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The Link Between Psychology and Success in Life
The terms success, accomplishment, and satisfaction are all subjective, right? So, your success may look different to that of a person in a third-world country. The meaning of success is decided by the individual, community, or culture. For instance, successful women from 200 years ago were those who had a team of children and a husband who took care of all the finances. Looks a little different now in most cases.
At its roots, success simply means to accomplish something. Achieving your goals. These accomplishments can be anything, but generally, they relate to achieving wealth, material possessions and status. Regardless of what success looks like to you, the first step to achieving success lies in your mind, and with the help of psychology, you can be well on your way to achieving your goals.
In this article, going to discuss the psychology behind success and give you tips to help you along on your journey to success in life.
What are the characteristics of successful people?
There’s a lot that we can learn from others. Think of a few people you would deem to be successful, and you’ll find that many of them have certain similar characteristics. Take a look at these and see what you can apply to your life:
- Goal-oriented
- Resilient in the midst of setbacks
- Self-disciplined and have a strong work ethic
- Committed to ongoing learning and adaptable to change
- Willing to take calculated risks and leave their comfort zone
- Skilled in problem-solving with logical and creative thinking
- Effective leaders who inspire, motivate, and guide others
- Emotionally intelligent, with a strong sense of self-awareness and empathy for others
4 Steps to achieving success using psychology
The beautiful thing about success is that we can all achieve it in one way or another; it’s just a matter of perspective. Here are a few steps to help you on your way to success:
1) Planning is pivotal: set achievable goals
Strategic planning is usually a very effective way to achieve success because it involves setting realistic goals for yourself. That means they need to be achievable, not just easy. The psychology and reasoning behind setting realistic goals is that when you’re able to hit your goals, it boosts your confidence and focus and drives motivation.
Using the SMART goal-setting method is also suggested. The SMART goals method goes as follows:
- Specific: Your goals need to be specific and not too broad
- Measurable: You need to have a method of measuring your goals so you can know when you’ve reached them
- Achievable: you don’t want a goal that’ll be too difficult for you to reach
- Relevant: the goal needs to be immediately relevant and beneficial
- Time-bound: ensure the goal has a reach-by-date so you know how long you have to work towards it
2) Build a growth mindset
In life, there are always going to be challenges. Whether it’s finishing your studies or landing new clients, challenges are nothing new. Being successful relies heavily on your state of mind. If you find it difficult to overcome or even face challenges, then you’re going to struggle to achieve your goals.
However, if you view challenges as opportunities to develop and learn, then you’re always moving in an upward direction. That’s what challenges do for us; they help us learn new things. With every challenge you overcome, you grow and develop, getting one step closer to your goals!
- Believe that your efforts matter
- Learn new skills
- View failures as learning experiences
3) Surround yourself with strong social support
Granted, there are some things in life you’re going to have to do by yourself, but who you surround yourself with has a part to play in success. Having friends, family, mentors and co-workers who are rooting for you, will make the bad days seem a little easier and the good days that much sweeter. Here are the different types of social support you’ll find:
- Tangible support – helps in active and practical ways
- Emotional support – provides the comfort, empathy and security you may need when facing challenges
- Esteem support – boosts your confidence and provides encouragement
- Informational support – provides advice and mentorship
4) Deal with failure
On a similar line to overcoming challenges, dealing with failure, or more so how you deal with failure will say a lot about your character and affect your journey to success. Failure and setbacks are a part of growing. When they occur, we need to just keep pushing on. Failure also teaches us valuable lessons. Learning from failure can help us grow and become more resilient to setbacks, giving us a greater capacity to succeed.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the psychology behind success gives you the keys to unlocking whatever success means to you. For those who are passionate about helping people achieve their goals and become successful in life, becoming a psychologist may be the path to your own success.
