I’m often asked by journalists to
what I attribute my success. They believe it’s an easy question to answer and
expect a superficial sound bite that makes good reading, whereas in reality
it’s a profound subject that deserves a thoughtful response.
First of all, one should understand what ‘success’ really means. According to
the Cambridge Dictionary it’s “the achieving of desired results”. In this
case, success does not mean the ability to accumulate wealth, as so many
people in this materialistic age seem to think.
It rather means the translation of ones ambitions or dreams into reality
whether that dream is to be a great poet, a politician, a family man, a sage,
an entrepreneur or just a really good and compassionate human being. One must
also be careful not to confuse the outward trappings of success with actual
success and remember not to judge a book by its cover.
We all know people who outwardly appear successful when inside they are
tormented or regretful. There are many celebrities, for instance, who give the
impression they have it all but judging by their self-destructive actions they
view themselves as lacking.
I do not set myself up to be a self-help guru and I don’t possess a magical
formula for success. If I did, I would bottle it and share it with as many
people as possible to help them reach their potential. I can, however,
describe what success means to me and give you a small inkling of my personal
road to self-fulfillment.
My life was enriched by wonderful parents, who taught me strong values, and
the importance of independence and self-discipline. I grew up at a time when
life was harsh for almost everyone in Dubai but at the same time, we benefited
from close family ties and solid friendships.
Those were the days when human relationships came first. People were
inherently honest and kept their word. We were taught to be hospitable and to
help one another. We were told that the family’s true wealth was its
reputation. Business was done on a handshake, for instance. My fond memories
of those times ensure that my feet are always firmly on the ground.
Every day, there are small or large challenges or obstacles to overcome and
every day brings either small successes or frustrations. This is, after all,
the human condition and no one is exempt from it. This is a topic that
requires a book. It’s too deep and too broad to be tackled on a page of a
magazine, so for the sake of brevity I’ll concentrate on ten factors, which I
believe are broadly essential to achieve success in business. Ambition,
Vision, Dedication, Self-discipline, Positive-thinking, Intuition,
Opportunity, Ability to judge character, Interpersonal skills, Luck
Ambition is a must. Before you take a step forward you need to set a goal or a
series of goals. I think it was the inspirational author Norman Vincent Peale
who wrote “All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless
he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do”.
Another of my favorite quotes is “Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will
still be among the stars”. In other words, don’t be afraid. Go for it!
Once you are set on becoming an achiever, you need to develop a vision. Use
your imagination. Visualize a project. See the idea budding and developing in
your mind’s eye.
Next you need to set priorities. In the beginning you need to devote time and
energy to achieve your goals. Be single minded and dedicated. Nothing comes
easy so don’t shy away from hard work.
This is where self-discipline comes in. You’ll find that most high-achievers
in business get up early and schedule their day to fit in as much as possible.
The old saying ‘the early bird catches the worm’ is just as true today as it
always was.
At the same time, you should maintain a healthy lifestyle. Keep your energy
high with a healthy diet and regular exercise and your mind free of negative
thoughts. Keep some quiet time for yourself no matter how busy you get. In my
own case, I always put aside an hour or two each day for a game of tennis and
try to enjoy as much quality time with the family as I can.
Believe in yourself. If you think you can do it, you can. It’s also vital to
develop the ability to trust in your own intuition; that little voice inside
your head that warns you at times and encourages you at others. There are
times when our rational mind or our intellect leads us in one direction and
our intuition in another. Go with your gut feeling. If you’re not sure about a
certain path, then as a rule of thumb don’t go there.
Success in business also requires a willingness to grasp opportunities. There
are people who have a natural knack of recognizing opportunity and forcefully
grabbing it and there are people who wouldn’t see an opportunity even if it
jumped up and bit them. Others have the capability of recognizing that an
opportunity exists but either they don’t have the courage to take it or they
hesitate.
Man is not an island unto himself. We need associates and colleagues that we
can rely on. Personally, I put a very high premium on loyalty, both received
and given. It’s extremely advantageous to surround yourself with not only
skilled and talented people but also good people, who genuinely have your
interests and those of your company at heart. When such rare individuals cross
your path you need to be able to recognize them and value them. Your natural
ability to correctly judge character is an invaluable asset.
We need to network and reach out to others. We need to be able to delegate to
people we can trust. We should never be too arrogant to reject a helping hand
or to offer one to those in need.
Lastly, it would be foolish to discount the role that luck has to play. There
are always events that we cannot control. There are always setbacks on the
ladder due to unforeseen sets of circumstances.
We can’t always be winners but we can learn important lessons from temporary
misfortunes as long as we remember to count our blessings and instead of
seeing the glass as half-empty realize that, in fact, it’s half full.
We may not be able to conquer every battle that life throws at us but as long
as we keep our head when all around us are losing theirs in the end we will
always win the war. Now that’s real success!