10 Major Differences Between The Successful & The Very Successful

There’s no denying that successful people are hard workers. They’re often the ones who put in the long hours, do the jobs that no one else wants to do and hustle until they get rewarded for it.

However, successful people should not be confused with very successful people.

Some people are simply more successful than others. This success often comes from lifestyle choices and habits they’ve picked up over the years, while other reasons stem from the way they prioritize their lives.

It’s clear how these 10 major lifestyle choices serve to differentiate the successful from the very successful.

The Very Successful…

1. Commit to Their Ever-Evolving Goals

The most significant difference between the successful and the very successful is the nature of their commitment. Successful people often pursue their goals with an unwavering, iron-willed perseverance.

The very successful are equally as committed, but they recognize that their goals are constantly evolving. What you thought you wanted when you were a startup entrepreneur may be entirely different from what you want when you’re the CEO of a successful company. And that’s okay.

2. Say No, More Than They Say Yes

Successful people may agree to do everything, but very successful people are much more selective with their choices.

Very successful people see the value behind their time, and will choose what they do accordingly. They don’t haphazardly say no, but rather eliminate nonessential activities or actions that won’t help them achieve their goals.

3. Get Joy From Their Jobs

Though clichéd, the idea of loving what you do does hold merit.

If you’re committed to achieving a goal, you need to really want it. While you can’t avoid doing some things you don’t enjoy, very successful people get to where they are because they genuinely enjoy their jobs. You won’t hear the very successful bemoaning work-life balance, because their work is an essential part of their life.

4. Separate Work from Play

At the same time, very successful people know the importance of having down time. Many studies have already shown that working without taking a break can be detrimental to your health and your career.

Very successful people see this down time as essential. For example, taking a walk outside or reading a book can help boost their creativity and give them more ideas for future projects.

5. They Challenge Themselves to Learn More

Complacency is antithetical to success.

For the very successful, a day is wasted if they haven’t learned anything new. This doesn’t necessarily mean formal learning – some of the most innovative people don’t even have a bachelor’s degree. Rather, they’re constantly reading, learning from others around them and also learning from their own mistakes.

6. They Are Excellent Listeners

You don’t necessarily need to be the first person to answer a question in order to be very successful.

Very successful people will listen to the people around them, perhaps to bounce off ideas or – more importantly – to listen to what isn’t being said.

7. They Welcome Criticism

In addition to being excellent listeners, very successful people not only listen to criticism, they welcome it with open arms.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.” Hearing only good things might make you feel better, but it won’t do much to help you grow and achieve your goals. Sometimes, you have to hear the criticisms to be able to make it to where you want to go.

8. They Take Care of Themselves

If you’re a very successful person, you know that you are the only person who can achieve the goals you have.

Very successful people have internalized this and know the importance of taking care of themselves. Among the very successful, you’ll find devout proponents of meditation, sleep, and reading.

9. They Focus On Themselves, Not the Competition

Keeping up with the Joneses is still a recurring theme for many people and companies. They focus on what the competition is doing and try to one-up them.

A very successful person isn’t worried about what the competition is doing – he’s worried about what he is doing. He’s thinking about what he can do better.

10. They Have Confidence in Themselves

If you’re going to achieve your goals, you have to be confident that what you’re doing is right. Very successful people don’t have time to be self-conscious. If you want to be very successful, you have to believe in yourself – after all, if you can’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

Very successful people are self-driven and don’t hold themselves back with excuses. They learn from their mistakes and aim to be the best they can be.

Source

http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/10-major-differences-between-the-successful-the-very-successful/

John C. Maxwell: Are You Stretching toward Your Goals or Just Coasting?

You should keep pushing—and pushing hard—to the finish line.

John C. Maxwell

Swimmer Michael Phelps is arguably the greatest American Olympian and one of the greatest competitors of all time. In the 2008 Beijing summer games, Phelps won eight medals—all gold—to break the record for the most hardware ever captured in a single Olympiad and become the most decorated Olympian in history.

But it is the race that almost blew his winning streak that captivates me the most. It was his seventh contest, the 100-meter butterfly, and Phelps trailed for literally 99.9 meters of it. In the last fraction of a second, Phelps thrust his arms into one final, mighty stroke. Meanwhile, his Serbian competitor, Milorad ˇCavi´c, coasted the final few inches. Almost implausibly, Phelps tapped the wall first, beating ˇCavi´c by a mere one-hundredth of a second.

Most of us won’t experience such a heart-pounding, dramatic moment in our lifetimes, but we do make daily choices to either stretch or coast toward the finish lines we create for ourselves through personal goals. They’re often small decisions—routine things we don’t think about a lot—but they have the power to determine much of our success.

Reaching a finish line can be as simple as completing an “almost done” project or initiating a long-delayed and difficult conversation. Unfinished business can be disastrous. It drains your mental energy. It derails your goals. It impacts how you feel about yourself. And, critically, it can undermine your reliability in the minds of others.

Simply put: Procrastination is the enemy of progress.

Life is full of moments that require one more stretch to achieve success. If you don’t have the discipline to persevere, well, you’re going to end up like Phelps’ competitors—looking up at the winner from a lower podium (or worse). In the words of economist Thomas Sowell, “Doing 90 percent of what is required is one of the biggest wastes, because you have nothing to show for all your efforts.” Instead you must develop the habit of staying committed and finishing strong.

Here are some suggestions to help you do that:

Engage in brick-by-brick thinking. I confess: I have very little patience. I tend to want instant results. Still, I understand success requires daily progress. How do I solve this dilemma? With daily disciplines. I practice what might be called “brick-by-brick thinking.” My friend Henry Cloud, Ph.D., says, “All success is built and sustained just like a building is built, one brick at a time.” I practice regular disciplines every day, and these small, incremental actions turn into tangible steps toward success.

Amplify the reward. When you don’t feel like doing what you should, then focus on why finishing is important. The why can keep you motivated even when you lack desire. Motivation is fickle. You can’t depend on your emotions to keep you committed to your goals. So envision your end result and keep it in the forefront of your mind. How will you feel when you accomplish your goal? Why is it important to you? By focusing on the answers, you’ll stand a much better chance of reaching your goals.

Build structure and systems around your goals. Great intentions don’t get me very far. I need systems. They make it easier for me to stay disciplined. I have an insatiable hunger to learn, so I read every day. I want to stay fresh, so I file great quotes and illustrations every day. I had a heart attack in my 50s, so I exercise by swimming every day. (Phelps’ Olympic records are safe, by the way.) My life is filled with systems that move me forward and push me to reach my wall.

Surround yourself with support. Over the years I have found that I am most successful when I tap into a network of people who support me and encourage me in my goals. When I need business advice, I talk to my brother Larry and my company’s key businesspeople. When I want to launch a new venture, I talk to my CEO, Mark Cole, and members of my inner circle. When I am ready to write a book, I meet with my creative team to brainstorm and vet ideas.

If you want to succeed, surround yourself with people who will help you, encourage you and, when necessary, hold your feet to the fire. Remember to choose wisely—your success largely depends on the company you keep.

Quitting isn’t an option. A great start is important, because all’s well that begins well. But it takes much more to reach your goals. I tend to think of it like farming: You can prepare the land immaculately and plant the seeds just right, but if you don’t water, fertilize and cultivate as you go, then you wasted your time by planting the crop. Remember the reward that awaits you—the fruit you will harvest—and it will help get you through the times of hard work in the “summer.”

When I was a kid, my father always told me, “When you made the choice to start, you made the choice to finish. It isn’t two choices… It’s one.” He taught me early that if you aren’t careful, quitting can become a habit. The good news is that finishing can also become a habit when you practice diligence in all that you do.

There’s an old saying, “The fortune is at the finish line.” It’s absolutely true. Why did Michael Phelps aggressively reach for the wall at that critical moment? Because he had practiced finishing strong every day of his life. And that made the difference between gold and silver.

Let’s learn from his lesson. And let’s remember that, oftentimes, the only thing separating us from success is a few inches. So don’t let up, and reach for the finish line!