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By Khalilah Starks

I’ve said this several times – I’m fascinated by success! I love observing it. I’m thrilled to see people achieve great things. But, as much as I love observing it, I’m even more eager to achieve it!! Consider me an enthusiastic observer and participant in the game of success.

In my last post, I revealed 10 characteristics of highly successful people. Here are 10 more characteristics that are critical to achieving wild success.

11. They Don’t Quit. There’s a saying that comes to mind – When the going gets tough, the tough get going. When faced with adversity, success driven people find the motivation to keep going. Instead of using failure as a reason to give up, failure is used as a motivator to move forward and figure out another way to achieve their dreams. Quitting is never an option.

12. They Focus on Tomorrow While Creating Success Today. Their eyes remain fixated on the prize and their long term vision remains focused. It’s easy to lose sight of a dream and become sidetracked by the trials of life. Instead, every day is seen as an opportunity to achieve a small win that will propel them forward and ultimately create big success.

13. They Don’t Make Excuses. They just get it done. The dog ate my report. I have terrible luck. Bad things keep happening to me. There’s an excuse for just about everything. But, excuses don’t get results. The success driven person takes responsibility for their actions and focuses on sprinting to the finish line.

14. They Think Very Highly of Themselves. I am a winner. Say it with me – I am a winner!! High self-esteem and success are intimate partners. Success oriented people have an unprecedented high level of self-esteem. You cannot tell them that they are less than extraordinary. Well actually, you can. But, they won’t believe you because they really don’t care what you think!

15. They Try Things. And, then they try again, and again, and again. No stone is left unturned. The unknown isn’t scary. Failure isn’t scary. Instead, it’s used to fine tune and move even closer to achieving the dream.

16. They Do It Now. And, it’s with an extreme sense of urgency. There is no room for procrastination which is often the death of a dream. There is an insatiable thirst that can only be quenched after reaching the finish line. The faster they sprint, the faster that thirst is quenched.

17. They Have Already Arrived. Their bank account just hasn’t caught up. They may not have the title or the bank account associated with their dream – but, they don’t need it to act the part. They already know that they’re a rock star (remember they think highly of themselves), so they already act and dress like one. That way, they’re ready to rock out on stage when given the mic.

18. They Operate With High Integrity. Success can certainly be attained through dishonest acts. But, success is short lived without integrity. Think Enron or any other business, political or pop culture scandal. People made it to the top and achieved huge success, but eventually crumbled. And, when they crumbled, they crumbled in a big, big way!

19. They are Coachable. They seek mentorship. Rather than doing it alone, they seek out trusted individuals who have achieved a great level of success to serve as a sounding board and guide as they travel on their dream chasing journey. Instead of running away from negative feedback, they see it as an opportunity to improve and aggressively achieve their dreams.

20. They Have a Why. It’s called the “Why that will make you cry.” Personally, my daughter is my Why. I have an intense desire to achieve a wild level of success on my terms to provide me with more free time to spend with my daughter. These years are tender and I don’t want to miss any of it. I want to achieve an insane level of success to show my daughter that she too can dream big and achieve big. No matter what obstacles are thrown my way, my Why keeps me in hot pursuit of my dream.

Khalilah Starks founded High Powered Professional to provide students and professionals with powerful insider knowledge on the job search process, career development and workplace relations. She has served as a career expert on a CBS Morning News Show and has been featured in numerous online and print publications.