12 Characteristics You Must Have in Order to become a Successful Person

Many believe material things and money makes one successful. They look at celebrities, entrepreneurs and business people and think that sense these people have money and possessions, that’s what makes them successful. Don’t get me wrong having nice things, a nice car, a great home and money in the bank are good things to reach for in life, but does having those things necessarily make one successful. Not really, the things you see a so called successful person has are but a by-product of who they already are or who they will eventually become.

In other words you have to become successful first before you can attract those things. Take for example Donald Trump, he has been bankrupt many times in his career, but always gain his wealth back with no problem, I’m sure you've heard countless stories of entrepreneurs and millionaires who've lost everything only to gain it all back in relatively short years, what makes these people different from the rest?

Would you dare call any of these people unsuccessful if you were to meet them in their time of lost? Of course not! You would be foolish to call them that. In their presence you would instinctively realize that this person is not ordinary, that this person has a set of personality traits, characteristics that's available to them, that they’ll utilize to gain it all back. So if money and material things do not make a person successful then what does? What does a person have to already have in them to attract the money and material possessions?

1) Vision

Successful people have Vision. They know what they want out of life, they actually see their lives in the future and see how they are living it, how much money they have and how they are getting it, what they are doing and how they are doing it, vacations they are taking and where they are taking them. For many of them their vision is so real in their minds they dream about it at nights. Many even make what’s called vision boards and place them on their walls to remind them of their future success. The movie star Jim Carry tells the story of him driving an old beat-up Toyota to the top of a hill one day. While sitting there, broke, looking down over the city, and having visions of his future, he decided to write himself a check for $10 million dollars and put in the notation line 'for acting services rendered,' and dated it for Thanksgiving 1995. He placed that check in his wallet and years later came into making films exceeding that type of money.

2) Goals

Successful people have Goals. Without clear written goals your vision is just a wishful dream. Successful people understand that life can be complicated and confusing, why so? Well think about all the things in your life vying for your attention and distracting you from carrying out your life purpose(yes, you are here for a purpose), from media, advertisements, government, people, bills, jobs, no job, lack of a job, politics, religion, race, crime, celebrities, consumerism, reality television, internet, social media, and on and on and on. Yes all these things in our society are vying for your attention and if you are not a mentally strong and an aware person you can get sucked into any one or many of these distractions and get totally lost and confused. Successful people see through all that and don’t give heed to such distractions. Why? It’s not that they are not aware of them and not see them, they just don't let them affect them like the rest of the masses, why is this? Well because they have Goals, they are too busy working on their Goals to pay attention to who Kim Kardashian is sleeping with or what the housewives of Atlanta are doing. Successful people stay busy and focus working on their Goals, sub Goals and daily task to reach their ultimate vision.

3) Passion

Successful people tend to be very passionate people. They tend to have a love for what they do. And that’s why obstacles, disappointments and other complications don’t really let them down that much, because they are doing something they are passionate about, usually something that comes natural to them, something they can keep doing even after they gain that million or billion, it becomes who they are. You ever wonder why someone like Warren Buffet who has billions is still working, does he need the money? No, he is passionate about his work. Why would Stephen King after writing all those great successful books, keep writing more? Does he need the money? I doubt it, he must be doing it because he is passionate about his writings, lastly remember Michael Jordan after being extremely successful with the Bulls? Remember how hard it was to get him off the basketball court? Now did he need more money? I don’t think so. Sylvester Stallone tells the story of writing the script for Rocky, and getting rejected by producers over and over again, this went on for months. Stallone was so broke and poor that he eventually decided to sell his best friend, his dog. Stallone waited outside a liquor store asking people if they would buy his dog. Eventually someone bought the dog for $50 dollars.

4) Belief

Successful people have a deep self-belief in themselves and their ideas. They know they are going to win, no question about it in their minds. For others to believe in their vision and goals they know they unequivocally have to believe in it first.

5) Responsibility

Successful people are responsible people. Self-responsibility is paramount to being a successful person. Successful people value FREEDOM, and they know freedom come with responsibilities, being free means that your life is in your hands and not a boss, not the government, not friends nor family, no this is your show! You are running it, and you will have to take full responsibility for your winnings and your failures. Understand this, for you to truly be successful; you are going to have to accept 100 percent responsibility for your thoughts, actions and the results you gain from those thoughts and actions. Successful people understand this and live their lives accordingly.

6) Courage

Successful people are courageous people; they take risk and go for it. These people invent stuff and test it themselves, they fly in their own private planes into outer space, like Richard Branson, they take on huge obstacles like Martin Luther King, many of them lose their lives pursuing their visions. The entrepreneur class among them starts new businesses without fear or money. Some even put their lives in direct danger to protect and defend their nations.

7) Strong Work Ethic

Successful people work hard. Now you’re thinking, if there successful why do they have to work hard? Remember, successful people are passionate about what they do, to them they don’t see it as work at all. They are simply doing what they love to do and getting paid for it. You know that famous quote, “find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life.” Well when it comes to successful people it’s really true. These people are so excited about their work they get up early in the morning to do it, they sometimes work 60 even 80 hours a week doing it. Many of them get labeled workaholics for displaying this type of behavior.

8) Discipline

Successful people are disciplined people; they do what needs to be done for their goals and vision. These people hold off instant gratification to do what needs to be done. While everyone else is having fun, taking vacations, watching television, these people are working on their goals whether they like it or not. It’s not that they don’t want to have fun like the rest of us, no not at all. Successful people know that the fun you are having on the weekend is short lived on Sunday when you’re dreading having to go back to work the next day. Successful people don’t won’t to worry about such things, so they would rather work hard today, so when they do decide to have fun on the beach they can decide to stay there for as long as they want and not have to worry about Mondays, heck they may even buy the beach. Successful people pay for the price of success today, so they can enjoy the rewards tomorrow.

9) Leadership

Successful people are leaders; they have to be, many of them are Entrepreneurs running mega corporations and small businesses, Generals commanding armies, even Presidents of nations. As leaders they have to have the ability to communicate their ideas effectively, command attention, respect and have the uncanny ability to inspire people to work with them to achieve great things.

10) Support Network

Successful people build strong support networks of people they can count on. Their networks usually consist of people who are willing and ready to give them a helping hand if need be. They actively seek out people like themselves to form partnerships with, friendships with or employ to help them build their businesses. They attend networking functions to meet people; they join websites with people of similar traits and characteristics to share ideas. They value teamwork, they know to become successful they are going to need lots of help, and the people they surround themselves with will have the skill-sets they’ll need, money for their ideas and investments, provide encouragement or a helping hand when times get rough, or in the case of a supportive spouse some love to make them feel valued.

11) Honesty

Successful people have to be honest. They have to be honest about who they are, their abilities, and their ideas. But mostly they have to be honest with others, you can’t be successful and run a business based on lies, try it long enough and you’ll soon be out of business, you can’t lead others if they can’t trust you, it doesn't work that way, successful people have to be honest with their customers in order to sell them their products or services. Banks have to trust them to pay back the loan if they want to borrow money for their projects, their teams or employees have to believe what they say and promise if they are going to give their 100 percent. So honesty is a must when it comes to being a successful person.

12) Love of learning

Successful people are constant learners they love to learn. And because of this tend to be the experts and the top earners in their field or niche. Successful people read and read and read, they do research, they study, they write, not only about their subject, but others as well, they are very curious people when it comes to knowledge, and hence why they tend to be highly intelligent people. Most people stop reading and learning after high school or college. Not successful people, they keep going, learning is a never ending process for them.

Remember it's not money that makes you successful, it's who you are or who you have to become that makes you successful. Once you possess these 12 characteristics in you, you are already successful, money and material things will naturally come to you.