The Number 1 Trait Needed to Succeed That No One Talks About
Most people are put off by this one trait, but you need it to succeed in life whether you like it or not, agree with it or not.
Success means different things to different people so I'm not going to get into the different meanings or even give you my meaning.
It's irrelevant for this piece.
Rather I will just say that everyone wants to be successful in their own way with their own definition.
After all, humans are hardwired to make progress in life.
No one wants to get to the end of the road and think “Is that what I have to show for my life?”
No one wakes up in the morning thinking “How I can fail in life?”
Not even prisoners I believe would have such thoughts despite their predicament.
To succeed in life in whatever endeavor requires a lot of passion, determination, grit, persistence, and more.
Nothing new Im telling you here but there is an extra ingredient that gets left out 99.9% if not 100% of the time.
Not even people in the self-help/personal development industry are talking enough about it but you do need it to succeed.
Mindset? Confidence? Charisma? Motivation? Passion? Will?
All of the above are great traits to have to succeed and to overall function at a higher level in life.
But they are not the one trait needed to supercharge success.
The one trait is: roll the red carpet, please………………
A Strong Ego!
Say what you might be thinking?
I'm, not Donald Trump!
You don't need to be but the reality is that to succeed in any endeavor in life you need a strong ego.
This is not to be confused with having an ego problem.
Having an ego problem makes you arrogant, boastful, and full of pride.
People can’t stand to be around you.
If you know anyone like this I'm sure you do what you can to avoid being around them even if they are a close family member or friend.
It's not pleasant being around someone with an ego problem.
But someone with a strong ego without an ego problem is quite pleasant to be around.
You see these people often radiate calm confidence, charm, and overall pleasantness. People want to be around such people.
The truth is having a strong ego makes you confident, self-assured, and self-aware but in a pleasant way.
Hence people like to be around you.
So it’s a real shame that the ego is so misunderstood by most people and receives such a bad rap.
It's fair to say that its reputation has been trashed and is in serious need of an upgrade or branding for the better word in this day and age.
No doubt you’ve heard expressions like “drop the ego”, “It’s your ego talking”, “You have a strong ego”, etc.
They are put-downs and put you off the ego!
Up until recently, I must admit I viewed the ego in a highly negative light and wouldn’t have associated it at all with success.
But I now realize its importance for success.
I have the late Bob Proctor to thank for making me realize this and forever changing my perception of ego.
If you don't know Bob Proctor and his amazing teachings just check out this youtube channel.
He was and continues to be a popular global personal development author, teacher, and speaker.
Without a strong ego, it becomes all too easy to throw in the towel and give up in life when the going gets tough in life.
It also becomes easier to follow the crowd and stay average and mediocre year after year.
A strong ego will rebel against these and push you to not give up and not follow the crowd.
You see positive traits like persistence, tenacity, will, passion, etc need a strong ego to flourish. The ego is like the foundation for such traits.
It acts like their octane fuel.
I have come to realize that I have a strong ego as I have such traits in large quantities.
I believe in myself and what I stand for but at the same time I am humble and genuinely have a lot of compassion and care for people and even animals.
I don't say this to win brownie points here, rather I am simply stating the truth.
I live my life by a set of values and a code of conduct that guide me to do the right thing.
But it requires me to have a strong ego to sustain it.
After all, there is so much temptation and things in life that can take me off course and down a wrong path but the ego keeps me in check.
So next time someone calls you out for having a strong ego or you hear the ego being attacked have a think about what’s being said here.
Even if you don't agree with what I'm writing just keep an open mind.
Remember ego is not to be confused with having a ‘big head’ or being a nasty and arrogant boastful person.
That is having an ego problem and you want to avoid it at all costs as it repels people and destroys relationships.
Cultivate a strong ego but not an ego problem.
The two are not the same and so shouldn't be confused.
Burn the difference between the two in your mind so there is no room for confusion.
Some ways to help you cultivate a strong ego but not an ego problem are:
- Build a strong sense of self-based on good qualities and principles
- Develop the courage to go after what you want
- Develop tenacity to get you through the tough times
- Always stay humble no matter how many wins you get
- Have compassion for fellow human beings and other creatures
- Empower yourself with good values and principles in life
- Set a good code of conduct to guide your life with
- Set and achieve worthy goals
- Develop a serving mindset (you're here to serve the world)
- Leave people and the world better than you found them
It’s time to rebrand the ego in a better way so people stop seeing it as the enemy and start setting it as a powerful ally in life.
To Have a Strong Ego and To Create a Better You,
Sandra Gabriella Di Francesco
Feel free to connect with me on Linkedln
