Essential Qualities You Need To Become Successful In Life:
(1) Keep control over your tongue. Always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, soothing voice. How you say it counts more than what you say. Choose what you say rather than say what you choose. That is the difference between wisdom and foolishness.
A fool speaks without thinking; a wise man thinks before speaking. One particular word spoken can cause irreparable damage, so whenever you utter any word visualize its consequences. Spoken words cannot be retrieved.
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(2) Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully. Turn your promises into commitments. A commitment is a promise that is going to be kept no matter what. Commitment comes out of character and leads to conviction.
(3) Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word to or about somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who did it. Show consideration, courtesy, and politeness. Thoughtfulness shows a caring attitude. The more considerate we are, the more courtesy one extends and the more polite we are towards people we automatically come close to people.
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(4) Give honest and sincere appreciation. Sincere appreciation is one of the greatest gifts one can give to another person. It makes a person feel important. The desire to feel important is one of the greatest cravings in most human beings. It can be a great motivator.
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(5) If criticism is needed, criticise constructively and helpfully, never in an unpleasant manner. Do not criticize and complain. Criticize with a spirit of helpfulness rather than as a put- down. Criticise the behaviour, not the person because when we criticize the person, we hurt his/her self-esteem.
(6) Do not be sarcastic and put others down. Negative people’s humour may include sarcasm, put-downs and hurtful remarks. Any humour involving sarcasm that makes fun of others is in poor taste. An injury is forgiven more easily than an insult.
(7) Be interested in others, their pursuits, their work, their homes and families. Be cheerful with those who express joy, with those who weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, and feel that you regard him as a person of importance.
(8) Put positive interpretation on other people’s behaviour.In the absence of sufficient facts, people instinctively put a negative interpretation on others’ actions or inactions. For example, how often have we put through a call and not gotten a reply from the other party for 2 days and the first thought that comes to our mind is “They ignored me.”.
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(9) Avoid holding grudges. Forgive and forget. When a person refuses to forgive, he is locking doors that someday he might need to open. When we hold grudges and harbour resentment, we are hurting ourselves.
(10) Be a good listener. Listening shows caring. When you show a caring attitude towards another person, that person feels important. When he feels important, what happens? He is more motivated and more receptive to your ideas.
(11) Be cheerful. Do not burden or depress those around you by dwelling on your minor aches and pains and small disappointments. Remember, everyone has his/her problems. Smile and be kind. It happens in a flash, and the memory of it may last forever. Cheerfulness flows from goodness. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. It is easier to smile than to frown. Smile often and make it a habit.
(12) Develop a sense of humour. Learn to laugh at yourself because it is the safest humour. Laughing at yourself gives you the energy to bounce back. Be careful of another’s feelings. Wit and humour at the other person’s expense are rarely worth it and may hurt when least expected.
(13) Keep an open mind. Discuss but do not argue. It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. Arguing is like fighting a losing battle. Even if one wins, the cost may be more than the victory is worth. It will take you nowhere and the more you argue with people, the more they distance away from you. Emotional battles leave a residual ill will even if you win.
(14) When we make a mistake, we should accept it immediately and willingly. Some people live and learn while others live and never learn. Mistakes are to be learned from. The greatest mistake a person can make is to repeat it. A mistake is a mistake if it is committed twice.
(15) Let your virtues speak for themselves. Refuse to talk of another’s vices. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable time and can be extremely destructive. A person indulging in gossip does not mind his own work because he has neither a mind nor work. Such a person is more concerned about what he overhears than what he hears. Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves nothing unsaid.
(16) Do not be too anxious about the credit due to you. Also, do not pay attention to any ill-natured remarks about you either. Simply live your truth. Let go and let God! Success is much sweeter that way.
(17) Be grateful as it improves our personality and builds character. Gratitude develops out of humility. It is a feeling of thankfulness towards others. However, do not expect gratitude from others.
(18) Practice humility. Confidence without humility is^arrogance. Humility is the foundation of all virtues. It is a sign of greatness. Sincere humility attracts but false humility detracts.
(19) Accept responsibility. Responsible behaviour is to accept accountability and that represents maturity. Acceptance of responsibility is a reflection of our attitude and the environment we operate in.
(20) Adopt a win/win approach. When we think of serving our institutions, students, community, our families, our employers, employees and colleagues, we automatically win. One needs to create a win / win situation and the result shall culminate into happiness, prosperity, enjoyment and gratification because they are not thinking of themselves alone.
(21) Live while you are alive. Enthusiasm and desire are what change mediocrity to excellence.
(22) Be committed to excellence in your chosen field as it determines the quality of our life.
(23) Be dependable and practise loyalty. Ability is important but dependability is vital.
(24) Practise honesty, integrity and sincerity. Honesty inspires openness, reliability, and frankness. It shows respect for oneself and others. Honesty is in being, not in appearing to be.
(25) Be understanding and caring. Practise kindness. It is a sign of emotional maturity. Be tactful. Tact is the ability to make a point without alienating the other person.
(26) Practise courtesy on a daily basis. Courtesy is nothing more than consideration for others.
(27) To win a friend, be a friend. Friendship takes sacrifice. Building friendships and relationships takes sacrifice, loyalty and maturity. Selfishness destroys friendships.
(28) Show empathy. People with empathy ask themselves this question: “How would I feel if someone treated me that way?” Show a lot of understanding, sympathy and compassion towards others.