This article, says that I have to have these qualities for success. I am going to have think about that...but right now I am going to search for a photo with a kitty in it to go with this post.
1. Public Speaking
The ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and forcefully in front of an audience – whether an audience of 1 or of thousands – is one of the most important skills anyone can develop. People
who are effective speakers come across as more comfortable with
themselves, more confident, and more attractive to be around.
Being able to speak effectively means you can sell anything – products,
of course, but also ideas, ideologies, worldviews. And yourself – which
means more opportunities for career advancement, bigger clients, or
business funding.
2. Writing
Writing well
offers many of the same advantages that speaking well offers: good
writers are better at selling products, ideas, and themselves than poor
writers. Learning to write well involves not just mastery of
grammar but the development of the ability to organize one’s thoughts
into a coherent form and target it to an audience in the most effective
way possible. Given the huge amount of text generated by
almost every transaction – from court briefs and legislation running
into the thousands of pages to those foot-long receipts you get when
you buy gum these days – a person who is a master of the written word
can expect doors to open in just about every field.
3. Self-Management
If success depends of effective action, effective action depends on
the ability to focus your attention where it is needed most, when it is
needed most. Strong organizational skills, effective productivity habits, and a strong sense of discipline are needed to keep yourself on track.
4. Networking
Networking is not only for finding jobs or clients. In
an economy dominated by ideas and innovation, networking creates the
channel through which ideas flow and in which new ideas are created. A large network, carefully cultivated, ties one into not just a body of people but a body of relationships, and those relationships are more than just the sum of their parts. The interactions
those relationships make possible give rise to innovation and
creativity – and provide the support to nurture new ideas until they
can be realized.
5. Critical Thinking
We are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of times more information on a daily basis than our great-grandparents were. Being
able to evaluate that information, sort the potentially valuable from
the trivial, analyze its relevance and meaning, and relate it to other
information is crucial – and woefully under-taught. Good critical thinking skills immediately distinguish you from the mass of people these days.
6. Decision-Making
The bridge that leads from analysis to action is effective decision-making
– knowing what to do based on the information available. While not
being critical can be dangerous, so too can over-analyzing, or waiting
for more information before making a decision. Being able to take in the scene and respond quickly and effectively is what separates the doers from the wannabes.
7. Math
You don’t have to be able to integrate polynomials to be successful. However, the
ability to quickly work with figures in your head, to make rough but
fairly accurate estimates, and to understand things like compound
interest and basic statistics gives you a big lead on most people.
All of these skills will help you to analyze data more effectively –
and more quickly – and to make better decisions based on it.
8. Research
Nobody can be expected to know everything, or even a tiny fraction
of everything. Even within your field, chances are there’s far more
that you don’t know than you do know. You don’t have to know everything – but you should be able to quickly and painlessly find out what you need to know. That means learning to use the Internet effectively, learning to use a library, learning to read productively,
and learning how to leverage your network of contacts – and what kinds
of research are going to work best in any given situation.
9. Relaxation
Stress will
not only kill you, it leads to poor decision-making, poor thinking, and
poor socialization. So be failing to relax, you knock out at least
three of the skills in this list – and really more. Plus, working
yourself to death in order to keep up, and not having any time to enjoy
the fruits of your work, isn’t really “success”. It’s obsession. Being
able to face even the most pressing crises with your wits about you and
in the most productive way is possibly the most important thing on this
list.
10. Basic Accounting
It is a simple fact in our society that money is necessary. Even the
simple pleasures in life, like hugging your child, ultimately need
money – or you’re not going to survive to hug for very long. Knowing how to track and record your expenses and income is important just to survive, let alone to thrive. But
more than that, the principles of accounting apply more widely to
things like tracking the time you spend on a project or determining
whether the value of an action outweighs the costs in money, time, and
effort. It’s a shame that basic accounting isn’t a required part of the
core K-12 curriculum.
