Success in achieving an identified goal is realized through a certain process. Failure occurs through the same, albeit opposite process. Success and failure leaves clues and if you watch close enough the clues are easily revealed to you. Success is desired by everyone, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to secure it. For the purpose of use within this article, I’m going to define success as; the progressive realization of a desired vision and planned goal(s).
The main characteristics that secure or deny personal success (on a scale of 1 to 10) are as follows:

For any person, the more items of which they have favoring the right, the more likely they are to attain success; the more items they have on the left, the more likely they are to fail at doing so. Those that make it to the top acquire the characteristics on the right (which causes them to succeed). In all of my case studies, these characteristics, when adopted to a higher degree, seem to be the common denominator of success.
Throughout my personal life experiences (adolescence, sports, college, businesses, career, crossfitter, crossfit coach, etc.), and now as a PUSH Alliance Team Lead, I’ve observed and experienced both ends of the spectrum to a consistent outcome (success or failure). The bigger the goal you push for, the longer the delayed gratification towards achieving. In this case, most people don’t have the staying power because of a lack of character traits favoring the right side. Smaller goals can be achieved quicker. These goals require less of the identified right end character traits, less effort needed to attain the goal, and as expected are less gratifying upon receipt.
It’s proven time and time again that successful people have these character traits strongly favored to the right. Unsuccessful people have the majority of these traits anchored to the left. If it’s that black and white, why then are there so few that succeed? Short answer is because most people are in the business of taking in “pleasing activities” and less inclined to chase after “pleasing results”. Pleasing activities make you happy and/or feel good, but are fleeting, pleasing results fulfill you and are enduring. There’s a big difference of which I’ll explain in a future blog post.
If you’re reading this, you most likely have an interest in bettering yourself. Start here, ask and evaluate yourself to determine which traits you have and where on the spectrum (to the left or right) they lay. Next, what can be done to improve the items you are weak at to get you to where you want to be. Lastly, you need to take action and start working on you. Remember, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.

In Part 2 of this Blog Post, I’ll discuss each of these character traits and the items which they are composed of to provide further insight into what it takes to WIN (attain success).
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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