Understanding the Traits of Historically Successful People

Success is not a lottery ticket. It is a set of visual habits and hard choices that separate those who lead from those who spend their lives making excuses

By Your Bro · Mon Nov 05 2018 · Self Improvement

Winners and losers usually look exactly the same until the first sign of pressure hits the room. After that, the gap between the guy in the driver’s seat and the guy in the ditch becomes a canyon that most people never cross.

The Visual Difference of the Winner

Want to understand what separates winners from losers, but don't feel like reading a bunch of self help books? Familiarize yourself with visualizing traits of successful people in contrast to those who lose. Included in the pictorial are proper ways to act, think and treat others. You can see it in how a man stands when he walks into a client meeting or how he speaks to the waiter when the order is wrong. A common theme is rooted in being humble and grateful, which creates a constant desire to learn, improve, and move forward. Humility isn't about thinking less of yourself. It is about thinking of yourself less, allowing room for new information to actually enter your skull.

Studies have proven successful people are consistent in this approach, especially when leading a life full of gratitude. This isn't some soft, aesthetic choice. Research from the American Psychological Association has indicated that individuals who regularly practice gratitude experience increased mental resilience and better physical health. In the real world, that means you have more energy to work while your competition is complaining about the weather. When you are grateful for what you have, you spend less time envying what the next guy has, which frees up bandwidth for the work that actually pays the bills.

Ownership is the Foundation

If you find yourself behaving like an unsuccessful person in some ways, focus on correcting that behavior over time. Equally important, accountability is also a common trait found in successful people. If you recognize you are failing in certain aspects of life, take a moment to reflect and understand why these failures are occurring. Afterwards, mentally take ownership of the failures, and devise strategies to correct these shortcomings. I wrote about the necessity of this path in The Manhood Manifesto. Without responsibility, you are just a leaf in the wind.

I remember a guy I worked with years ago named Miller. He was brilliant, but every time a project went south, he had a list of names ready. It was the designer’s fault, the client’s budget, or the software update. He never once said, "I missed that detail." Miller eventually got passed over for a promotion by a guy who was half as smart but twice as honest. The leaders knew that if they gave Miller a department, he’d spend his whole day building a paper trail to protect his own ego instead of fixing problems. Accepting responsibility is the first step in turning your losses into wins.

The Growth Mindset Requirement

Having a growth mindset will encourage you to always pursue opportunities for growth, even if it means leaving your comfort zone. The Forbes Coaches Council listed growth mindset as one of its top fifteen traits of business leaders. This isn't a suggestion. It is a prerequisite for anyone who doesn't want to be obsolete by age forty. Growth mindset is built upon a foundation of extreme ownership, keeping you in the driver's seat of life's roller coaster. It turns a rejection or a failed business venture into a data point rather than a funeral.

Data from Pew Research suggests that the most successful workers in the modern economy are those who view learning as a lifelong process rather than something that ended at graduation. If you think you're "finished," you're actually just waiting to be replaced by someone who isn't. You need to become the leader you were created to be by constantly auditing your skills and looking for the gaps. If you don't know how to read a P&L statement or handle a firearm, that's not a permanent character flaw. It's just homework you haven't finished yet.

The Poison of the Victim Mindset

Sadly, the victim mindset is prevalent in today's society, but victimhood does not lend itself to any of the traits of successful people. You only get one chance at life. Unfortunately, many people spend their time wallowing in their sorrows and blaming others for their problems and shortcomings. This is a slow-motion suicide for your potential. The universe doesn't care that you had a rough childhood or that your ex-wife took the house. It only cares what you are doing on Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM to fix it.

The only way to dig out of the hole is to look inward and honestly assess the issues. As a result of this analysis, you should come up with a quantifiable plan to improve the deficiencies and change your fortunes. If you struggle with this, you can start with how to take control of your life in ten steps. It is a lot harder to feel like a victim when you have a checklist of things you're actively accomplishing. A victim waits for a rescue that isn't coming. A successful man realizes he is the rescue party.

The Consistency Factor

Success is rarely the result of one heroic act. It is the result of showing up when you don't want to. According to a study by Gallup, the most productive individuals are those who have a deep sense of purpose and consistency in their daily habits. They don't wait for inspiration. They work on a schedule. They treat their health, their money, and their relationships with the same level of discipline. This visual consistency is what creates trust. People want to follow a man who is the same guy on a bad day as he is on a good one. If your mood dictates your output, you're not a professional. You're a hobbyist.

—Your Bro