“Great things are accomplished by talented people who believe they will accomplish them.” Warren G. Bennis (1925-)
Tell me, “What does a Super Achiever actually look like?” We hear the exploits of the ones breaking records in sports like Tom Brady currently tying Brett Favre and Paten Manning’s record for the most regular season wins by an NFL starting quarter back.
Madonna hails as the wealthiest female artist in the world. The 2017 figure is estimated to be $580 million. What qualities does she possess that propels her to such a formidable status.
And what about Kim Ung-Yong. He attended a university at age 4, Ph.D at age 15, and has the world’s highest IQ. Guinness Book of World Records touts Ung-Yong as having the highest IQ of anyone on the planet. What qualities does he possess that make him such a standout.
Let’s dive in. Is the status of Super Achiever reserved exclusively to the record setters, trendsetters, and the ones in the spotlight?
Well to the uninformed, this may sound accurate, but truth is, Super Achievers are anyone who posses these 10 qualities:
- 1. Clarity of Vision
- 2. Burning Desire to Achieve Success
- 3. Intense Focus
- 4. Constant Evolution Through Livelong Learning
- 5. Dogged Persistence
- 6. Network With Other Super Achievers
- 7. Excellent Time Managers
- 8. Take Full Personal Responsibility
- 9. Resilience and Resourceful
- 10. Applying Patience
Believing these qualities are automatically inherited at birth is not the case. There is no magic wand that gives these qualities to those randomly selected few. Everything on the list is learned behaviors. That means anyone with a desire to develop them can. Ask any Super Achiever what drives them, and be prepared to hear them say, clearly, exactly what they want. Determine to develop these 10 qualities in your life, and you will quickly begin your journey to becoming a Super Achiever.
1. Clarity of Vision
Ask any Super Achiever what their future looks like, and you will hear the exact details painting a crystal clear picture of what their future holds. They know exactly what they want.
That vision may not be materialized tomorrow, but the Super Achiever sees their vision as though it was already in existence.
2. Burning Desire to Achieve Success
A desire to have an ice cream sandwich for breakfast is different from the one that gets you up at 5:00 am everyday, for months, to get a workout in before going to work.
You know when a desire is burning because it drives you to action even when that action is hard to perform, requires maximum effort, and is done persistently.
3. Intense Focus
Catch a Super Achiever in route to accomplishing his daily routine work of fulfilling his mission, and you will see the invisible sign on his forehead sending the message:
“Hard at Work, Do Not Disturb”.
They guard their time like a hungry dog guards his food.
They find a place to work where phones aren’t ringing, emails aren’t pressing, and Facebook isn’t pulling you into the vortex of social connectedness.
Intense focus is their mantra.
4. Constant Evolution Through Livelong Learning
Let’s face it, in today’s world the tools needed to complete your mission in life may not even be developed yet. But when they are, you will need to learn to use them. The Super Achiever already understands this, because they spend their time learning as much as they can. That way they keep evolving into a better performer.
The secret to success is to learn what most people won’t take the time to learn. This allows you to become what most people won’t.
5. Dogged Persistence
The test determining whether one posses dogged persistence is at the time of failure. Look at what happens when the results of your actions don’t bring what you want. What happens next?
Will you be an Edison who persisted after 1,000 failures, or will you get frustrated, and just give up.
The Super Achievers makes course corrections, but will never quit experimenting.
6. Network With Other Super Achievers
As guru Guy Kawasaki says, “First you have to create something worthy of an ecosystem. Then pick your evangelists”.
They network with other Super Achievers to form a community of resources. No one makes it alone.
That’s why associating with other Super Achievers boosts productivity, and the likelihood of successful.
7. Excellent Time Managers
Super Achievers see time as the true scarce resource. They do everything to manage it with expert care.
Spend more time managing your time, and your future is full of celebration for all you will accomplish.
And those accomplishments will be many.
Time is you life. Manage it wisely. That’s what Super Achievers do.
8. Take Full Personal Responsibility
A wise person once said,
“We are where we are in life because of the decisions we make. The choice is ours alone.”
This quality is what Super Achievers demonstrate.
They take full responsibility for everything that happens in their lives.
Therefore, they remain in full control of their choices.
9. Resilience and Resourceful
Super Achievers are not strangers to hardship. In fact some have risen from the most modest means.
What do they do when faced with the most uncomfortable of circumstance, the Super Achievers apply a resilience that most people won’t endure.
They use a resourcefulness that makes something out of nothing. The goal is the driving point, and nothing will delay it’s accomplishment.
10. Applying Patience
One of the most notable and valuable traits is one of Applying Patience. The road of a Super Achiever is a long one. No one gets down this road overnight.
It takes the application of patience.
This type of patience requires a, “one step at a time,” approach.
All leading to the end goal; becoming better and better every day.
The qualities of a Super Achiever are never exact or exhaustive, but this list is the beginning of something that can get you on the road to being the best. Achieving a worthwhile goal is a journey.
You will need resources, you will need skills, and the positive reinforcement from others who have traveled this road before. Learn what it takes to become a Super Achiever, and assimilate their qualities into your own life. Work on them daily to enforce a new habit of success. Be a part of something great.