Inside the Brain of Successful People
Here’s the truth: the mind plays a crucial role in any kind of success.
Our thoughts are created by the mind, those thoughts drive our actions, and our actions lead us toward the success we envision.
I highly doubt that many people would say they don’t want to be successful, especially when it comes to their finances.
If you think money doesn’t matter to you, yet you feel happy about getting a raise at work, then it’s clear that earning more is important to you.
I have a friend—let’s call him John—who took a forex trading course that made others wealthy.
But despite following the same course, principles, and teacher, he didn’t achieve the same results. So, what went wrong?
It makes me question my opening line: Why do so many people, though eager for success, never achieve it? Is it due to bad luck or something else we can’t explain?
Consider success as an iceberg.
Let’s dive below the surface to uncover how the mind behind success truly functions.
How Successful People Think
There are five key pillars that form the foundation of the minds of successful people.
Pay close attention, because these aren’t taught in schools. In fact, school only equips you with one pillar, leaving the rest for you to discover on your own.
Take me, for example—I studied Physics in college, which falls under one of those pillars. Sure, I can get a job with my degree, but it won’t massively move the needle if I haven’t developed the other pillars.
The truth is, many of us want success but stay at the surface, never digging deeper.
It’s like trying to build a skyscraper starting halfway up, while ignoring the solid foundation that’s crucial for lasting success.
Here are the five pillars that form the foundation of the minds of successful people:
- Mental awareness
- Cognitive skills
- Business principles
- Business discipline
- Systems.
Everyone who has achieved success in business or any other field has these five pillars firmly established in their mind—that’s why they’re successful.
Many people can talk about what they’re working on, but can’t show any real progress, simply because there isn’t any. They fail to realize that the lack of progress stems from not having these five pillars properly aligned. Instead, they jump from one project or business idea to the next, hoping to find an easier path to success.
Let us understand each of the five pillars.
1. Mental Awareness
Having a deep understanding of yourself—your thoughts, emotions, and environment—is what we call mental awareness, and successful people leverage this skill to achieve their goals. Those with high mental awareness often demonstrate the following traits. If you don’t, it may indicate a need for personal development:
They recognize the value of their opinions, believing that their thoughts matter.
They are comfortable with how they look, speak, and carry themselves.
They feel they can make a meaningful contribution to improve the world.
They maintain an optimistic outlook, consistently focusing on positive reasons for why things will turn out well.
They may have varying levels of passion, but all are driven by a greater purpose that motivates them to take action.
They practice delayed gratification, willing to commit to long-term projects without needing immediate rewards.
2. Cognitive Skills
Cognitive skills refer to a person’s ability to learn, remember, reason, process information, and solve problems. These skills are crucial because they directly impact decision-making, critical thinking, and overall intellectual performance.
For example, you can teach two people the same investing principles, but the one with stronger cognitive skills will grasp the concepts faster and make smarter investment decisions than the other.
Individuals with strong cognitive skills typically exhibit the following traits. If you find yourself lacking in these areas, it may signal a need for personal growth:
Individuals with strong cognitive skills often demonstrate the following traits. If you find yourself lacking in these areas, it may indicate a need for personal growth:
They can prioritize what truly matters. For instance, I often see entrepreneurs focusing on creating a fancy website for their brick-and-mortar business instead of initially concentrating on driving sales or YouTubers obsessing over a channel banner instead of producing high-quality content—showing misplaced priorities.
They maintain focus on a task. This means eliminating distractions like social media and email to concentrate fully on what they are doing.
When challenges arise, they seek solutions. Instead of getting overwhelmed, they approach problems with a problem-solving mindset.
They set clear goals and create actionable plans to achieve them. This structured approach helps them stay on track.
They can recognize patterns and connect the dots. This ability to synthesize information allows them to see the bigger picture.
3. Business Principles
Every successful person has a set of solid business principles that guide their operations. These rules and values are crucial for how a business functions.
While having mental awareness and good cognitive skills is important, it can be difficult to achieve meaningful success without a solid foundation of business principles.
One fundamental business principle I’ve observed in all successful people is their dedication to ethical standards, such as accountability, honesty, transparency, and compliance with the law.
On top of that, they prioritize:
- Putting their customers’ interests first.
- Communicating clearly and openly with clients.
- Building strong, trusting relationships with their customers.
- Developing effective cash flow systems for their business.
- Setting clear and achievable goals.
- Hiring talented individuals and being okay with being the least knowledgeable person in the room.
4. Business Discipline
This is where our education often starts in school.
The mind can be developed in numerous business disciplines, such as accounting, taxation, e-commerce, corporate finance, sales, supply chain management, and digital marketing.
While these fields are crucial, the real challenge comes when they lack a foundation in mental awareness, cognitive skills, and solid business principles.
For example, you can learn about sales, but if you struggle with communication and have low self-confidence, you may find it difficult to excel in that area.
5. Systems
Systems are built on top of the four pillars I’ve talked about. They are the tools and processes necessary for success in any business field.
For example, in accounting, you’d learn how to prepare financial statements and analyze transactions, often using software like QuickBooks or Xero to simplify the process.
So, to conclude, what I want to say is that every successful businessperson out there has these foundations, and that’s why they’ve achieved such levels of success.
If you’re not seeing success yet, it could be because you haven’t fully developed these aspects of your mind.
Once you do, success becomes inevitable.
Thanks for reading! I’m wishing you more dollars and freedom.
Until next time!
Manuelo is an entrepreneur and a personal finance nerd. He is the founder of Dollars And Freedom. An expert in side hustles, online gigs, and everything about making money. His works have been featured on major financial publications, like Business Insider, GoBankingRates, Investopedia, Entrepreneur, and more. When he’s not busy with his blog or writing for others, you’ll catch him hanging out with loved ones or reading books on stoicism and self-development.
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