Two Key Strategies for Success

Evidence that high earners score well on self-control and persistence

I know that success is on the minds of many as a worthy goal. We love the feeling of winning. Achieving success is a positive experience and builds up our egos.

Achieving success is like a personal victory. People love winning. It is inherently delightful, for it feeds our pride and positive self-esteem.

Read on if you value success and are curious about ‘what it takes’ to climb the ladder to high achievement.

“Success is not final, and failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ― Winston S. Churchill

Success Definitions

The decision about what strategies to use in seeking more success comes down to what success means to you. Is it an external success like power, prestige, and money flowing from your performance?

Is it an inner success or implementing one’s ideas? (regardless of whether you successfully do so.)

Is it the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, such as some personal goal like weight loss, sobriety, or financial security?

Is it the attainment of popularity or profit?

Performance Strengths

Each of these kinds of successes calls for different non-cognitive strengths. These strengths include persistence, self-control, grit, resilience, goal commitment, willingness to overcome obstacles, initiative, regulation of irrational fears, and skill building.

I like to group these as either falling under initiative or restraint. In assessing where to put your efforts in striving for success, it is helpful to know which of these capacities best fit your skill set.

For example, I am best suited for the skills falling under restraint. Hence by success at weight control and smoking cessation. But you might be better suited to the skills of initiative-taking; these are skills better suited to entrepreneurship.

“Successful people are often more distinguished for resolution and perseverance than unusual gifts.” —Amelia Barr

Research has found which factors contribute most to success in adulthood and upward mobility.

The Two Top Capacities for Success

Top job earners (those making $200 thousand per year and more) score high in self-control and persistence.

What strategies might come into play to enhance these non-cognitive character strengths?

In my experience, commitment and the presence of a powerfully attractive goal works in developing self-control. By commitment, I mean something you are passionate about pursuing.

Passion is what gets your time, energy, thought, and attention. I took a long time to find my passion; eventually, I learned to devote my energies to personal development and change issues.

When this happened, I began to achieved more success than I did when I was casting around for a way to leverage the discipline of sociology to make a living.

Once the passion for personal change connected to specific goals, in my case, smoking cessation, weight loss, and sobriety, my efforts became channeled, and I made significant progress

“Success means that you can live the way you want, that you can be yourself and not the person others want you to be.” — Leslie Chang

As for persistence, it’s essential to distinguish it from reliance. Resilience is the mental ability to recover quickly from depression, illness, or misfortune.

“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” ____ Stephen Hawking

Persistence is the property of being persistent. You can continue firmly in the course of action regardless of circumstances.

Experts suggest that to develop persistence and eventually succeed in your endeavor, always maintain a positive mental attitude, regardless of the situation.

My take on perseverance is that it can best be maintained if you have a foundational justification for your chosen activity. It isn’t just a value proposition; it also comes down to knowing the why of your actions.

By knowing your why you know what your personality needs to thrive and be happy.

As I have developed the point elsewhere, knowing that a change or improvement served to advance self-worth was crucial in helping me stay the course. I knew with certainty that correcting a deficit in self-esteem was vital for my well-being.

Takeaway

The takeaway is to know what success means to you; understand how your vision of success fits your developmental needs. And finally, it means cultivating the performative strengths that will translate into success.