Success is based on action, and actions are the results of beliefs, said Dharmesh Shah, founder of HubSpot, in a recent LinkedIn post.
He outlines 10 things almost all successful people believe. Here are a few of our favorites:
1. They believe being the first matters less than being the best.
“Success is often the result of perseverance,” Shah says. “When the first person to the game stops trying, stops striving, or starts compromising their principles and values, the person who relentlessly seeks perfection is the person who wins.”
So don’t worry about being the first one in. “Focus on being the best one still in the game.”
2. They believe personal success comes from service, not selfishness.
“I don’t know anyone who has accomplished something amazing on his or her own,” he says. “Great leaders focus on providing the tools and training to help their team do their jobs and achieve their goals.”
When you're “in it” only for yourself, initial success is always limited and often short-lived. “When you're in it for others, they succeed – and so do you.”
3. They believe the depth of their network is more important than the breadth.
“The downside of the ease of social media is that building a network can become a numbers game,” Shah says. “Forget amassing a huge network.”
Numbers aren’t important; real connections are. Successful people build networks consisting of people they can help, people they can trust, people whom they care about, and people who care about them.
4. They believe in doing a few things no one else is willing to do.
“The best opportunities often lie waiting in fields other people can’t be bothered to cultivate,” he says. “Find those fields and start cultivating.”
Every time successful people take on a project or task, they do a few extra things that others aren’t willing to do. For instance, you can do some extra research; take a closer look at something others have ignored; place one more call, send one more email, or make one more attempt to connect and build a relationship with a client.
Remember, in the words of motivational trainer Zig Ziglar, “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.”
See the full LinkedIn post here.
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