Success takes hard work, creativity, ingenuity, great ideas, intelligence, and so much more. None of that will do you any good however if you don’t have a strong foundation—a foundation made up of the basics. This is where the majority of people fail. They may have a great idea and be the smartest person in the room, but if they ignore the basics, they will fail every time. Don’t be them.
The Success Basics:
1. Be on time – There’s an old saying that will always hold true: Early is on time. On time is late. Late is fired. There is NO excuse for being late. Know where you are going, how to get there, where to park, how to get in, whom you are meeting with, and what you need. Period.
2. Read – If you don’t know what’s going on in the world, you can’t compete. If you don’t read news sites, magazines, news, fiction books, non-fiction books, and anything else your can get your hands on, you will not succeed. The most successful people in the world read—just ask them.
3. Thank people – No one succeeds without help; I don’t care how smart or well connected you are. Write thank you notes, acknowledge help, say “thank you,” buy gifts, and share in the wealth—whatever it takes to let everyone who does anything for you know you appreciate their efforts.
4. Help others – This may be the most important thing you can do to succeed. The more you help others succeed, the more they help you succeed. Some call it karma. Others call it doing the right thing. The more you help others succeed, the stronger your reputation grows as THE person to do business with. Everyone will want you.
5. Follow through – Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. If you say you are going to be somewhere, be there. If you say you are going to finish a project, finish it. If you say you are going to send something, send it. Never make someone wait to do their job because you haven’t done yours (read #1 again).
This is not rocket science—this is common sense. Use it. I guarantee you will succeed in 2016.
–Dayna Steele
Dayna Steele is the creator of YourDailySuccessTip.com and the author of seven books including her latest, Surviving Alzheimer’s with Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter and sign up for her free, relevant success tip here—it’s been called “ridiculously sane advice.”
Looking for a new job? Want to get the one you want faster? Check out my new book, Here Today, Hired Tomorrow.