Become The Star You Are Meant to Be

You want more out of life than just a job. Whether you work for a large company, a startup, a nonprofit, or you are an entrepreneur, you want to be a star; a complete and total personal and professional success. But professional success is complicated and may be elusive. To achieve professional success and become the star you are meant to be you need a professional success blueprint.

Here is a strategic blueprint for becoming the professional success-the star-you are meant to be. The first thing you need to know is what the qualities of a successful person are. Research shows that all successful people have five things in common:

Successful people are self confident
If you want to become self confident you need to do three things: 1) Become an optimist. Learn from, and forget yesterday's mistakes. Focus on tomorrow's professional success. 2) Face your fears and take action. Action cures fear. Procrastination and inaction compound it. Failure is rarely fatal. Do something, anything that will move you closer to achieving your goals. 3) Surround yourself with positive people who are interested in professional success. Build a network of supportive friends. Jettison the negative people in your life. And just as important, find a mentor to help build your confidence and guide you along the way.

Successful people create positive personal impact
If you want to create positive personal impact, you also need to do three things:
1) Develop, nurture and constantly promote your personal brand. Figure out the two or three things you want to be known for and then act in a way that is consistent with these things.2) Dress for success; make your self-presentation impeccable. Check the mirror on your way out the door. Your appearance should show that you respect yourself as well as those around you. 3) Finally, use proper etiquette. Of course, the most important etiquette rule of all is simple; make the people around you feel comfortable.

Successful people are outstanding performers
There are three things essential for becoming an outstanding performer:
1) You have to remain technically competent. The half life of knowledge gets shorter every day. Become a lifelong learner to remain technically competent throughout your career to be a true professional success. 2) You need to set and achieve high goals. Set milestones to help you keep on track with your goals. Focus on your goals every day. Do at least one thing every day that moves you closer to accomplishing each of your goals. 3) You need to be well organized. Manage your time, stress, workspace and lifestyle well to achieve maximum professional success.

Successful people are dynamic communicators
Three keys to dynamic communication:
1) You need to become an excellent conversationalist. Listen more than you speak. Show a genuine interest in other people and what they have to say. You should do what you can to help them reach their goals, because helping other people find professional success is what makes you a success. 2) To be a professional success, you need to write in a clear, concise, easily readable style. Write like you speak; imagine yourself in a conversation with the person reading your writing. 3) Finally, you need to present well; to groups of two or two hundred. People who have achieved professional success almost always have the ability to make dynamic presentations that move their audience to action.

Successful people are interpersonally competent
The three keys to interpersonal competence complete the picture:
1) Become self aware. Understand yourself and your impact on others. Use your self awareness to better understand others and to increase your influence with them. 2) Build solid, long lasting mutually beneficial relationships with other people. Relationships are the key to long term professional success. Treat other people with dignity and respect, and they will reciprocate. 3) Finally, find ways to resolve conflicts with a minimal amount of problems and upset to relationships. Conflict is inevitable in business and life. Find ways to resolve conflict in a manner that enhances, not detracts from the relationships you've worked so hard to build.

Implementing these five essential elements of professional success and taking the time to learn the various aspects of each will help to ensure your professional success in any endeavor you undertake. Simply knowing them is not enough, you must take the time to learn and perfect each one as you implement them.


Guest writer Ray Subs is a public relations specialist working with The Common Sense Guy--Bud Bilanich. For more common sense advice about success visit SuccessCommonSense.com