The fact that the term success could be construed to be entirely relative depending on the individual’s idea of how s/he defines “success” is something for another discussion all together so for now we’ll define success as simply having achieved one’s goals, be they personal or professional, physical or emotional, etc.  After all, if you’ve accomplished what you’ve set out to do, are you not successful?

So, what’s the common thread?  What is the most common characteristic among highly successful people?  Well, it’s simple.  Desire and action.   Without either one of these, success cannot be achieved.

These two characteristics together are the absolutely most common traits you will find among highly successful people.  Desire is an inner drive that pushes you to achieve what you wish to achieve.  It derives from your motivations and is highly indicative of the level of success you will achieve. Many driven people are successful and all highly successful people are burning with the desire to achieve their goals.

The other trait is action.  Action is the ability, and yes it is an ability, to overcome fears and take action.  One of the most common things I read about and hear about among people wishing they could become financially independent and start their own company is that they are afraid.  Successful people are not effected by the fear as much as others.  They embrace the fear, make calculations and plan around the fear to the point of calculating risk and above all, they take action.

In my time, I haven’t studied anyone that I consider successful that didn’t possess both of these traits at very high levels.  What do you think?  Sure, there are other traits that are important as well but do you believe these are the most essential?  If not, what do you believe is most essential to success?

There’s no doubt about it, a great idea can make up for a lot of things.  It can help you overcome competitors, it can help you break into a new industry, it can do all sorts of things… just ask Steve Jobs.

But what I’m afraid people do is overemphasize the role that the idea plays in starting a business.  People place the idea above everything else and I’m a firm believer that it’s not the idea that makes you a success, it’s how you put it into action and the work you do that creates success.  

Take, for example, Google one of the most successful businesses in the world.  There were plenty of search engines around when they entered the market.  They weren’t the first mover and the market was saturated with plenty of competition (Yahoo, MSN, Ask.com, Lycos, etc).  BUT, what brought Google success is that they did what they did better than anyone else and that created huge success!

If you’re one of the people who has always dreamed of starting a business and has been telling yourself for the last 5, 10, 25 years that when you think of something great, that’s when you’ll start a business, do me a favor and ask yourself how that’s working for you?

My guess… it’s been years and over time you’ve come up with plenty ideas but you didn’t pull the trigger because someone had already thought of it or because you didn’t think it was “great”.

Do yourself a favor… stop waiting.  Stop waiting for that novel idea that no one has ever thought of.  The sheer number of people alone show that it’s difficult to come up with something entirely unique.  Remember, it isn’t the idea that’s makes you a success.  It’s the action of building a business that makes you good, then better, then great.  Isn’t your goal to be great?  It’s hard to be great at something without being successful!  I know that’s my goal!

Realize that along the way you’ll make connections, you’ll learn what works and doesn’t work, you’ll probably make some money and you’ll grow and learn and get better at all of it.  It’s a WIN-WIN!

Do yourself a favor today… take a chance on something. (Don’t go crazy and sink a ton of money into something you aren’t ready for. That would be a huge mistake.) But take a chance on something, no matter how small the scale and hone your skills at business.

Remember, it’s not the idea that’s going to make you successful, it’s you!

Heith, Project505

First up, I’d like to really thank you for stopping by Project505.

Project505 is a pet project I’ve started that will team myself, Heith, and some of my friends who have been successful in various aspects of business with you, the reader, who is hoping to start a new business.  This project is really dear to my heart because I have a soft spot for entrepreneurs.  That’s what I see myself as and I recognize the guts it takes to make a run at being your own boss and setting your own rules.  It can be tough, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, but I think you’ll find that it’s also extremely rewarding.

Hopefully, with Project505 we can provide resources and a cooperative of people who’ve been in your shoes before and can help you address the hurdles, avoid the pitfalls, and become that dazzling success that we all know you will be!

Overtime, hopefully things around here will become much more streamlined.  This is my first real foray into the WordPress world so please check back often and bear with me if things don’t seem as smooth as you’d hope at first.

Oh… and one more thing!  One thing you’ll learn about this site is that it’s a collaborative effort so… if you have input, feel free to hit the contact button and give me your feedback.

Until next time, keep dreaming.

Heith, Project505 Founder