10 Qualities Only Successful People Have

It's almost impossible to sift through the numerous articles published every year on psychological qualities and strengths. I empathize with parents who wish to know which strengths are the most significant to cultivate in their kids, as nothing is to be gained by trying to develop each valuable attribute. I empathize with organizations, such as schools, first responders and social entrepreneurs who wish to create a culture in which every single person can maximize their potential. All of us are daily deluged by too much information.

However, there is another problem in psychology: Too many researchers tend to focus their energy on their favorite pet construct, but they never adequately test whether it deserves more attention than the alternatives. There are also researchers who specialize in gratitude, others who specialize in forgiveness, and others in self-compassion, optimism, grit, or savoring. Some are hyperfocused on happiness, while a competing group is hyperfocused on finding meaning and purpose in life. Every research team spends a lot of time demonstrating how their baby predicts a happy life, healthy relationships, physical and mental health, and other important elements of well-being.

Money is at stake; in case you can prove that what you're working on is the most valuable investment. Also, reputation is at stake; people, trying to stand out from the crowd, want to show they're the world's leading experts in a single topic by writing books, giving talks, publishing papers and producing workshops on their primary idea.

Even though the research programs by many of those specialists are appealing, the list of motivations, qualities and belief systems associated with well-being is endless. The next step would be to compare those different attributes on their potential to promote adaptation and adjustment.

To winnow the large number of psychological constructs with links to well-being, researchers need to study them simultaneously over time. The psychological strengths that seem most highly (or uniquely) predictive of whether a person is successful at attaining his/her goals becoming successful, are the characteristics that are most worth promoting or developing.

So, do you have the following 10 qualities that can determine whether you'll become a successful individual?

1) Grit

Unfortunately for the more hesitative ones, grit is highly related to personal success. Daring to ask for what you want, and having the courage and determination to chase your goals is one of the most significant qualities.

2) Gratitude

Ungrateful people end up unsatisfied; that's why they can never reach true happiness. Be grateful for what you've got and what you've accomplished. That's the best way to be successful.

3) Curiosity

Curious people are the ones who want to discover the most they can learn about life. Even if you're curious only about one very specific field, that still means that you can easily be an expert in that particular field and, therefore, successful.

4) Having a plan.

You can’t get from here to there with no plan. That includes: having clearly defined goals, as well as the means to assess whether you’ve attained your goals.

5) Internal sense of control

Being capable of controlling yourself, your reactions, your emotions, and your desires is an important trait for those who aim to succeed.

6) Presence of meaning in life

To succeed, one needs to find meaning in life. Will it be family, career, traveling, or becoming famous? Whatever it is, you need to keep searching for it.

7) Being persistent.

Major learning or significant change isn't accomplished easily, so it's essential to work hard and be persistent. Most successful entrepreneurs or politicians failed several times and had major setbacks before they managed to succeed. Don’t give up and keep working towards your goals.

8) Positivity

A successful person knows how to pursue happiness via maximizing the pleasure and minimizing the pain.

9) Pursuing happiness via engaging in activities

In other words, you need to do all the things that make you happy, in order to rally be happy. Having many hobbies always helps!

10) Learning from failures.

All too often, we tend to focus on the strategies that let us succeed. Yet, research shows that we can learn more from our failures, than we do from our success stories. Try it and maybe next time you fail at something, it won't hurt so much.