but rather something internal radiating out. If you can envision a better tomorrow, take action today and be a catalyst!
Build Value in your Organization
If you look for other people to define your success or happiness, you will never find your full measure of either. If you want a promotion, set up the conditions to get promoted. Make yourself indispensable. You promote yourself through actions and attitudes and ultimately separate yourself from the crowd waiting for the arrival of the S.S. Entitlement.
Take on more work and look for ways to build value in your organization. Take on projects that challenge and teach you new skills, so you grow in value in your current or future organizations. Find opportunities to do things better and more efficiently than it has been done before.
To get paid more, provide more service following the law of harvest: you sow what you reap. Work harder and smarter than your colleagues. Great success comes from hard work directed toward a clearly defined goal. The harder you work, the “luckier” you will likely be. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Shallow men believe in luck; wise and strong men believe in cause and effect.” In other words, successful people cause their own luck. By doing the right things, they get the results they want.
“Shallow men believe in luck; wise and strong men believe in cause and effect.”
Take Action to Achieve Your Business Dreams
President of Highpoint University, Nido Quebein said, “You may have the loftiest goals, the highest ideals, the noblest dreams; but remember this: nothing works unless you do.” If you own your own business, you need to take “ownership” of your business. Be responsible and accountable for the choices you make and the results that follow, good or bad. Make things happen by refusing to shift the blame or make excuses. Make progress instead!
Successful business people are proactive. They take consistent action to create what they want in their lives. Ordinary people are different. They wait for things to happen and they are not doing anything about what they want. A lot of people will tell you that they want to be rich or they want to start their own business. But they are not doing anything about it. All they do is to talk about it without any real and solid action.
Be proactive. Stop procrastinating. Take action to achieve your dreams. Start now.
You’ve just read the fourth in a six part series on the characteristics of successful people. If you’d like to read more, the next article is called Successful People Go Above and Beyond or you can jump to any of the articles from the list below.
Successful People Have Six Things in Common
1. Successful People Take Risks
2. Successful People Have Vision
3. Successful People Focus on Solutions
4. Successful People Make Things Happen
5. Successful People Go Above and Beyond
6. Successful People Embrace Change
Eric Deschamps | Ottawa Business Coach
Co-Leader of Rhapsody Strategies
“Helping others succeed has always been my passion. There is no greater feeling in the world than coming alongside someone and empowering them to achieve their goals and dreams.” I work with individuals with a single and simple purpose: to help them define and attain their goals, one step at a time. Through the coaching relationship, I help business owners and professionals achieve more by delivering world-class growth strategies, tools and advice individually tailored to each owner and his/her business.