Success

[Blake]

"Those that actually succeed in life.. they just happen to be born with the magic ticket called 'talent'"

Just a quote I thought about when talkign about... someone IRL, that led to this.

What do YOU believe is the secret to success? Is it effort? Is it someone's personality? Is it the innate talent they have at birth? Is it what you're born to? Or is it something else entirely?

[Synchronized]

As cliche as it sounds, determination. It doesn't matter if you're blessed with talent or the most awkward person on Earth; if you want something bad enough, and you're willing to work for it, you can do it. This is fact.

[Susie]

There is no secret at all
Do the things you're good at and work on your flaws
Then you will succeed at what you want
Don't go overboard and keep yourself in your comfort zone
That is how to be successful, but that is not a secret
It is something that we all should understand and know

[Mugendramon]

Personality, in this day and age, seems to be what determines the chances one has to succeed.

There are two ways to power- inheritance of it, or [i]climbing [/i]to the top. In these times of ours, the most effective way of climbing up to power, is to sympathize with those above you. Not necessarily boot-licking, no; but being an open and friendly person is [i]certain[/i] to take you further than being shy and introverted would. Those who [i]grant[/i] success- employers, look for leadership. Look for potential. Look for those they like, essentially.

[Darth Revan of the Sith]

You need to know people. Either that or be knowledgeable in investing. I chose door #2.

[Fusion X. Denver]

A high EQ. Someone who works well socially with others will be more likely to grab that promotion, not the Silent Sam that may actually have the better talent. It's all about the people you know and make friends with that'll help grant you opportunities.
The best example I can give is my dad.
I got my job as a busboy because my dad made friends with my restaurant's manager.
I've got an internship lined up somewhere special because my dad's friends with the senior vice president.
And he has connections with a lot of these special people because he proved himself to be a cool, sociable guy that a lot of people love to hang around. His whole job centered around meeting and charming people and it cemented his run through his career for a long time and he met vast amounts of success in both business, wealth and friends.
Even when he was in college, he met the guy who would later change his life and give him his main career because he showed himself a cool guy with a steady head on his shoulders.

You want success?
Do the best you can and be sociable wherever you work. In order to lead and acquire success, you have to be able to play well with others.

[Marisa Kirisame-ze]

It's a drive.

And well, define success.

Because to me, I don't think it's achieving some large financial job and getting rich.

The only thing I think success is, is achieving your dream. And if your dream is to get rich and you manage that, then you're successful. If your dream is to backpack Europe because you don't have much money for hotels and you do that, then you're successful.

It's all about doing what you love. And if you're rich, but you hate your job, I wouldn't call you a success.

Being successful is loving your life.

[Makο]

Sort of reiterating what Marisa said, success is subjective. What one person thinks is a failure may be a great success to another.


Basically, if you did what you wanted to do, SUCCESS.


[size=1]I'm not good at these sort of threads.[/size]

[Spirit of DMG]

Do you mean Personal Success? As in, you've achieved your dream? Then, Determination will get you that. All you have to do to backpack across Europe, to use Marisa-Sama's example, is simply pack what you need in a backpack, and start walking. It's literally that easy. All you have to do is have enough determination to do it.
Or are you speaking of Corporate Success? Because if you want to get a big job at a corporation, or in Politics, then yes, Talent and Personality will get you far. I find that the more single-minded, argumentative, and willing to shun facts that are right there in front of you for the good of your chosen political affiliation you are, then the further you will get in Politics. That, along with being able to present your half-facts in a way that makes people who already think the same way you do think you're presenting something you've never heard before.

[TTR~]

Effort.

Even if you're not good at something, just have enough determination and will and grit to become the best at it.

[Night]

Success is the point in which chance meets preparation.

Talent has very little to do with it, if the chance never arises and you lack preparation, no amount of talent will substitute.

[Death Metal]

Hard work and patience.

[Aix]

Each of them, both talent and determination, are a boost to your path of success. I consider them both factors that add up to success. In today's world, social skill also must be put into consideration... as well as luck. Thinking of it one way, if you look at two people with equal determination and social skills, the one with more talent will pull through and become more successful, provided that they are not terribly unlucky or the other is not incredibly fortunate or a combination of both. Though talent seems to be also a thing of luck.

Pure talent makes things a lot easier and makes it so that less of the other (determination) is required as things come easier to you and/or you get through things faster. For example, a prodigy: they will be likely more successful as they will have finished school a lot faster, giving them more time to do stuff and rise up in social status or gather more money.

Of course, luck is something big. You could be lucky that you stumbled upon an insanely good idea which made you, or eventually made you, insanely successful/rich. But then, there's that quote "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

[Clair]

You earn success by forming connections with people and seizing opportunities that arise from said connections. Success takes passion, skill, and yeah, some luck. That's how I see it anyways.

[Mehmani]

If you want to be a famous pop star, you don't need too much talent. You need just enough to impress the record company and then you can let them produce all your stuff. Generally, those who do well in life fall into two categories - those who manipulate well and those who are manipulated well.

[Lt. Colonel Remo]

Believing in the you who believes in yourself

[Agro]

Every post here except Night's is wrong.

 

Why?

 

Moral Luck.

 

Despite the fact that the idea that "if you work hard enough, you can make it" is a nice thought, it's horribly wrong, and unfortunately believed by the majority of today's culture. Just because you want something and you work as hard as you can to get it doesn't mean you will. Not at all. In fact, there are probably many people that get as much done without trying as they would if they did. It's a nice idea, yes, and one I wish was real, but it really isn't.

 

Talent can help you, depending on your field... and your home environment... and your ability to be schooled... and your school environment... and your teachers... Though I suppose that working hard with talent can succeed, there's a very slim chance of it happening.

 

Is it personality? I've met some pretty nice and interesting homeless people who don't like where they are in life.

 

Success can take work, and talent, sure, but the majority of what you're dealing with, whether people want to accept it or not, is all luck.

 

Hell, your own good or bad luck can even determine what you consider "success" to be.

 

Inevitably, I think the idea of defining what it takes to be successful is foolhardy. There's no defined way to tell someone how to be successful. Night said it best though, it's all about getting lucky enough to have an opportunity and seizing it, whether or not that takes hard work, a good personality, or talent is as random as the chance even appearing in the first place. 

[needmorecowbell2013]

Treat people well when you are on the way up, because they'll be there on the way down.