8 Traits That Lead to Success

8 Traits of Highly Successful People

For over 10 years, award-winning communicator and success analyst Richard St. John researched and dissected what truly makes a person successful. Instead of rehashing the same tired business theories, he took a step outside the box and tried a fresh approach: interviews. St. John held interviews with successful people from all walks of life, gathering millions of pieces of invaluable information. His 500 interview subjects included major celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Richard Branson, Russell Crowe, Quincy Jones and the Google founders – and they all had quite a story to tell.

“After speaking with all these amazing people, I learned that there is no one ‘secret’ to success. Many people wrongly assume you have to be exceptionally bright to make it to the top,” says St. John. “But that’s not the case. I’ve also discovered that you don’t have to be beautiful or handsome. Those are all myths that many of us have bought into and they’ve become engrained in our collective psyche.”

After a decade of in-depth research and careful analysis, St. John ultimately identified eight common traits shared by successful people, which form the foundation for success, wealth and greatness. And the best part? They are easily applied to our everyday lives!

The 8-Traits That Lead to Great Success:

* PASSION. Discover what you love to do and pursue it. Chase love, not money, and the money will follow.
* WORK. You must work very hard; all successful people do. But when you love what you’re doing, it doesn’t feel like work.
* FOCUS. Successful people say you must focus on one thing and one thing only. Develop the ability to ignore distractions and concentrate.
* PUSH. Push yourself through obstacles such as self-doubt. Push to achieve the impossible.
* IDEAS. Come up with ideas to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities. Anybody can be creative!
* IMPROVE. Successful people don’t rest on their laurels. They’re always looking for ways to improve themselves and get better at what they do.
* SERVE. You must serve something of value to other people. Focus on the people you serve and listen to what they have to say.
* PERSIST. Don’t cave in to adversity! Persist through the rough times, failures, criticism and mistakes.

St. John’s new book 8 To Be Great: The 8-Traits That Lead To Great Success (Train of Thought Arts Inc. 2007) delves even deeper into the meaning of the 8-Traits and how to develop them. “Over time, my little database on success grew to more than 10 million words,” says St. John. “I sorted them all into categories and discovered not only the 8-Traits, but also the supporting factors that enhance those traits. Really, anyone can develop and apply these traits if they want to be successful.”