What are the Key Differences Between Successes and Failures?

[indexgold]

It's odd, though if you look at the lives of many of the world's most successful people, you will find their past has been marked by failure after failure after failure, until finally they hit upon success. What's the difference between them and the ordinary person? The successful people simply refused to give up.

 

[sulong]

It's odd, though if you look at the lives of many of the world's most successful people, you will find their past has been marked by failure after failure after failure, until finally they hit upon success. What's the difference between them and the ordinary person? The successful people simply refused to give up.

This is contradictory. Once a failure has been noted, you have to give up and redesign, otherwise you do the same thing over and over again. Giving up is a virtue.

 

[barjon]

Nearly all successful people are good at what they do. Being good is not enough though and you also need to be in the right place at the right time (you could be the best heavyweight fighter in the world unless you happened to find yourself boxing at the same time as Muhammad Ali ..........). Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is down to good fortune, but some make it so by their persistence.

jon

 

[counter_violent]

All the below predictable but may lead to more interesting dissection by others.

Integrity, graft, persistence, self-belief, interest and satisfaction found in the process not the money.
Balance in life offering support in the background.
Disregard of convention.
A paradoxical mix of what could be described as arrogance and humility.

This is quite possibly the key to success, support in the background allows talent the necessary freedom to flourish in all areas of life, work , study , success, risk taking ...the list is endless.
The downside too much support, pampering or nanny statism, bank of mum and dad etc, encourages laziness, could'nt care less attitude, no incentive to achieve.... you get the picture......so the balance needs to be right. The individuals with correct balance will thrive.

C V

 

[Lightning McQueen]

What do you see, feel, think, sense, consider are the key fundamental characteristics of those people you know, or know of, that are Successful and those that are Failures?​

So, what are the key differences separating those who Succeed from those who Fail?

successful sportsmen now they could be followed as an example of how to be a killer trader or a shining example of how to become one once trading skills are mastered.

They are on tv a lot at the moment switch the telly on look at their faces look at their focus, they are at one with their events, they live and strive for nothing else now that would be hard to imagine by all us couch potatoes watching.

The dedication to train 5 to 7 days week for years.

They believe in themselves without question.

They know they are winners before they are.

They constantly fail but go back for more

They also show a dogged determination in anything they are doing that has even a slight hint of competition in normal daily life also, no matter how trivial

failures would have opposite characteristics

lack focus, fail and give up
live and strive for the tv remote and the tv listings.
no dedication, no determination, no belief in themselves

 

[Pat494]

It is most people's tragedy that they have not been both rich and poor to obtain a balanced view because both rich and poor suffer from the delusions that suit themselves.

 

[OpenMind]

What about the ones who refuse to and end up in cardboard boxes?!

Persistance holds no guarantees...

Persistence does not guarantee success, but it doesn't mean you will lose all either.

You may not be able to make money, but that doesn't mean you will end up homeless. You can paper trade, take small trades and keep learning for many years before you start becoming profitable.

If you are unfortunate enough to blow your life's savings and end up in a cardboard box, then you have a reckless gambler's mentality and you would have blown it anyway, whether in trading or in a casino or at the race-course or some other get rich quick scheme.

Therefore, to summarise, if you are disciplined enough to keep your losses tiny and have other sources of income, then you have to keep doing it (unless of course you think you've had enough and it's time to move on).

 

[Charlton]

This ties in with Frugi's comment "interest and satisfaction found in the process not the money".

This feels warm. What is it about an on-going process which IS Success that is not in an on-going process which IS Failure?

Or, without any attempt to befuddle, what is it that IS NOT in the on-going process of Success (and in that of Failure) which makes them what they are?

That doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm leaving it in as it might come to me later.

I guess what I'm asking Sulong is if Success is an 'attitude of travelling' - what is that attitude precisely? Because being hopeful, great expectations, desirous of a good result - these are all things with which people travel on the road. Some end in Success, some in Failure. There has to be a nuance which is significant as you can't call anything a Success or a Failure until it has become so - i.e. - final result, the end of that road. (edit: expansion of point) I can travel with a very confident and successful aspect about me, but it could all end in tears. Failure. Not Success. The destination is equally important, or there is the danger of deluding yourself into thinking 'everything is OK so far - so I must be doing the right thing'. Personally, when everything's going fine for me I'm wondering what I'm missing. Diligence? (end of edit).

So if the method or mode of travelling is important (which I am also convinced it is) - what IS that mode or method?

Bramble

I agree with Frugi, Sulong and yourself that the journey and not the destination is what success is all about. It is self-development and learning. It is fulfilling our evolutionary need. Factors such as wealth, status, certificates, honours and the suchlike are merely milestones on the journey that show that we are making that journey.

Have you noticed how even when the successful, in whatever way you define it, are always striving for more ? You might ask them, why not retire now that you have millions, but they do not wish to do so. Have you noticed how many showbusiness celebrities seem to have personal problems ? They have fame and fortune, yet still seem unfulfilled. Perhaps they have no further aims, no further destinations that can match the excitement of what they have already achieved.

So for me success is a continuous journey and ongoing journey

Charlton

 

[superfly]

Succes

http://www.quotationspage.com/search.php3?homesearch=succes

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.
Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)

The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration.
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC), The Confucian Analects

If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), Observer, Jan. 15, 1950

 

[Trader333]

Pat,

It is most people's tragedy that they have not been both rich and poor to obtain a balanced view because both rich and poor suffer from the delusions that suit themselves.

So have you been both rich and poor yourself because if not then how do you know your above statement is true ?


Paul

 

[indexgold]

What are the Key Differences Between Successes and Failures?

I'm sure you’ve heard the famous quote from Thomas A. Edison, the noted inventor, but it bears repeating. A visitor to Edison's workshop witnessed yet another failure on his way to discovering a working electric light. When the visitor commented on it being Edison's 10,000th failure, Edison is reputed to have told the visitor that it wasn't a failure after all -- that he was one step closer to his goal. Having found another way that it didn't work made him closer to finding the way that it did work.

 

[Kunal]

My answer to success....
Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, and more Knowledge.

 

[robq]

" Having found another way that it didn't work made him closer to finding the way that it did work" - He must have assumed that the number of ways it wouldn't work was limited!

 

[frugi]

Brambs,

'Support in the background' has been neatly explained by counter_violent. A foundation in/on which endeavour and talent can flourish, that is 'neither too hot nor too cold'.
'Balance' provided by friends, family, other interests, curiosity, health etc.

However I realise the very qualities we are trying to pin down help shape the majority of these foundations, except for the ones we have no bearing on (such as inherited wealth or genetic disease) so my supposition is somewhat circular. e.g If we are generous, kind and have a sense of humour then our family, friends and colleagues are more likely to reciprocate pleasantly and add useful support for our growing success.

Sense of humour and ability to laugh at the world and oneself; perspective perhaps - forgot that one before. I think that is really important for true success. Again, I'm having trouble with the definition of "success". Whose yardstick are we considering here, a personal or wider interpretation? Perhaps it wouild be useful to pin this down first. Apologies if you already have and I missed it.

A lot of qualities seem to be creeping in that are only indirectly related to the nitty-gritty of successful endeavour yet their importance is inestimable.

Are qualities applicable universally? Some qualities are surely better suited to success in some fields rather than others. Imagine transporting the qualities and ethics of landlord Nick Van Hoogstraten into a successful personal carer. It just wouldn't end well, but in his capacity as a landlord his utter lack of scruples or decency probably served him rather well, at least in a money-making sense. Successful rogues and integrity? Isn't integrity acting in tune with one's beliefs? If so then it could be said the Nick Van H had loads of it. A cruel man with a cruel way of doing business. But I realise people usually think of integrity as encompassing a "good" moral code.

I suspect I may be wrong about 'disregard of convention' in general (e.g cut losses is conventional wisdom that should not be disregarded) but still think that the very best in their field tend to distance their thought processes from the mainstream.

I'll get back to you on the paradoxes when the Dow is shut. But as a taster I think that possession of polar qualities can help successful people come to terms with and take advantage of the fact that the world is not set in black and white. Being able to hold two contrasting opinions and still function. Actually that's a sign of intelligence more than potential for success but probably connected. If only I could remove some of this wool from my head.

Has anyone mentioned discipline and the ability to adapt and change views on a dime in the light of new information? Speed and flexibility of intellect you might call it.

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. (Maya Angelou). I like that one, but the world and bank balance might beg to differ. Think of those poor artists who were long dead before their "success" was recognised.

 

[TheBramble]

An interesting thought SUCCESS
It often means to people to get what they haven't got.
The poor usually desire money. If they become rich they see that as success.
This to my mind brings in the most important aspect of happiness.
The man who achieves his life long goal and therefore success may well also experience the feeling of loss. What loss you may say if he has achieved that which he strived for all those years. The loss of an objective - a goal.
Of the many millions that have come to this country, a lot over the centuries started in the East End of London. The materially successful nearly always moved out of the very enviroment in which they achieved their success to better areas like Golders Green , Hampstead and even a country estate..
Were they so happy in the large house with a garden and high walls. I doubt it.
Was Elvis so happy with his millions that he needed alchohol and drugs - I doubt it.
Perhaps Bramble can explain this conundrum ?

No. I can't. But this is very pertinent to to the thread. Perhaps by the end of it....?

 

[TheBramble]

Nearly all successful people are good at what they do. Being good is not enough though and you also need to be in the right place at the right time (you could be the best heavyweight fighter in the world unless you happened to find yourself boxing at the same time as Muhammad Ali ..........). Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is down to good fortune, but some make it so by their persistence.

jon

Good timing.

Good Luck.

Being in the right place at the right time has a higher probability if you're always everywhere. (Absurd, but gets the point across, I hope).

 

[TheBramble]

My answer to success....
Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, and more Knowledge.

What sort of knowledge Kunal?

And knowledge of what (or who)?

 

[TheBramble]

" Having found another way that it didn't work made him closer to finding the way that it did work" - He must have assumed that the number of ways it wouldn't work was limited!

Or maybe that's part of Success. Careful estimation of your odds of Success? Don't go into battle unless you're sure you're going to win?

 

[TheBramble]

Brambs,

I'll get back to you on the paradoxes when the Dow is shut. But as a taster I think that possession of polar qualities can help successful people come to terms with and take advantage of the fact that the world is not set in black and white. Being able to hold two contrasting opinions and still function. Actually that's a sign of intelligence more than potential for success but probably connected. If only I could remove some of this wool from my head.

Possession of polar qualities doesn't necessarily result in paradox of arrogance and humility. No shirking little wooly thing.

And you mods and your edit with no shown edit facilities. I have to keep coming back to run my patented post-content-differentiator over your posts looking for the tell-tale tracks of small improbable animal activity.

 

[TheBramble]

Really good and useful responses so far. And so many of them! Thank you all.

I can't get back here till early hours (GMT), but I'll do an update/precis when I do so we all know where I think we're at with this.

And don't all you shrinking violets be afriad to challenge my round-ups. I have been known to assume....