Cream rises to the top

We have all known people in our personal and business lives that just go right to the top of everything that they do. They are the ones that call you on Monday morning and announce that starting today they are going to start a new business venture. Yeah, they are going to sell popsicles to Eskimos. A few weeks later both their old business and their new business are flourishing. These are the same folks who decide to take martial arts and become a black belt in no time. They simply succeed in everyting they try. The Midas Touch.

Anyone who has ever studied these people will immediately find that they have a few character traits that cut right to the quick of success. Optimism, ambition, integrity, work ethic, oranization, and desire. At least from the people that I know who always exceed their goals, and also make everything look easy, these are the traits that I have observed.

All of us have known the poeple who are the opposite of this as well. Some of us may even consider ourselves to be one of the folks on the opposite team. Everyting they touch turns to ...well you know. They start out with huge goals, and great intentions, but they just never seem to make it happen. Some of them may enjoy a modicum of success, but they never truly "make it".

The difference between the successful and the unsuccessful in any endeavor is not just a matter of having the above listed traits, but the degree to which they are used. We all have optimism in us at any given moment, but how much of it do we use on our newest project? I have a friend who just never gives up on anything. I have watched him beat his head against the wall to the point where I think he is crazy, but to him it is just getting it done. And he will. Job accomplished, move on to the next, onlookers be damned.

The same can be said about honesty, integrity, and so on. The successful among us continue to harness these traits to the maximum degree possible, while the rest of us just have them in us.

We can all do it, I have no doubt.

And one more thing. I have never known a sad or angry sucessful person. They are always happy.