5 critical contributing success variables, that WE control

This summer, I've spent the majority of my time meeting with extremely successful people in leadership positions, from all sorts of industries, across this country and others, with the goal of collecting information (data) to help me design the core programming that will make-up the heart of our Institute for Professional Development. While I'm just starting to scratch the surface of the pool of knowledge/data that's accumulated (and still accumulating), I have arrived at some extremely valuable findings that grew out of my conversations.

Even though my interactions have not centered around the person(s) I've been interacting with specifically (but rather their organizations and people), whenever I find myself face-to-face with successful people I can't resist the urge to ask them 'how' they got there, and 'what' allows them to stay there. The desire for success is something most of us are infected with, the pursuit of success is something few of us truly engage in. During my interviewing of successful people I've heard all of the usual serendipitous suspects presented, as variables that influenced(es) their success: good luck, good timing, help from critical champions, etc. However, 5 common contributing 'success variables' - which we as individuals are directly responsible for - have emerged during these conversations, and I've outlined them below. If you are interested in actually pursuing success, consider whether or not you've got a solid handle on these things (which you and only you are responsible for):

1. Time Management: all of the successful people I've interviewed (this past summer and historically) are extremely effective when it comes to how they invest and manage their time. they wake up early(ish); they get enough sleep; they read; they exercise; they work longer than 8 hour days; they sacrifice weekends and evenings when they have to; they limit the amount of TV they watch; they limit the number of meetings they participate in that don't have a high ROI; they avoid reading garbage/trash content; they limit the amount of time they commit to bad habits; they don't respond to an email when a phone-call or in person meeting will be more efficient. Make sure that your time is being spent intelligently, with your goals being served first and your bad habits (netflix addictions etc.) last - if at all.
2. Positive Energy and Attitude: successful people are almost always energizing, positive, and solution focused - they invest their time and energy into win-win solutions; they avoid dwelling on losses/failures and instead focus on lessons learned from them; they show up to everything like they 'want' to be there (not like they 'have' to be there); they build people up - they don't tear them down; they make other people feel more energized, positive, confident, and committed. When successful people show up they SHOW UP, and their arrival floats the proverbial ship, instead of dragging it down. When you show up...SHOW UP with energy, a positive attitude, and a solution focused platform.
3. Focused and Constant Effort: whenever I think I work hard enough to be as successful as I hope to be, I meet people who actually do - it's an extremely humbling and motivating experience (surround yourself with those people if you can). One thing that successful people are almost universally effective at is focusing their efforts, and exhausting their efforts...daily! Both parts of this variable are critical - it's not enough to be exhausted from giving your all at the end of the day, you have to have given your all to the appropriate things that contribute to your goals. A lot of us are exhausted at the end of the day, but when we think about 'why' we're exhausted, and 'where' our efforts went, we're greeted with the reality that some of the places we're directing our efforts aren't yielding any return on our investment (effort pits). Empty the tank everyday, and make sure you're directing the vast majority of your limited fuel towards tasks, people, problems, etc. that will yield a return on your investment (move the vehicle forward).
4. Ongoing Growth of Knowledge: successful people are always building their knowledge banks - period. While much of the learning successful people engage in is relevant to their field/industry and specific professional focuses, an equal amount is related to things like: life, happiness, religion/spirituality, balance, world history, philosophy, and other individual interests which often help us better understand our industries/focuses/world. Learning new things also helps us refresh the way we 'think' about our areas of focus, by getting us out of those areas and allowing our minds to recharge/reset. If you're an entry-level professional that was hoping to stop reading, learning, researching, attending summits/seminars/conferences, speaking to people with opinions different from yours etc. after school - and still be successful...sorry to disappoint you! Successful people are constantly learning new things until the day they die, we should all strive to be such people.
5. Credibility and Trustworthiness (our Rep.): "They trust me to get the job done." "They trust me to be honest." "They trust me not to over-promise and under-deliver." "They trust me to be a straight shooter." "They trust me to know my stuff." "They trust me to treat their interests like my own." "They trust me to get it done - how it needs to get done - when it needs to get done." These are the kinds of responses I get when I ask successful people the question "Why do stakeholders choose to work with you or partner with you, instead of your competition?" The answer to that question never sounds anything like "My product/service is just that much better than anyone else's" or "I'm just that good at selling them on it!". Your integrity, your ability to deliver on the promises you make, your willingness to be accountable for your responsibilities, your trustworthiness in the eyes of others is still - in my opinion - your most valuable currency when considering long-term professional (and personal) success. If you can't find a way to get key stakeholders to 'trust' you - as a professional and a person - you're going to have trouble succeeding in whatever it is you do.

As someone who is working everyday at becoming more successful in their area(s) of focus, these revelations/reminders certainly push me to regularly evaluate whether or not I'm doing everything in my power to make it happen. If you're engaged in the 'pursuit' of success, and don't just desire it, be sure to consider these 5 variables when assessing your progress, before looking outward at things that might be keeping you from getting to where you want to go.