Success. How do you define it? Some lawyers just want to make a nice living. Some want celebrity status. Others want to make incredible amounts of money. And yes others are driven to make a difference in this world. Those that achieve success do so because they have defined it for themselves. And their definition of success is not always what others around them define as success. They listen to their inner voice and they know what they want. What do YOU want? How would YOU define success?
Jeff Haden an author, speaker and columnist for Inc.com and CBS MoneyWatch.com, has ghostwritten nearly forty non-fiction books. Four of them are Amazon Business & Investing books that have become #1 bestsellers. His ghostwriting has put him shoulder to shoulder… eyeball to eyeball with some of this country’s most successful business people. In his article on Inc.com… “8 Things Remarkably Successful People Do,” he provides lessons lawyers can learn from. I warn you… it’s not easy, it’s not quick and it’s not what you want to hear. But, if being remarkably successful were easy EVERYONE would be there. So… listen to Jeff’s words and take them to heart, let them rattle around in your head and then think about how YOU define success… and GO FOR IT! Jeff writes…
I’m fortunate to know a number of remarkably successful people. I’ve described how these people share a set of specific perspectives and beliefs. They also share a number of habits:
1. They don’t create back-up plans. Back-up plans can help you sleep easier at night. Back-up plans can also create an easy out when times get tough.
2. They do the work… You can be good with a little effort. You can be really good with a little more effort. But you can’t be great–at anything–unless you put in an incredible amount of focused effort.
3. …and they work a lot more. Every extremely successful entrepreneur I know (personally) works more hours than the average person–a lot more. They have long lists of things they want to get done. So they have to put in lots of time. Better yet, they want to put in lots of time.
4. They avoid the crowds. Conventional wisdom yields conventional results. Joining the crowd–no matter how trendy the crowd or “hot” the opportunity–is a recipe for mediocrity.
5. They start at the end… Decide what you really want: to be the best, the fastest, the cheapest, the biggest, whatever. Aim for the ultimate. Decide where you want to end up. That is your goal. Then you can work backwards and lay out every step along the way.
6. … and they don’t stop there. Achieving a goal–no matter how huge–isn’t the finish line for highly successful people. Achieving one huge goal just creates a launching pad for achieving another huge goal.
7. They sell. I once asked a number of business owners and CEOs to name the one skill they felt contributed the most to their success. Each said the ability to sell.
Keep in mind selling isn’t manipulating, pressuring, or cajoling. Selling is explaining the logic and benefits of a decision or position. Selling is convincing other people to work with you. Selling is overcoming objections and roadblocks.
Selling is the foundation of business and personal success: knowing how to negotiate, to deal with “no,” to maintain confidence and self-esteem in the face of rejection, to communicate effectively with a wide range of people, to build long-term relationships…
When you truly believe in your idea, or your company, or yourself then you don’t need to have a huge ego or a huge personality. You don’t need to “sell.” You just need to communicate.
8. They are never too proud. To admit they made a mistake. To say they are sorry. To have big dreams. To admit they owe their success to others. To poke fun at themselves. To ask for help. To fail. And to try again.
Each step is hard, but not insurmountable. Each step is important. One big take-away I want you to focus on is the BAD word in the legal profession… selling. Remember his words, “You don’t need to ‘sell.’ You just need to communicate.”
Black Pearl: Read the entire article for even more inspiration.