7 Qualities of Successful People

Do you dream about being the next Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg or Donald Trump? A lot of people dream of success but achieving it can be a completely different matter. However, if you look more closely at your role models, you may find a little secret or two.

Most of the people who are widely regarded as having been successful in their field, especially business, share certain qualities. Read on to find out what these are and whether or not you have them or the potential to develop them:

1. They have purpose

Successful businessmen and women know why they are doing what it is they're doing. It's crucial to have direction and feel that what you are doing - or want to do - is worthwhile. It may not change the world, but your service/business/product should matter to you and you need to know why.

2. They're great communicators

Communication is a core part of any industry and doing it effectively can make the difference between complete failure and a trailblazing success. A big part of this is being able to clearly articulate your own ideas, but the more important element is having the ability to listen to the opinions of others and take them on board.

3. They're confident in themselves

Believing in yourself is a key part of realising your own potential. Of course you need confidence to be able to sell your business to others, but you also need to be assured in your abilities so you can pick yourself up after rejection.

4. They don't give up

Creating your own empire can be one of the toughest things you'll ever do and there will undoubtedly be days where you question what you're doing. The key is to get up the next day and try again. Successful people believe in themselves and so they don't give up on their dreams or vision.

5. They're flexible

Even with the best planned-out model, things don't always go as you hope. Successful people are able to recover from these events or even use them as a catalyst to propel themselves to new levels of success.

6. They're patient

Many businesses take years or even decades to become successful, so you need to be patient if you want to accomplish your goals. It's very unlikely that your idea will take off overnight, but with enough hard work and tenacity you can progress.

7. They get started

Perhaps the most important trait that defines successful people is that they put their thoughts into action. This will always be a leap of faith to some degree but without doing it you'll never be able to realize your full potential. Of course, this doesn't mean give up your job tomorrow and start a business with no plan or direction, but after all the planning is done you need to act.