People who are truly successful in life usually share these 8 traits

What do you need to do to be successful in life? What qualities are shared by those visionary leaders, and successful business people? And which of those traits are found in people with happy relationships and life circumstances?

Read on to find what successful people look like, and how you can easily learn from them.

1) They are proactive

When I was younger, I used to think that having a good business idea was the secret to success. 

But thanks to watching business-based shows like ‘Dragon’s Den’ (That’s Shark Tank to US readers!), I began to realize something. Having good ideas is easy. Executing them well and with diligence is not.

Proactive people don’t sit around dreaming all day (although this might be the first step of a longer journey). Instead, once they have a workable plan, they start putting things into action.

This could start with investigating their market and competitors, and existing pain points for users or consumers. And then building a product to suit the needs.

The format depends on the business but the important point is this. They don’t just think. They do.

Even within an existing business, successful proactive people assume the role they want to have. They don’t just wait to be told what to do, instead, they see what needs doing and make sure it gets done.

This extends to all areas of life by the way! Want a new boyfriend or girlfriend? Get on a dating site or go out and do activities with like-minded people.

Spent your life dreaming of living on a beach or learning salsa in South America? Start planning and saving and then book that ticket!

2) They know how (and why) to network

This one took me a long time to figure out. 

I ran my own small business for years and as it was kind of a niche thing, I didn’t really know how to network, or what good it would do. And I think I thought that networking was something reserved for the rich upper classes, who already have their family networks.

But the truth is, anyone can network. And these days with social media and Zoom, it’s easier than ever! Also, some of the best networking happens in person.

So you can use social media and platforms like LinkedIn and niche-related news websites to make contacts and find out about important events.

The value of networking is that you can meet others who inspire you, keep you accountable, and whom you can even partner up or collaborate with. And that can equal exponential knowledge, contacts, and success!

3) They know when to delegate and partner up

There are definitely some lone wolves and solo entrepreneurs with a lot of success. 

But for most people, the path to true success is to involve others. And that’s why networking makes a lot of sense.

But whether it’s through networking, hiring, or some other kind of partnership, knowing when to let others help you or even decide things, (and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses) and delegating accordingly, leads to greater overall success.

Again this is something you can apply in your work, friendships, life and romantic relationships.

4) They have a vision (but are flexible too!)

Most successful people are driven by something they really want. And something that they want to achieve or create. 

This vision can keep you motivated even when things go wrong or don’t go according to plan. Yes, maybe today it’s cold and you’ve just received bad news and you’d just rather be in bed, but your goals and dreams keep you anchored and grounded.

On the other hand, flexibility is important too. Some of the biggest companies pivoted when they realized that their precise idea wasn’t going to work.

Take Instagram, who started out as Burbn. (What a name! Ugh). 

Instagram/Burbn began as a check-in app with some gaming features inspired by Mafia Wars. Photo sharing was part of it but the devs worried that the app was too cluttered.

So they stripped it back and focused solely on photography. Then when the app grew in popularity, they adjusted it, allowing videos and encouraging people to share memes and do live streams.

Without this, I doubt Instagram would be the successful phenomenon it is today!

5) Take time out to reflect on the bigger picture

So we’ve thought about having vision and being able to pivot when needed. But how do you do that? For many people, this involves taking themselves out of the office. Perhaps a walk in the park clears the mind or doing a favorite sport or activity or a bit of yoga.

Have you heard of the “Overview Effect”? Frank White coined this term to describe the experience that an astronaut has when viewing Earth from space, or even from a plane. 

“I was flying across country and looking out the window. It just kind of came to me that people in the future would always have an overview of the Earth. They would see it where everything is related and connected. They would experience the overview effect.”

I personally love the feeling of spaciousness that I get when looking out to sea, or seeing the large unspoiled vistas in sub-Saharan Africa. And psychology now acknowledges the benefits of this for your mental health and wellbeing.

From this new vantage point, things seem calmer and clearer, and allow us to check and reassess our direction in life, love, and business.

6) They don’t give up

Most, if not all, successful people don’t succeed at something really big on their first try. 

Instead, they use grit and determination to keep on going. For example, the average business takes about two years to turn a profit, and many hobbies take a long time before you see improvements, especially if you are pursuing mastery.

The average person will give up, often just before things are about to change in their favor. And this trait alone can be one of the main things that separates the winners from the losers.

7) But they also know when to stop 

As with anything, good judgment is essential. Giving up too soon is not going to get you anywhere. But knowing when to quit is also valuable.  And it can be difficult due to what is known as sunk cost fallacy – the idea that you have already put so much into something that you should continue, no matter how much evidence you receive that it would be better to stop.

Although I’ve written this article with a business focus, it’s worth asking a question here. What does it mean to you to be truly successful? Is it becoming the richest person in your family, neighborhood, or even the world? Or having the biggest car or company? Or is it having a happy and balanced family dynamic?

There’s no one answer to this, but for most people having a good work/life balance is what will truly make them successful in life.  

And this is one of the reasons that there are way fewer women in CEO positions in the top Fortune 500 companies.

It’s not because they aren’t talented or even supported, but rather that women are more likely to realize when they have reached their work goals and then switch to other life priorities.

8) They get lucky

The traits and qualities above are important ones. But it’s also worth remembering that luck also plays into things. 

Perhaps you just happened to be in the right place at the right time, or with the right idea. And the person to fund your business, or become your soul mate just happened to be there too.

This is something that is often overlooked in business success stories, due to another of those cognitive biases (argh, our wonderful but unreliable brains!) – survivorship bias.

So if you’re doing your best to embody the previous traits but still haven’t found success, be kind to yourself! It may just take more time on your part, with a dash of luck to experience true success.