Happy those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make them come true. Cardinal Leon Suenens
The most powerful works have been done by men who have retained their ability to dream big dreams. walter bowie
Qualities of Successful People: Part 2
“What are the qualities of successful people?” Last summer, in our “Yes I Can!” Basketball Camps, we identified a number of qualities that successful people have in common. At the end of Motivational Moments #224, I invited those who were interested in getting the full list of qualities to email me. The response was much greater than anticipated. As a result, I have decided to continue writing about the Qualities of Successful People. In Part 2, I’ll list six additional qualities. I will finish the list of Qualities of Successful People in Motivational Moments #226.
The initial list of qualities included: Integrity, Honesty, Persistence/Perseverance, Ability to handle adversity, Passion, Focus, Positive Energy, and Accepting Responsibility for your actions. Our staff went on to list the qualities of successful people (I should add that these qualities are in no particular order).
1. Dreamer: Malcolm Forbes said, “Living and dreaming are two different things, but you can’t do one without the other.” Business consultant Robert Kriegel continues:
“A dream is an ideal that involves a sense of possibilities instead of probabilities, of potential instead of limits. A dream is the source of passion, it gives us direction and points us to lofty heights. It is an expression of optimism, hope and values. ​high enough to capture the imagination and engage the spirit. Dreams grip us and move us. They are able to lift us to new heights and overcome self-imposed limitations.”
Here are some questions to ask yourself about your dreams:
What are your dreams?
Where are you now? Where do you want to be in a year?
What do you think is necessary to achieve your dream?
Do you see yourself being there?
2. Risk Taker: NFL Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry said, “A successful leader must be innovative. If you’re not one step ahead of the crowd, you’ll soon be one step behind the crowd.” “. Risk takers are willing to push back the walls of their comfort zone. They know that most of the action in the game of life happens outside of their comfort zone. They are aware that in their comfort zone, when nothing changes, nothing new happens and new challenges are not presented to them, BOREDOM sets in. Risk takers realize that in the safety of their comfort zone, mistakes aren’t that costly or painful.
Most importantly, risk takers realize that long-term success is not possible in the safety of the comfort zone. There are no guarantees that you will achieve success if you step out of your comfort zone. But if you never quit, you almost certainly won’t achieve success.
Be brave enough to live creatively. Creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go to the desert of your intuition. It is not possible to arrive by bus, only based on work, risk and not knowing very well what is being done. What you will discover will be wonderful: yourself. alan alda
3. Belief: The Roman author and statesman Lucius A. Seneca stated, “The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief.” And the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius added: “What the mind can believe, it can also achieve.”
Are there certain qualities you like about yourself? Are there certain things you do well? Are there certain people who bring out the best in you? Is there a moment in your life when you felt the thrill of victory on the playing fields or in the game of life?
Years ago, a young minister was given the challenge of building a congregation where none existed. They gave him little money to work. But he accepted the challenge and, using his thinking of possibilities, built one of the most beautiful churches in the country: the Crystal Cathedral. Here is the Possibility Thinker’s Creed written by Robert Schuller:
When you face a mountain,
I WILL NOT RESIGN!
I will keep trying
Until
I get on,
Find a way through,
tunnel below,
Gold
just stay
AND
turn the mountain
in a gold mine
With
gods help!!
4. Resilient: When I was a little kid, we would play with a little pink rubber ball, appropriately called a “pinky.” We played games with a “pinky” because it had the ability to bounce higher than other balls. Successful people are like those “pinky” balls. They keep bouncing. Thomas Edison struggled with his invention of the light bulb. When asked about failing more than 1,000 times, Edison replied that he successfully found more than 1,000 ways not to invent the light bulb. Psychologist Simone Caruthers said: “Life is a series of outcomes. Sometimes the outcome is what you want. Great. Find out what you did right. Sometimes the outcome is what you didn’t want. Great. Find out what you did.” so I won’t do it again.”
5. Take action: For years, Nike had a catchphrase: “Just do it!” What a beautiful simple message. One of the sayings we use at camp is: “To have what you don’t have, you must do what you haven’t done.” In other words, take action. Act until -until what you can ask for. Until you get the result you want, or until the desired result changes.
One step and then another, and the longest walk is over.
One stitch and then another, and the longest tear is repaired.
One brick upon another, and the highest wall is made.
One flake and then another, and the deepest snow is ugly. Then.
The way to get to the top is to get up from the bottom. Dr Eugene Swearingen
Remember, you don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.
6. Goal Setting: JC Penney, founder of JC Penney, said, “Give me a warehouse clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal and I’ll give you a warehouse clerk.” Author Harvey Mackay added: “Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they’re an incentive to stay active all day. Goals tend to tap into your deepest resources and bring out the best in life.”
There are three main reasons why goals are necessary.
A. They provide purpose and motivation.
B. They provide a specific direction
C. They keep you focused on your task.
Dr. Schuller, in his book, Power Thoughts states: “The first thing Power Thinkers do is empower: they look for what they could do, what they could be. Do it now! Do it again tomorrow! Do it every day that you can”. they are alive. Potentiate!”
Schuller adds,
“Ask yourself the following questions:
o What would you try to do if you knew you could be successful?
o What goals would I set if I knew I couldn’t fail?
or What price am I willing to pay?
o What sacrifices am I willing to make?
or What could I do?
or Where could I go?
or What could I become?”
“Find out what you want and go after it as if your life depended on it. Why? Because it does!” The Browns
