The actor Will Smith said it best when he said: “There’s a certain delusional quality that all successful people have to have.” And it’s true. But there comes a time when anyone who has set some crazily high goals for themselves starts to wonder ‘Can I really pull this off or should I just settle for the life that 99% of the population has?’. If you’re wondering if you’ve really got what it takes to create your dream life and career, read on. We’ve put together six sure-fire signs that you are destined for greatness.
Signs you’re destined for greatness
Your actions don’t always make sense to the average person
Maybe you spend when everyone else is saving, walk away from ‘safe’ and ‘respectable’ jobs to try something completely reckless, or perhaps you invest your time and money in things that others haven’t heard about. That’s a classic sign of someone on their way to the top, and that’s because this behaviour reflects a mindset that’s vital for success: a willingness to take a risk.
Everything in life is a risk; however, unlike the safe-players, those destined for greatness recognise that doing nothing is a bigger risk than trying something new.
You don’t let your lack of confidence stop you from trying
Something we often hear from the ladies in The Ambition Plan’s community is, “I’m not confident enough to do X. How can I become more confident?”. Our answer is always the same: competence breeds confidence. The only way to become more confident is to do the thing you want to do while you feel like an incompetent fraud.
People destined for greatness do not let their confidence stop them from going after what they want. Instead, they recognise that it’s OK to start while they’re scared and unsure… you only fail if you don’t start.
You bet on yourself
Pay attention to all of the great success stories and you’ll find they backed themselves and invested in themselves before they expected anyone else to. That’s because success is 80% about mindset. If you want to start a business you need to put in your own time and money before asking anyone else to do the same. That’s the only way to show you truly believe in what you’re doing.
If you don’t believe in your idea and abilities, how can you ask someone else to?
Similarly, if you say you want to achieve a big career dream but refuse to dedicate time and money to getting the support you need to make things happen, you’re sending out a message that your dream (and your happiness) isn’t worth paying for. That attitude will keep you stuck.
You look for opportunities in disappointment
Whether you call them resilient, broad-shouldered or tenacious, people headed for big success tend to continuously regroup and move forward after any disappointment. This inability to quit when others do is key to success and it’s driven by focusing on opportunities rather than problems.
Just as a child learning to walk never stops until they are fully mobile, when you know you’re destined for greatness you don’t see ‘no’s’ and closed doors as the end of the line, you view them as opportunities to find a new (and better) route.
You don’t try, you do
Next time you catch yourself saying ‘I’m trying to…’ ask yourself how you really feel about the thing you’re trying to do. ‘Try’ is a commitment-free word we tend to use when we have little intention of following through. You ‘try’ to make it to a party you don’t really want to go to or you ‘try’ to eat healthily because you’d rather chow down on pizza and ice cream.
Those destined for greatness are obsessed with creating the life of their dreams and as such, they don’t ‘try’ to make it happen, they make it happen.
You know how to ask for help
No-one knows everything and no-one can do everything alone. The secret to success is seeing this as a fact, rather than a personal flaw.
Knowing your limitations and asking for help to overcome them isn’t only good for your confidence and self-esteem, it’s also vital for maximising your productivity – that’s the key reason why successful people readily ask for help, while unsuccessful people don’t.
Figuring out what you don’t know or can’t do takes more time and energy than asking someone to help you. If you focus on your strengths and outsource the things you’re less skilled at, you will always get a greater return on your time and monetary investments.
Join our insider club
Ready for a gutsy career move? Sign up to get alerts about game-changing career opportunities, such as work abroad opportunities and exciting jobs for career changers.
4 comments
Thanks a lot for liking my comment and lending me this article as a universal sign in order to inspire me for my fruitful future.
Glad you enjoyed it! And yes, trust that it is a sign that you are, indeed, destined for greatness 😉
Great article! Thank you so much for sharing it. I guess I need to focus more on the last point and I’ll definitely be on the right track. Embarking on the road to greatness is not an easy ride (to say the least!), but when you pause for a second and realize how far you’ve been, it is so rewarding! Good luck to all these amazing women working hard to make their dreams come true. I sincerely hope we all make it! xx
You’re very welcome! And yes, nothing worth having is easy, but you just keep going and you will eventually reap the rewards of all of your efforts. If you believe you will make it… you will! 😉