I am talking top-notch here. Not just “above-average” but someone who puts their head in their craft and comes out at the top.

But first things first: SYSTEMATIC SUCCESS!

Many people at the top of their fields (say, football or physics research or a hacker etc.) had to help. By help, I mean they received direction/advice and mentorship. Their parents prompted them to work towards a particular skill. Or they got lucky in some way (say, their teacher was very good).

Now, what I would like to call systematic success is something different: you decide what exactly you want to do, you make a plan (which should be flexible), you do it until you succeed.

Not everyone can succeed and the following are the 5 qualities in the order of importance (approximately) which I believe indicates whether a person would be successful or not.

1. HUNGER

There is no way who “kinda wants it” succeeds in the game without luck. You have to want it so badly that you wake up dreaming about it, that you breath thinking about it and you sleep analyzing it.

2. COURAGE

If you don’t have the courage to be the crazy one — the wolf in the herd — then you will not succeed. Do not be afraid to go against the flow, do not be afraid to be pointed a finger at: “he is nuts!” Yes, you gotta be nuts to even have the courage to dream that you will one day do what millions failed to.

3. DETERMINATION

Hunger and Courage are not just enough. At some point, you are going to fail. Trust me on this one. Failure is the secret ingredient of success. How can you not fail? Not failing indicates that you are not making any mistakes. That’s almost impossible without experience. So you will fail.

How you respond to this will determine your future. Most people give up. Those who don’t will eventually get there.

4. SMART

“Smart” is a very dangerous word because most people associate it with natural aptitude. Wrong.

The only reason why “SMART” is not the No. 1 in my list is that intelligence is, in some way, a product of courage, self-belief and determination. When you believe in yourself you become smarter. When you solve problems you become smarter. When you believe you are smart you become smarter.

Increase your intelligence. This will make you more creative and a better decision-maker. This will help you network. This will help you be more productive, more disciplined, more understanding both in personal life and in work and many others.

5. SACRIFICES

If you want to do what millions failed then you also need to give up things which millions did not dare. This means saying “no” a lot. This means giving up your second favorite hobby or not flying to your cousin’s wedding. Know your priorities straight and decide if you want to cross this path. You have to be ready to make sacrifices.

NOTE:

I did not include things such as “self-confidence” or “self-discipline” because these are skills — not qualities. (In a way, all of the above 5 are also skills, but self-confidence and self-discipline are much more “flexible” and volatile).

Also, note that I did not mention “talent”. Screw talent. There is no way to determine talent. What you can, at best, measure is intelligence and as I have mentioned intelligence is a product of self-belief and experience.

Imagine this: if Einstein were Tarzan he would not be able to solve a quadratic.

Forget talent.

And remember hunger, self-belief, courage and determination.