In life, not only professional and financial but also personal happiness is not enough. In order to do this, everyone must recognize the opportunities presented to them and take advantage of them.
Success is very often linked to financial and professional status. But few equate it with personal growth and development, the success of enjoying life or friendship. These concepts of success are equally or more important than the professional one – without diminishing the value of the latter. Here are 12 rules formulated by research psychologists to help you succeed in all areas.
1. Enjoy the journey, not just the destination
It is beneficial to care about the process, not just the outcome. And this is because success can be the result of small steps, while focusing on the result itself can prevent them. Impatience, distraction and even loss of motivation are some of the negative effects of outcome attachment. It is good to see the route as a necessary game.
2. Better to regret what you did than what you didn’t do
Failure is legitimate, especially when it comes from an unrepeatable mistake. After all, the only way to get good at something is to practice it. Learning by doing, they say in economics. But the fear of making a mistake prevents us from taking action, as does the storm of social criticism that may follow. But the biggest mistake is to remain stagnant, idle and do nothing.
3. A gentleman easily says “yes” and means it
Saying “yes” means that you seek to expose yourself to new experiences. It’s good to do it more often and in more cases even if we think we don’t “have it”.
4. Work as a team and don’t be afraid to share
The philosopher Aristotle said: “man is a social being and if he can stay alone, then he is not a man but an animal or God”. People thrive when they believe and align as a team with a common goal. No matter how complete you feel, there will always be “something” to take from your neighbor that will help you evolve.
5. Keep your commitments
The philosopher Socrates was the first to praise the importance of consistency of speech and actions. It is an essential criterion for defining the seriousness of a person. That is why we are careful what we say and to whom. Because keeping your word is not as “old school” as it seems.
6. Take responsibility for the actions of yourself and your team
By taking responsibility we allow ourselves to grow, even if we are treated unfairly, especially in a group context. By taking weight on our shoulders, we do not bend, but get stronger.
7. Realize your power and act accordingly
The unsuccessful man will withdraw in fear or confuse dreams with action. The successful person, however, will recognize their own strength and move forward vigorously and persistently to realize their vision. As Nelson Mandela said: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are too powerful.”
8. Either way, we’re all going to die
And this is because none of us knows the end date of our presence on this planet. Whatever it is, one thing is the truth: that life is too short not to be meaningful. That is why we fill our lives with actions that give them meaning.
9. Hang out with “better” people than you
Successful people like to know people who combine high skill in what they do professionally with concern for their fellow human beings. They are good listeners first and talkers second. They discuss ideas and build on the vision of what is possible. That is why we seek to associate with “teachers” and not with “followers”.
10. Guard your integrity
People who want to be successful can be prone to cheating or outright dishonesty if they focus on success as an outcome rather than a process. The “success” obtained in this way will fool you, just as you fooled yourself to achieve it. If you compromise your integrity to achieve a certain result, you will find that the activity itself is much less valuable. The dimension of the “road to Ithaca” game disappears. Instead of being fun, it has become a mere means to an end.
11. Your own “Melody of Happiness”
Self-confidence characterizes successful people. They don’t necessarily feel confident, but they operate with self-belief. You have to believe in yourself by following your bliss, even if it means taking some risks occasionally. Build a small safety net. However, do not violate what seems important to you.
12. The heroic “No” and its value
As you make progress toward your goals, you should learn how to protect yourself. Distractions and demands will increase along with your level of success and you will need to maintain a balance. Learn to say “no”. Set priorities. Keep them. And value your time.
