11 Behaviors That Indicate A Person Will Be A Major Winner In Life
Everyone has a different idea of what a winner is, but they all share similar characteristics.
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock Everyone has a slightly different image that comes to mind when they think of a winner. For some, it means money and fame. For others, it means genuine happiness. And still for others, there is just some intangible, elusive kind of success that can't quite be named. Each person's picture of what makes a winner is as unique as their fingerprint.
According to psychology educator Kendra Cherry, "There are many different tactics for how to be successful in life, but the strategy that works best for you may depend on what success means to you." But before you can determine if you will be successful, you need to know what that concept looks like for you personally, making it essential to pay close attention to the behaviors that indicate a person will be a major winner in life.
Here are 11 behaviors that indicate a person will be a major winner in life
1. They have a strong work ethic
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Whatever being a winner looks like to you, a strong work ethic is necessary. Even if your idea of being a winner is completely unrelated to professional success, it's essential to work hard in nearly every area of your life. A winner knows they need to work hard to cultivate and maintain their relationships and have a strong personal life.
In a study published in PLOS One, researchers revealed the strong link between work ethic and motivation to work. The study examined 405 different workers from Poland as its sample.
Researchers concluded, "Individuals who insist on the centrality of work, who value it highly, also in the moral sense, and who are convinced of the value of hard work, are at the same time highly motivated to do work they find exciting, as a component of their identity. At the same time, these individuals are also convinced that work should be done well and accurately."
Basically, those with a strong work ethic both felt it was important to do work that they enjoyed and to do their work well. While this study obviously looked at professionals, this could really go for any area of life.
You could be just as motivated to implement good, interesting work in your personal life. What matters is that you are a hard worker who's willing to put in the work in the first place.
2. They finish what they start
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Winners don't give up in any aspect of life. Instead, they stick it out to the end and finish what they started. One good example of this comes from the world of entrepreneurship. Strong, successful companies are not built by people who give up at the first sign of trouble or who aren't consistent in what they want to do.
Psychology expert Jim Stone, PhD discussed how some people see no problem with ending projects part way through. He called this the "Specter of Eternal Deferment." He revealed, "We run the risk of never completing any projects because we're always ready and willing to abandon our old ones when a seemingly better idea comes along."
One of the behaviors that indicate a person will be a major winner in life is finishing what they start. So, if you want to really be a winner, you have to put in the work necessary to actually follow through on what you say you're going to do.
Giving up is not an option. Instead, you make a conscious choice and effort to complete whatever it is that you've set out to do, and let the outcome be what it is, for better or worse.
3. They work hard in school
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Let's get one thing straight: a formal or fancy education is certainly not a necessity for being a winner. Plenty of winners never received a college education, and have done just fine for themselves. However, we all attend school in some form when we are younger, and this is typically where we begin developing our work ethic and our attitude towards work, in general.
Getting good grades is not a necessity for being a winner either. You don't have to fit into the box society has created for smart people to truly be intelligent. As medical student Donnis Davis said, "There is this saying, 'Hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard.' However, I thoroughly believe that statement is incorrect. I believe hard work always beats talent, you just have to work harder than talent."
Developing a habit of working hard early in life is important and will serve you well later. And Davis' assertion is true — hard work can always out perform talent. Focus on what your individual strengths are and develop them from as young an age as possible. That will set you up to be a winner.
4. They think outside the box instead of conforming
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No one ever became a winner by just falling into formation and doing the same thing as everyone else. You have to think outside the box and be willing to dare to do things others wouldn't. Winning ideas don't come from following the crowd. Conforming won't get you anywhere, especially not the places you should be going if you're a winner.
Entrepreneur contributor Timothy Sykes explained, "Thinking outside the box simply means that you're willing to consider different solutions and methods for reaching your desired outcome." To illustrate his point, he used Thomas Edison as an example.
"If Thomas Edison had shrugged and figured things were good enough the way they were with gas lamps, light bulbs and the electricity to power them might never have been developed," he said. "If he hadn't thought outside the box, the world could be a very dim (literally) place."
Conforming to the idea of what the world wants and expects you to be won't help you win. Indeed, it won't take you very far at all. If what someone wants is a comfortable and simple life, that's fine. But true winners crave more and are willing to do what it takes to get it. They think outside of the box, looking for answers that may not have occurred to others.
5. They seek advice from mentors
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A sign of a winner is that they're willing to seek advice from others, especially those who are in a position to act as mentors to them. They understand the value of learning from those who have gone before them and faced similar challenges while finding creative ways to overcome them. They treasure the advice mentors can give them because they know it is invaluable.
Experts have testified to the importance of mentorship and having someone you can look up to and learn from. The president of the American Psychological Association, Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, said, "It is optimal if mentors stand by your side and help you figure out what you want to do with your life."
Unfortunately, mentors don't just come to someone automatically. Instead, they have to actively look for them. Psychology professor W. Brad Johnson, PhD, added, "Very often, mentoring is left to the luck of the draw or chance."
For this reason, finding a mentor will probably take some work on your part. But if you want to be a winner, it's one of the surest ways to do so. It's important to learn from others and to allow them to offer advice on what you're doing now. Their perspective may be different enough from yours to make you aware of something you have never thought of before.
6. They have integrity
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Having integrity and a strong moral code is a must for any winner. Being honest and trustworthy and not just talking the talk but also walking the walk is a big deal, and is one of the behaviors that indicate a person will be a major winner in life, particularly in today's world where everything seems to be growing faker by the minute.
Having integrity may seem like a small matter in the grand scheme of things, but your actions and attitude matter a lot. Psychology professor Jessica Koehler, PhD, explained that choosing to live with integrity can actually increase your self-esteem.
"Research has established a strong correlation between integrity and increased self-esteem and life satisfaction," she stated. "Individuals who prioritize intrinsic values, including integrity, demonstrate higher self-esteem levels than those who focus on extrinsic values."
It may feel like a waste of time to develop integrity and live with such high standards. After all, it's not something that's prized very highly in today's world. But it is absolutely worth it, and will not only benefit those around you who will know they can trust you, but will also benefit you personally with your self-esteem. That's what it takes to be a winner.
7. They're a curious lifelong learner
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One trait that winners have is the ability to continue learning for their entire lives. As we established, formal education is not really connected to being a winner, unless it has something to do with the specific kind of success you are interested in. However, learning certainly doesn't end when school does. It should extend for a person's entire life and become an integral part of who they are.
A study published in Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences assured people that they did not have to consider lifelong learning an arduous or annoying task, as they very well may have viewed their traditional schooling. Instead, lifelong learning can be fun and tailored to your interests and needs.
Researchers said, "Our world is changing around us in such a frantic pace that if we do not continue to grow and develop; we will soon be left behind... We need to continually keep our skills sharp and up to date so that we have an edge in all we do."
A winner will recognize the value of continuing to learn throughout the rest of their life and understand how much it will add to their life, both personally and professionally. Learning and curiosity aren't things that should ever stop just because someone reaches a certain age or stage of life.
8. They treat other people well
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When you think about someone who is a winner, there's a very good chance that treating other people with respect is one of the last things that comes to mind. Don't people who make it to the top have to climb over others to get there? Some chose to take that route, but it's not necessary to treat others badly just so you can be a winner.
Of course, being nice to someone is going to be good for them, but it turns out that it will be good for you too. The U.K.'s Mental Health Foundation pointed out that kindness benefits your own well-being and can actually help you live longer and feel less stressed.
Despite what some may think, being kind and respectful to others is a good thing, and not something you should feel like you have to do out of obligation. Instead, be nice just to be nice.
9. They accept constructive criticism and feedback
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Winners don't reach the top by doing everything their way and never considering what others think. Instead, as it's one of the behaviors that indicate a person will be a major winner in life, they are willing to hear and accept constructive criticism.
And they take it for just what it is — constructive, not an attack on their character. Feedback doesn't scare or hurt them because they actually want to receive it so they know where and how they can improve.
Constructive criticism is not always easy to stomach, though, especially when it's not presented very constructively. Industrial and organizational psychologist Lisa Steelman, PhD spoke of how important the circumstances under which you receive said feedback is, particularly the environment you're in.
"We found that leaders in a supportive environment for feedback had much better performance improvement over time than those in the unsupportive feedback environment," she said.
Winners understand the importance of taking other people's opinions into account. They want to be the best they can be in every way, and they know they can't achieve that on their own. Without help, people may still become winners, but they wouldn't truly be great. That's an important distinction.
10. They have solid routines
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There's a reason we always hear about the morning, night, work and other routines of people who are successful. There's something that can be emulated there so we can all come closer to becoming winners.
Having solid routines in place adds structure to your day and allows you to properly plan the time needed for whatever you have to do each day. It also allows you to prioritize what is most important for you each day and make sure you accomplish that.
In a study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, researchers emphasized the importance of making lifestyle changes that will last for a lifetime by looking at the bigger picture. Hyperfocusing on every issue can be confusing and make you lose sight of what you need to do. This is the way to build routines.
By having your days divided into different routines depending on what you're doing or what time it is, you'll have greater structure and be able to keep up with what you need to do. This is a sure sign of a winner who is focused on personal growth and development.
11. They spend quality time with loved ones
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Becoming a winner may seem like it's solely focused on doing what it takes to become conventionally successful. However, real winners know that there's far more to life than just a general idea of success. Happiness and balance are key, and one of the best ways to find that is to surround yourself with people you love who care about you.
Professional life coach Sherri Gordon noted that quality time doesn't necessarily equate to spending as much time with someone as possible. "It's all about expressing your love and affection with your undivided attention," she said. In other words, it has more to do with quality than actual quantity.
Spending quality time with loved ones provides you with a much-needed reprieve from professional pursuits and reminds you about why it's important to become a winner in the first place. It's also the easiest way to feel like a winner regardless of how much traditional success you may have by the world's standards. Because, if you have the people you love, what else do you need?
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor's degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
