Five Personality Traits of Success

Successful people seem to have basic personality and character traits that lead them to great wealth and accomplishments. These people all use different combinations of skills to achieve their goals. Despite these differences, all of the men and women have basic skills that comprise the canvass on which the picture is painted. To know what these skills are is to know your own chance of becoming successful.

Before we begin to define each of these skills it is important to know what type of success you are looking for. Even though each skill is beneficial, they are all most suited to different arenas. Success can be defined in multiple ways but is typically applied to relationships (family and friends) and business (financial). The following skills can be applied to both your relationships and to your business.

Skills for Success

1. Emotional Intelligence
Whether you are in the business field or with your family your emotional intelligence defines how you act and how you react to emotions. Most of us have met the emotional infant who screams and yells at the smallest event but few of us have met those special people who handle problems with a coolness of temperament that would make even Clint Eastwood frustrated. The higher your emotional intelligence the greater chance people will follow and listen to you.

2. Persistence and Confidence
Thomas Edison was an inventor by nature. He failed more times than he had success. Each time he failed he learned something new, adjusted his approach and went after the solution with the same tenacity he had previously. More people fail because they give up than because of any other factor. You must believe in yourself and continue to try even though you may not want to: “Failure is not an option!”

3. Creativity
Creativity is the ability to solve problems in new and interesting ways. Whether you are inventing something, trying to make your business more profitable, or engaging in your daily work, creativity will allow you to find new and improved methods. These unique methods are the ones that will likely allow you to have success.

4. Ability to Handle Fear
Fear is one of those things that hold people back. The fear of investing your money, the fear of making a mistake, the fear of ridicule, and the fear of your inabilities might stop someone from even trying. To not try is the same as giving up. Strong leaders have fear but have learned to become educated about problems and swallow that fear when times are tough.

5. An Inquisitive Nature
Many people succeed because they have the wonderful ability to keep asking “Why?” They want to know why something happens and move to improve that method. Their inquisitive nature allows them to achieve a deeper understanding of the problems faced in their business and in turn allows them to become more efficient. They solve problems by asking “Why?”