Five Steps to Success

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a successful individual? What do Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and others have that we, ordinary people, do not? If you think about it for a while, you will realise that it's not a matter of greater intelligence, but mindset or attitude is the key to these people's success.

You can be successful if:

1. You have vision. A well known quote from Jonathan Swift states that: "Vision is the art of seeing things invisible". You need to have good ideas, to see into the future and think of something that you can create in order to help large masses of people. Whoever invented the cell phone hinted that it will be used by large masses of people.

2. You have a strong ambition and believe in your success. If you do not believe in your own success, you won't make it. It takes a great deal of effort and time to succeed. Do not expect immediate gratification, but think long term. Focus on success and not money! Others did it, so why can't you? Fight for your success and focus on achieving it. Organise your time, make plans and stick to them.

3. Understand that risk is part of life. Most people feel secure if they have a regular full time job. If you like being secure and can't stand to take chances, this is not for you. No business and no investment is 100% secure. We are dealing with probabilities and not certainties. You should learn how to make high probability decisions and stack the odds in your favour. If Warren Buffet would have been afraid to take chances, he wouldn't be the greatest investor in the world today. This man takes his risks. Sometimes he makes a bad investment, but when he succeeds, he hits the jackpot.

4. Have a strong personality. There will be family members or friends telling you that what you are trying to do is risky and that you should stop. If you don't have a strong personality, you will not be tough enough to resist their advice and give it a shot.

5. Think about users, not money. If you are creating products, ease of use (usability) should be your main concern. Think about the normal people that will use your product. If it's too complex or too hard to use, they probably won't bother.