11 Rules For Success, From The People Who Got It Right

No one is born a success, but everyone has the potential to become one. As Will Smith once said, “Greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, elusive god-like feature that only the special among us will ever taste. It’s something that truly exists in all of us.”

Not there yet? It might help to tap into some of the principles a few of the “already-greats” have used to dictate their own lives. While there is certainly no single road to success, there do seem to be some distinct, guiding blueprints to getting there. Find 11 guidelines for tapping into your innate greatness below.

1. Focus On The Process, Not The Result

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot ... when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.” — Michael Jordan

“Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.” — Annette Funicello

2. Pay Attention — To The Right Things

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.” — Steve Jobs

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” — Helen Keller

“If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

3. Put In What You Want Out — And Maybe Put In A Little Bit More

“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.” — Kahlil Gibran

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.” — Charles Dickens

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” — Maya Angelou

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill

4. Play Your Strengths. Don’t Feel Ashamed Of Your Weaknesses

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

5. Gratitude Is A Necessity

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” — Melody Beattie

6. Remember: Instinct Is Not Synonymous With Impulse

“When angry, count to 10 before you speak. If very angry, count to 100.” — Thomas Jefferson

“Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act.” — Paulo Coelho

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

7. Happiness Takes Work

“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

“Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” — Dalai Lama

8. Simplicity Is Key

“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” — John Wooden

“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” — Albert Einstein

“Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life.” — Marcus Aurelius

9. You Can’t, And You Shouldn’t, Please Everyone

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” — Abraham Lincoln

“If everybody loves you, something is wrong. Find at least one enemy to keep you alert.” — Paulo Coelho

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” — Bill Cosby

10. Have Faith. Lots Of It 

“Go ahead, do something impossible.” — Seth Godin

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Peter Drucker

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” — Thomas Edison

11. Passion. It’s All About Passion

“You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit and think about it. Go out and get busy.” — Dale Carnegie

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” — Albert Einstein

Author: huffingtonpost.com