Are your actions leading you to success or failure? Try emulating the 5 characteristics of successful people to achieve long-lasting success.

Because I never trusted my talents, my looks or my luck, and had no connections, I studied what successful people did and tried to mimic it. Then I studied what unsuccessful people did and tried to avoid it.

While there are many things that seem to differentiate those who are successful from those who aren’t, I’ve noticed one simple difference that stands out the most—successful people are more willing. What exactly are they more willing to do than others? Here are five key activities they are more willing to do:

1. They Go to Work to Prosper, Not Just to Work

Those who are more successful go to work to get something accomplished. They work to make their dreams a reality, not just to get their eight hours in. They have a drive, even a greediness or self-centered push to get something done. There are millions of people who go to work every day, yet few put themselves in a position or mindset to prosper.

Unsuccessful people approach their work with a more limiting mindset. They often refer to work in a negative way. For example, they’ll say “the daily grind” or “my life as a drone.” They typically complain as opposed to looking at work as a means to an end, to create a life of abundance. Work—the passion for it, the creation of it, your contribution and what you learn from others—is what leads to goals being met and dreams becoming reality.

2. They Exercise Incredible Drive

The most successful people I know are driven, and they push and shove until the job is done and targets are hit, and then they go again. They’re able to stay focused on getting results. They keep doing the hard things long after others are only doing what’s comfortable.

Unsuccessful people appear to spend a lot of time in emotions and considerations that cause them to stop or settle and then rationalize how these feelings should be satisfied. What they don’t seem to understand is this mechanism of drive is a muscle that can be developed by practicing nonconformance with society’s definitions of success.

3. They Never Make Excuses

Read the rest here: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/5-things-successful-people-do-that-others-dont/?extlink=of-syndication-Recommended_Reads-Twitter-110884194-p