By Susan Ford Collins
ARE YOU DESTINED for success? Take a few
minutes to complete the success quiz below.
Then we’ll compare how highly successful
people (HSPs) answered.
1. HSPs make time each day to acknowledge their own successes so they can build and
rebuild their self-confidence. For them, success
isn’t just completing business to-do’s. It’s also
knowing when to eliminate a method or relationship and taking action to realize a dream.
Success includes eating breakfast, exercising,
stopping to buy gas, spending time with family
and friends. Most people don’t think of these as
successes, but what happens when you leave
them undone?
2. Rather than using outmoded methods
and systems, HSPs schedule time to thoroughly learn and practice new skills and equip-
small business
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5. People who succeed know the last few
minutes of the day are the most important.
Your brain is in the alpha state, so it’s the perfect time to think about what you want tomorrow and in the long term. Science now
confirms that what you think is what you get,
like it or not, so focus on what you do want
instead of what you don’t.
6. To create and innovate, you have to be
able to disagree with the pack. HSPs can stand
up, disagree and then so powerfully communicate the details of what they see, hear and feel
that other people join them. The result: They
lead by inspiration.
7. Delegating tasks quickly without spelling out the details may seem expedient. But in
the long run it could ruin your business and
your life. To get the support you need from co-workers, customers and vendors, and family,
you need to share precisely what you have in
mind. When you only provide a sketch, others
automatically fill in details they have in mind.
Beware of sensory fill-in.
8. Having to know how upfront will hold
you back. What you need is a thoroughly
detailed outcome and co-dreamers, and your
method will find you. Flexibility is key. Can
you let go of your plan and seize opportunities
that unexpectedly present themselves?
9. If you’re exploring something brand-new, asking an expert who has already gone
through the trial and error can speed up the
process—with one exception. Using a salesperson as your expert may set you up to buy
what’s best for him or her, but not for you.
Make sure your expert is also a co-dreamer.
10. When you’re stuck, do something else.
HSPs say their most creative ideas come when
they walk away from their desk. They program
in the problem at night and trust their mind to
deliver a solution when they wake up. For
years, inventors and creators have told me the
same thing: I woke up with a clear image in
mind or a voice telling me the next step. C
Costco member Susan Ford Collins (susanford
collins.com) is an author and speaker.
Success
steps
ment. They even read owner manuals so they
can use all of the devices’ features.
3. Success and leadership have gears. Like
skillful drivers, HSPs use the right gear at the
right time. When you push too long and hard,
you’re overusing the more-better-faster-cheaper second gear of success. Time to shift
down to start, or up to create. Unless you know
how and when to shift, you’ll burn out your
transmission—and that means your body.
4. HSPs share their dreams with co-dreamers—people who hold the details of their
dreams with them; people who contribute
information and perspective; people they call
when they leave a meeting so devastated that
their dream seems to have been erased. One
conversation with a co-dreamer gets them
back on track. Who are your co-dreamers?
Are you using all
10 success skills?
Take the quiz to
find out
3. How often do you push so hard
that you can’t slow down to rest?
Rarely Sometimes Frequently
4. Do you share your dreams?
Rarely Sometimes Frequently
5. How often do you fall asleep
thinking about what you didn’t
do or don’t want to happen?
Rarely Sometimes Frequently
6. Can you stand up in a meeting
and say you don’t agree?
Yes No
7. Do you spell out the details of
outcomes you delegate?
Rarely Sometimes Frequently
8. Do you have to know how you’ll
reach your goal before you take
action?
Yes No
9. Would you rather ask an expert
than try to figure it out yourself?
Yes No
10. When you’re stressed, do you
spend time away from the task?
Rarely Sometimes Frequently
Circle one answer for each:
1. How often do you acknowl-
edge yourself for what you’re
accomplishing?
Daily Weekly Monthly
Annually
2. Do you make time to learn the
basics of new skills before you
start using them?
Rarely Sometimes Frequently
Success quiz
