Winning at Life

We have all read online, or in the sports pages of a newspaper, about the millions of dollars earned by professional athletes and sports heros. And there are many glossy magazines that feature stories on the lavish lifestyles of popular Hollywood celebrities, singers and entertainers.

Success in business is now frequently measured in billions of dollars rather than millions. Many of the new billionaires of today control more wealth than small countries. Millionaires are common today. You can be certain that there are multiple millionaires living in your neighbourhood.

There are many characteristics that run through the financial success of all of these achievers. They have developed and refined one or more skills that they can sell at a premium price in one of the world's markets. People will pay well to enjoy or benefit from these skills.

Vitality and fortitude alone are not attributes that will earn one meaningful wealth. Physical prowess is an abundant commodity that is widely available in a labor force. You can be certain that brute strength is not the only attribute to be credited to the players pictured above. They have refined many additional skills that augment their toughness to deliver their rich rewards.

Those who have learned and perfected valued skills will most likely be able to ask for more money in the world's marketplace. They have more commercial value to offer others, and they are paid accordingly.

What are the skills then that facilitate extraordinary earning potential? We learned of a few at the beginning of this article but if you are not inclined to professional sports or public performance you will need to identify a skill that is of interest to you. Then you will need to learn and practice until you become exceptional at implementing and executing that skill.

There is a world of opportunities. Let's explore some possibilities.

Many are in the fields of the sciences and technologies. They tend to be perennial winners. You may have to be more creative to take advantage of lucrative opportunities in arts and humanities, but they do exist. Lengthy study is often a requirement for these opportunities for higher income but the pathway is quite clearly identified in western society.

If these traditional roles are of little interest to you, you will need to be more creative in selecting skills that can be used to secure prosperity in the world’s lucrative marketplace’. You might find it helpful to exchange ideas with others, friends or family, but no one can tell you what is the right skill for you to perfect.

Make a list of things others do for financial gain, that interest you. Make a second list of ideas you can pick up from public media. Most importantly, make a third list of skills you could learn and apply that would enable you to provide people with the things they are demanding, the things that would make people’s lives easier, more fun, more comfortable.

Ask yourself “what are people willing to pay for?” What skills do people have that you could apply with some training and some practice? Which skills do you believe you could apply in a lucrative way? Which activities and skills earn more? If you are employed, are there opportunities to learn additional skills at work?

Don’t dawdle. Start those lists now!

This discovery process is not necessarily easy but is certainly necessary if you wish to leap into higher rewards. Opportunities are likely knocking at your door. Is there a friend or family member that is willing to teach you a skill? Who do you know that is connected to where you would like to be. Network. There are hundreds of training courses available in any populated area that teach dozens of skills.

Make your lists now. Then decide the one skill you will pursue. Yes, decide just one. When you have mastered one, pursue another. Soon you will have the portfolio of skills you need to earn more.

Once you have identified that one skill you want to perfect then it is necessary to practice that skill to perfection. Look for opportunities to practice, practice, and practice some more.

It goes without saying that if you want to play piano well you will need to play often. If you want to be an effective public speaker you will need to speak often in front of groups of people. If you are unwilling to rehearse your skill frequently you are unwilling to learn the skill proficiently.

In summary please note that although this article by intent puts the spotlight on identifying and developing skills useful in enhancing individual prosperity, the principles can be applied to success in any area of advancement. Watch for more articles where a variety of useful skills can be developed for personal benefit in non-monetary aspects of your life.