Are you successful? 

These are some of the characteristics that make Successful People Successful.

First, there are five things that all successful people have:

1. A dream.  
2. A plan.  
3. Specific knowledge or training.  
4. A willingness to work hard.  
5. The unwillingness to take no for an answer.  

Success is a state of mind. That you must believe you’ll be successful if you’re going to become successful. Keep that in mind as you read the list.

1. Successful people have a dream. They have a well-defined purposes. They have definite goals. They know what they want.
2. Their strong desire brings strong results. They go out and do things that others say can’t be done.
3. Successful people ask the question: “What is possibly missing that I could do today to move me closer to achieving my dream?” They ask this question every hour of every day. They have it printed on the bathroom mirror, on their computer monitor and on their dashboard: “What is possibly missing?”
4. They understand that nothing kills accomplishment like trying to be perfect. They seek excellence, which allows for making mistakes and learning from them. “Progress, not perfection.” Perfection Kills.
5. Successful people have ambition. They want to accomplish something. They have enthusiasm, commitment, and pride. They have self-discipline.
6. They’re willing to work hard. They have a burning desire to succeed. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
7. Successful people are strongly motivated to achieve. They take great satisfaction in accomplishing tasks.
8. Successful people are focused. They ruthlessly concentrate on their main goals and objectives. They learn to recognize distractions and they make a habit of blowing them away at first recognition.
9. They don’t procrastinate; they don’t get sidetracked. They focus on the tasks that are important; that make a difference. They’re productive; not just busy.
10. Successful people learn how to get things done. They use their skills, talents, energies, and knowledge to the fullest. They also surround themselves with the best people and make sure those people get a win for helping them achieve their goals.
11. They do the things that need to be done, not just the things they like to do, and they’re willing to work hard at it.
12. Successful people take responsibility for their actions. They don’t make excuses. They don’t blame others. They don’t whine and complain. They are both responsible and accountable; “If it is to be, it is up to me” is their mantra.
13. Successful people look for solutions to problems. They’re opportunity-minded. When they see opportunities they take advantage of them.
14. Successful people make decisions. They think about the issues and relevant facts and make a decision. They don’t put decisions off. They know the key to making decisions is to either seek clarity (e.g. get missing information) or simply take a stand and say “I am going to decide to do this even though I know that I don’t have perfect information”.
15. If you have trouble making decisions, try this: Spend more time thinking and planning before you make up your mind. You’ll make better decisions.
16. When you don’t get the expected results from the decision you’ve made, change your course. Make decisions and try them out. Don’t carve them in stone.
17. Successful people have the courage to admit they’ve made a mistake. When you make a mistake, admit it, fix it, and proceed. Don’t waste time, energy, money, or other resources trying to defend a mistake or a bad decision.
18. Successful people have — or know how to get — the talent, knowledge, training and skills they need.
19. They know the things they need to know. And, when they need information, knowledge, or skills and talents that they don’t possess, they find someone who does possess them.
20. Successful people work and cooperate with other people. They have positive, outgoing personalities. They surround themselves with people who offer them help, support, and encouragement. They are leaders.
21. Successful people are enthusiastic. They’re excited by what they’re doing, and that excitement is contagious. They draw people to them because these people want to work with them, do business with them, and be with them.