8 qualities that make you more successful than you think.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw

Anatomy of Success is all about defining success on your terms. Unfortunately, most people don’t.

We live in a world that glorifies material acquisition and celebrates individuals that exhibit the “opulent lifestyle”. It’s easy to feel like a failure when you’re constantly reminded of what success “should” look like. 

A recent study by Strayer University discovered 90% of all Americans believe happiness is more important than; power, titles, possessions and material things. Almost 70% said family and friends matter most, and 60% claimed job satisfaction is the answer. Only 20% said money was the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Obviously, we don’t practice what we preach.

Like it or not, we define success by its “shiny” appearance.  

That’s why my work is all about helping people define success differently. On your terms!

When you define success predicated on false parameters, you’re measuring your life against the wrong criteria.  

These 8 things might help you appreciate you're more successful than you think.

“Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

You’re unselfish and kind. We’ve all met arrogant people draped in success, but they lack humility and kindness. They are selfish and greedy. Would rather be a decent human being or a rich asshole? If you’re kind and generous, you’re a huge success!

You’re positive. Optimistic people leverage hope as a conduit for success. Recognizing you have the power to change undesirable circumstances is liberating. Recognizing obstacles are inevitable, but you have options is empowering. If you’re optimistic, you have a powerful tool in your arsenal. That’s success!

You’re tenacious. Assuming you’re a failure because something didn’t work out is a tragic mistake. Each setback is an opportunity to learn, and obstacles should never create permanent limitations. Being successful demands, you apprehend the tendency to be immobilized by failure. Once you see setbacks as opportunity for growth, success is in your grasp.

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball

Your perspective is clear. There’s plenty of people that allow bad days to become insurmountable obstacles. When you stop and appreciate; you aren’t starving, you have a home and you aren’t on the beaches of Normandy, you put things into perspective. If you are able to keep things in perspective. Bravo, you’re in successful company.

You embrace abundance. Way too many people perceive someone else’s success as a lost opportunity. I see it all the time. I’ve eliminated friends over their envious behavior. When you keep score and base your success on someone else’s failure, you’ve already lost. If you live in a world of abundance, you’re already succeeding!

You thrive on substance. Many people thrive on the volatility of unhealthy relationships. Fighting then making up becomes a predictable pattern. When you appreciate stability and understand real love doesn’t require “confrontation”, that’s success!

You don’t care what people think. Caring about people is very different than worrying about what they think. When you no longer care about seeking approval, you’ve grown. This epiphany opens a world of possibility. You take more chances. When you understand the difference between “opinion” and “fact”, that’s success!

You control what you can. I am surprised how many people assume they lack control. They prefer to complain about a horrible boss and make no effort to change the situation. Taking responsibility nullifies the need to blame and make excuses. You accept full responsibility for changing the situation to your satisfaction. That's success!

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln

Sum it up

Anatomy of Success is all about helping people define success on their terms. When you appreciate your successful qualities, you start appreciating what success truly means.

How do you define success? Please like and share this article and include your thoughts in the comments section below. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.  Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming. Steve is an author and host of the post program Anatomy of Success. Please reach out and connect with Steve on LinkedIn!