Success factors: how genes, environment and character influence our achievements

Adviсe

• What is success?
• The role of success in human life
• Success Factors
• Psychological preparation: new attitudes

Success is the main section of the road that leads to a beautiful, well-fed and comfortable life. Successful people shine on TV screens and smile from advertising posters. They are satisfied with themselves, surrounded by luxury, and do not need anything. Well-being is synonymous with happiness. Inventive cunning people on the Internet offer to reveal the secrets of success and present a universal formula for creating capital. Public pages on social networks are full of advice and revelations from the lucky ones who are among the wealthy. World has gone mad.

Against the backdrop of general madness and the pursuit of success, the life of an ordinary person seems pitiful and incomplete. Trying to fix the situation undermines self-confidence. “Effective formulas for success” do not work, and smiling faces from photographs, which previously aroused delight, irritate with their intrusiveness and deceit.

Where to look for well-being? Are there real success factors? Is it possible to find a universal map of advancement or can only the “chosen ones” conquer the Everest of success? Let's go in search of the truth.

What is real success?

In the most general sense, success is the ability to realize your goals and find ways to achieve them. It seems that this definition is very simple, but it is in it that the entire subjectivity of the concept of “success” is manifested. Just as each of the people living on earth has different fingerprints, the true goals and intentions of each of us are also different. And when we find the path to achieving our goals, as well as the strength and determination to overcome this path, that is when we truly get closer to success.

More specifically, the list of attributes of success is wide and multifaceted: fame, respect, significance in society, fame in certain circles, financial independence, climbing the career ladder, love from loved ones. But again, for some, climbing the career ladder may not mean success, but quite the opposite - if a person, for example, dreams of developing his own business.

One of the best answers to the question “what is success” was given by the American writer Bessie Anderson Stanley, author of the poem “What is Success?”:

Its definition contains the most harmonious and complete set of elements, which for most people add up to a single component called “success”. However, there will be those who will add something of their own to this definition. This reveals the amazing subjectivity of the concept of success.

A very interesting definition of the term success was formulated by Brian Tracy, a Canadian psychologist, successful entrepreneur and writer:

Reasons for success in everyday life

The reasons for success related to everyday life and self-improvement lie in simple things and certain behaviors.

• Proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. These seemingly hackneyed phrases are actually the key to success for many people. Compliance with these principles requires a person to be organized, patient and disciplined. Not everyone will be able to rebuild their life and follow the right habits for a long time.
• Discipline and self-responsibility. If a person is honest with himself, it is not difficult for him to be honest with others. If I keep my word to myself (since Monday I run in the morning, go to the gym, quit smoking, go on a diet, reduce the amount of time on my smartphone, etc.), the word given to others is also more likely to be kept.

After all, the most difficult thing is to keep your inner promise and not let yourself down. But, unfortunately, not everyone understands this correctly.

Most people make a promise to themselves and then break it; no one knows about this promise. I'll repeat it tomorrow. This is how success in some area is delayed: losing weight, playing sports, increasing performance.

• Believe in yourself and strive for the best. If a person does not believe in himself, why should other people believe in him, follow him and listen to what he says? If a person is set up to fail, why should other people persuade him to believe in the best?

It all starts with yourself, your perception and mood. Be confident in your own abilities, trust yourself, tune in to the best results and program your own success.

What distinguishes successful people from unsuccessful ones?

Successful people are not at all the darlings of fate, and excesses and luxury do not flow into their hands. To achieve the intended heights, you need to put in a lot of physical, mental and psychological effort. An integral aspect of true success is constant self-development. a series of tasks for yourself , boldly look your goals in the eye and invest in yourself on the way to achieving them as much as you would like to get in the end.

Most successful people cannot boast of aristocratic roots or higher education. Moreover, many of them lived in poverty for half their lives! It’s just that these people have a clear idea of ​​success. They understand what they really need. For many, it’s easier to leave everything as it is and continue wandering along foggy paths that lead nowhere. What distinguishes successful people?

First of all, successful people have a positive attitude towards life, even towards failures. Where others give up, successful people always try again and again . No one will make our life bright except ourselves. To devote yourself wholeheartedly to any undertaking and to float on a wave of positivity with the flow of life is what is really important in this world.

In addition, every successful person always has clear goals - for the day, for the week, for the year. He devotes his life to the endless search for opportunities to achieve these goals. A very effective tool in achieving goals is keeping a “Success Diary”.

Successful people know how to believe in miracles. This is a prerequisite when you set yourself a truly grandiose goal - one that no one has achieved before. This is how the first car was invented, the first television was invented, and thousands of other important discoveries were made. Belief in miracles, perseverance, and constant development.

Internal energy

This is the simplest thing. It is enough to monitor how you feel physically. Observe this for a few days and find what helps you increase your energy. Every day ask yourself, “What can I do today to be more energetic?”

There is one universal piece of advice: exercise and eat well.

If I follow it every day, I feel great and have a lot of energy. As soon as I stop exercising or start eating junk food, I notice a loss of energy. So check it out for yourself.

What does success look like?

It is not uncommon for bright magazine images that embody complete financial security and self-sufficiency . Many people idolize such people, because someone who was able to break into the public eye, climb to the top of the career ladder and start earning a huge amount of money is an idol, a role model, a classic portrait of a successful person.

But often, even these idols come to emotional emptiness. Financial success is only one side of the coin. The second is occupied by much more significant things than the rustle of banknotes: happiness in your personal life, professional development. And it is important to maintain a balance on both sides. Only with their complete harmonization is real success possible. Relatively speaking: what is the use of achieving the desired position if it becomes an obstacle to full communication with loved ones?

Under the influence of personal characteristics, each person has an individual and unique perception of the world. A key role in this is played by both the character as a whole and its individual components - ambition, emotionality, temperament. Therefore, everyone will have their own answer to the question “what is success”.

Ways to make failure work for you

Failures are an inevitable part of any movement. But any failure can be used to serve your success. To do this, you need to learn how to treat failures correctly:

1. Make smart mistakes. “Stupid mistake” - made through carelessness. “Smart” mistakes are the mistakes of people moving towards their goal, but making a mistake in a risky step or experiment.
2. Learn from situations. One of the successful business coaches often repeats: “all situations are divided into pleasant and useful.” Mistakes and failures enrich you with invaluable experience. The main thing is to draw the right conclusions and take them into account in subsequent steps. Every situation, be it unpleasant or sad, can teach a lesson, it is only important to see it.
3. Don't blame others. People tend to look for someone to blame because they find it difficult to admit they are wrong. This trait is inherent in losers. Evaluate only your own actions.
4. Don't blame yourself. Decisions involve responsibility, but if they turn out to be wrong, feelings of guilt are unacceptable. Feelings of guilt will make the situation worse because it will knock you out of the right frame of mind. Evaluate actions with reasonable criticism and only from a constructive position.
5. Use other people's experience. Many mistakes have already been made. Take them on board and learn from them, without repeating the experience of other people's failures.

The psychology of success is the ability to achieve what you want. Success in psychology is a “winning scenario” implemented in life, prosperity, healthy self-esteem. How to set yourself up for success, wealth and prosperity? How to get what you want and be successful? Answers in the video clip:

Foundation for Success

Improving personal characteristics is a mandatory step on the path to success. Whatever different goals we set for ourselves, the basis for achieving them is working on ourselves, constant development.

Self-development is learning new skills and gaining new knowledge. To begin with, you can learn universal, but very valuable and useful skills in everyday life: learn a foreign language, cook an exotic dish, sign up for a massage course, or take up painting. The main thing is that these steps bring you closer to your main goal.

Even if you are well-read, smart and can skillfully support any conversation with an interesting conversation, self-development will never hurt. This is the eternal mechanism of life that develops us, and believe me, it will certainly lead you to the desired heights . Think for yourself: after reading about new technical developments, will you become a more specialized master if your activity is directly related to the innovations of technical progress?

Remember: the key to success in any activity is workaholism with maximum dedication to the task. And such thoughts as “this is difficult”, “I’m lazy”, “I won’t get paid for this” and the like - need to be thrown out of your head. They only reduce motivation and determination.

Psychological preparation: new attitudes

To achieve success, learn to set clear goals. A person without a goal will not become successful. He doesn't know where to move and what to strive for. Listen to your heart. Until you decide on your true desires, you will not be able to choose a direction and set goals.

Develop strong-willed qualities and discipline. It can be difficult to overcome yourself. To achieve a goal you need to make an effort. Stop procrastinating. If you have a lot of work ahead and you're avoiding it, set a timer for 25 minutes right now. Surely you can spend a quarter of an hour concentrating on the task at hand? Rest and then get back to work for 25 minutes. By gradually increasing your work time, you will learn to concentrate, and moving towards your goal will become more confident and faster.

If you want to work in Spain, study the language. Have you dreamed of a career as a designer? Sign up for suitable courses or select educational material from the Internet.

Understand that you are not the center of the universe. Society is a single organism, and you are a tiny part of it. To achieve your goals, learn to be observant. Pay close attention to the changes around you. Listen to the people around you, establish communication. If a person has found his place in society, where he is needed, important and valuable, his success is guaranteed.

Principles for achieving success

We have figured out what success is. Now let's study several universal principles of success, which together make up a single formula and help you achieve results regardless of what goals and objectives you set for yourself:

• Take it and do it! No undertaking will bring results without action. The more you think about the idea, the more fears you have. So, any goal will remain just a dream if you are always afraid of difficulties. Only by throwing away fear can you conquer the tip of the iceberg!
• Always say yes". Every sentence presented by fate has meaning. Before refusing anything, you need to think and analyze the reason for refusal and the consequences three times. Often, it is precisely because of a thoughtless “no” that we miss promising chances.
• Challenge yourself! A person who does not strive to learn new things slides down the personal ladder. The meaning of our life lies in constant development, self-improvement and the realization of our goals. Remember: we only live once. It's stupid to miss opportunities while lying on the couch.
• Set goals! If you don’t have your own goals, you’ll have to work on someone else’s. This is the process of life and it cannot be stopped. No one promises an easy path to the intended heights, but aspiration and positive thinking will help you “soar above the world.” Read an interesting article on the topic “How to set goals and achieve results” here.
• Stand firm on your feet. To act under the influence of someone else's opinion means to lose yourself. Consider the information around you, but make your own decisions clearly and confidently. This will add credibility to you both in the eyes of others and in your own.
• Be conscientious. Decency and honesty are what success is! These wonderful human qualities guarantee the desired prosperity in life. Working for money is bad policy. If finances are on the pedestal of goals, then you shouldn’t count on real success. The more you devote yourself to what you love, to people, the higher the price for your efforts will be.
• Live life to the fullest. Only we ourselves can fill our lives with bright colors, interesting events and pleasant moments. But all this requires special courage. Preferring not to go beyond the comfort zone of guaranteed safety, the joy of victory will never visit your heart.

Social background and education are the key to human well-being

The most studied factor of material success and future social mobility in children by modern psychology is the socioeconomic status of parents, assessed by the following parameters:

• duration of education and level of education of father and mother;
• annual income and real estate of the family;
• professional status and social class of parents.

In general, the identified correlation between these indicators and the level of income, together with the career achievements of children in adulthood, is up to 20%.

For psychology, 20% is a large dependence, the mechanisms of action of which are clear even without complex sociological research: family income directly affects the child’s starting opportunities and his social capital, which, in turn, affect the amount of earnings and social status of a person in the future.

Research in this area has been carried out since the 1960s. Using fairly large samples of people, scientists were able to trace the influence of parental factors throughout an individual’s life.

It is appropriate to note here that the role of family background is not direct, but is largely indirect through another important indicator - the level of education, which in various works can be defined as:

• number of years of study;
• index of prestige of educational institutions;
• having an academic degree;
• qualification certificates, etc.

Moreover, the correlation between education and the prestige of a profession, income level or social class in the future can be up to 40%, which makes this factor the most important in determining the trajectory of a person’s achievements.

The identified relationship between the level of well-being and a person’s social background and education can, based on these studies, be visualized as follows:

Main components

So, based on what we have discussed today, we can identify 10 main components of the concept of success:

• the ability to clearly formulate your goals;
• the ability to find ways to achieve goals;
• the ability to constantly work towards achieving goals;
• feeling of happiness from one’s own activities;
• love and respect of loved ones;
• a strong family;
• material well-being;
• continuous improvement;
• health care;
• the ability to endure failures;