What Sets Apart the Most Successful People in the World From You?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Being successful is not something that is simply bestowed upon you at birth. Of course, many people have the privilege of being born into wealth and an already established family who have found success. This does not decipher individual success, as it is much easier to lose success and riches than to maintain it. Becoming a successful person takes a lot of hard work and dedication. The most successful people in the world have shared their stories and what it took for them to get where they are right now, but are you willing to sacrifice the same?

Acknowledging the difference between you and the most successful people in the world is a wise way to highlight areas for improvement, and use their advantageous qualities to try and gain success of your own. You may have missed the time to create some of the most revolutionary products in the world such as Apple and Microsoft, but you can however mirror their creators’ behaviours and be a part of the driving force for future innovations, and ultimately gain your riches and success from there.

Some people start in this world with fewer opportunities than others, yet we have seen amazing stories in which people’s struggles have been transformed into success such as Oprah Winfrey’s story. With this in mind, we all have one life and one chance to create a name for ourselves, so why not use the knowledge and qualities of existing successful people to implement them into your own life?

What would define a successful person?

Success has so many different levels to it. What one person might define as success might be a completely different story to another. One might have success within one genre, but find zero success within another, ultimately encouraging a lack mindset. The Cambridge Dictionary definition of success defines it as “the achieving of the results wanted or hoped for”. Here are just a few of the core categories of success to help you configure what you are seeking:

Money

For a lot of people, money sits at high importance as a metric for success. Although money’s not everything a lot of people consider money as being essential for determining how successful someone is. Having financial wealth does offer stability and other positives. Elon Musk, currently one of the richest people in the world, has a network of 233.9 billion, and this is only expected to get higher.

Influence

The level of influence you have on your peers and other followers might also determine your level of success. We have all seen the ever-growing level of influencers who have taken over social media platforms. With this influence, they are finding masses of success and establishing a name for themselves, all due to their liability and influence over others.

Contribution to society

Also, another example of how success may be measured is one’s contribution to society. This might include philanthropy work and dedicating your life to selflessness. Adding value to the lives of others is in its own right a great way to measure your success. Look at Mother Teresa, she is recognised for her success and lifetime of service working for the people.

What may differ between you and them?

There is a lot to unpack if you are unsure as to what qualities you possess that do not align with that of a successful person. No one is perfect, but being self-aware of the qualities that are not serving a greater good, and working towards replacing them with more valuable traits is important. These changes will not happen overnight, but simply becoming aware of what traits a successful person possesses and comparing this with your own is the first step to take. Here are some of the most prominent traits successful people alike have, and what you may be lacking:

They are leaders, not followers

Successful people do not follow the crowds and converge to what society tells them to do. Instead, they take their direction and create their path. If you are someone who has always done what you are told to do, followed the norms of society and avoided stepping out of line, it might be time to step out of your comfort zone. Successful people do not know what the future will hold when they take the path less walked, but they do however have high confidence in themselves which provides them with the foundations they need.

Being successful in a certain field does not always mean being the best, but getting good at something others are afraid to do will get you the recognition you deserve. Dr Seuss for example was one of the most successful people who initially failed after taking his path, facing rejection from 27 publishers. He went on to be one of the most successful children’s authors despite him stepping out of the curve and overcoming his failures, and so should you.

High levels of self-belief

With that being said, perseverance and self-belief are prominent in all of the successful people we have seen today. If you do not believe you can achieve great things, then you are already going wrong. Successful people trust their actions and judgements and do not have to second guess as a result of others’ opinions, or what has been done before. No matter whether they fail 10 times, they will persist until they achieve their goals because they are so confident in their ability. If you are someone who folds at the first bump in the road, there is a lot of growing to do.

Innovative creators

The most successful people are filled with different ideas and concepts. Never seen or done before, they are concise in actualizing their visions and making them desirable to others. Even if they are turned down or they are told their visions are not possible, they persist due to their innate desire to bring something new into the world and establish their legacy.

Stay true to their values

This trait is an extension of creating their paths, but successful people are known to never waiver from their core belief systems. If they know something is right and others are telling them it is wrong, they will be resilient and stay true to what they believe. Sticking to their values also highlights their credibility in the area they are trying to grow successful in. If you are someone who is easily influenced to do something against what your core values favour, you should avoid this type of behaviour and trust your intuition.

Admits wrongdoings

We are all human and we all make mistakes. The most successful people in the world can acknowledge their mistakes and learn from them. After all, you won’t learn how to progress and avoid further mistakes without making them in the fireplace. With this, putting your pride aside comes at high importance. If you are someone who is prideful and prefers to be right all of the time, this is where you are going wrong. Try to be a better learner, as this will help you transform into a better leader.

Bottom line

Success is earnt, it requires a lot of time and effort before you begin to acknowledge your present success and what you have built. However, you define success for yourself, learn from the best people who have risen to the top in the area you wish to specialise in. Replicate their traits and begin warding off the bad traits that are stopping you from growing.