What are some characteristics of successful people?

1. They Ask the Right Questions

Elon Musk has said: “The tough thing is figuring out which questions to ask. But once you’ve done that, finding the right answers becomes easy”.

Elon and every other successful person that I know has a habit of taking time off to ask better questions of themselves and the people around them.

They ask unconventional and weird questions and the answers often surprise them.

For example, Tim Ferriss once asked himself, “What if I did the opposite for 48 hours” with regards to his cold calling job.

As a result, he did all of his calls before 8:30 a.m. and after 5:30 p.m.

He worked less than 2 hours a day and was able to increase his output by more than 200%.

All of this from a simple question.

Most people don’t think about the importance of questions, but I’ve found, as the great Tony Robbins says, “The quality of your life is directly proportional to the quality of the questions you ask yourself”.

Ask better questions and you’ll get better answers.

2. They Educate themselves Massively

Whether they use books, podcasts, audiobooks, or other people, all successful individuals are voracious learners.

Educate yourself MASSIVELY on the topics of self mastery, neuroscience, health, productivity, relationships, business, marketing, and social dynamics and I promise you that it will transform your life.

But remember…

Knowledge is only power when it’s applied.

I’ve personally found that for every 2 hours I spend on education, I need to spend 8 hours on execution to get the results that I want.

Figure out your own ratio, but never ever stop learning.

3. They Take Calculated Action

Everyone in the self help world seems obsessed with “Taking massive action”

And I get it…

Action is the ONLY way to achieve your dreams.

But more important than taking grand actions is taking the RIGHT action.

The wrong actions can lead to consequences you never anticipated and cost you millions of dollars and years of your life.

Don’t get trapped by information overwhelm, but learn to make better decisions so that you can anticipate obstacles and take appropriate action towards your goals.

4. They Bounce Back from Failures

Failure doesn’t exist.

Unless you’re dead, you haven’t failed.

You’ve only learned how NOT to do something.

Successful people realize this, unsuccessful people don’t.

Learn to love, embrace, and learn from failure and you will be able to achieve things beyond your current comprehension.

5. They Ignore 99% of Everything People Say

Most people aren’t worth listening to.

They’ll give you advice based on something they saw on Instagram but they lack the experience and wisdom to help you.

Identify 2–3 people who have the results that you want in EVERY area of your life and then go and do what those people tell you.

This is, bar none, the fastest way to “Shortcut” success and achieve the life you’ve always wanted.

6. They Define Success for Themselves

Successful people don’t all operate on the same paradigm of success.

Some people who are “Successful” make $50,000 a year but spend 8 hours a day with their family and are in amazing physical health.

Others, make $50,000 a DAY, remain single, and give money away to charity.

There’s no hard and fast rule as to what constitutes success.

It’s entirely subjective and must be defined by each individual.

Define your own version of success and then go and achieve it.

Ignore what other people tell you that you ‘should’ do or how you ‘should’ live.

Success is personal.

7. The Constantly Look for the ‘Critical Shifts’ Instead of Worrying About Minutiae

Unsuccessful people and wantrepreneurs focus on finding the things that can help them improve by 2–3%.

They focus on “life hacks” and end up over optimizing the hell out of themselves and their businesses.

Smart and successful people focus on the critical shifts that will help them get the results that they want.

For example, trying out that new supplement might increase your energy by 1–5%, but switching to a whole foods diet and using intermittent fasting can increase energy levels by 50–80%.

Split testing the color of your Facebook ad might increase clicks by 5% (which is actually pretty solid), but solidifying the copy and showcasing testimonials could result in an increase of 30% or more.

Try and identify the 1–2 things that will have the BIGGEST impact on your life, health, business/career, and relationships and then implement them.

There’s a time and place for total optimization, but it’s only AFTER you’ve successfully built a strong foundation of success.

Hope this helps

Victor