1.

Success And Shyness

Also: Overcoming Shyness, Love Shyness, Dealing With Shy People

Is the world of success confined only to people who are extroverts? Absolutely not. In fact, the
most extroverted people are often at risk through being so unaware of what is really going on
with the people around them. If they are extrovert and egotistical, they will not be listening,
unless someone is praising them and feeding their ego. So, they may have a soft underbelly in
terms of achievement, simply because their ability to acquire knowledge, especially about other
people, is limited. Overcoming shyness is actually easier to overcome than being extrovert with
an inflated, and misguided, ego.

Shy people, on the other hand, may quietly take in an enormous amount from simple observation
that is beyond the perception of an extrovert who is obsessed with their own ego. Ideally, of
course, a successful person and leader should be capable of being extrovert or introvert,
depending on the circumstances and the need of the moment. A powerful extrovert who knows
when to listen and when to delegate, and how to learn from the quieter people around him, is best
geared to be a success in whatever he chooses. Throw in some modesty, and there you could
have a great person who needs to prove nothing, because he will naturally attract and generate
success.

A shy person can still be a big success in their chosen field, though, and may easily outstrip the
extrovert in some.

If You Are Introverted And Shy, Dare Your Way To Success

It is true that shyness can be something of a drawback socially for those who suffer from it
acutely. I mean real shyness, not somebody who is simply quiet. Because somebody is fairly
quiet in your company when you meet them, does not mean they are shy. They could be, but on
the other hand they may just be observing because they are unsure of you or others in your
company. They may be capable of being extrovert and sociable, but on this particular occasion,
are quiet.
I know this from my own experience, because I can be both introvert and quiet, or if the occasion
demands, silly, extrovert and outgoing. In my case, because I like people, nature and other things
around me, I like to observe and learn. But I certainly did not become a project manager long ago
because I was shy; I did not organise social and sporting events because I was shy; and I did not
approach beautiful girls because I was shy.

Yet, on some occasions when I have met people, they have jumped to the conclusion that I'm shy
simply because I was in a quiet mood. They were wrong; but they could have been right.

One thing I have learnt from those experiences is that those who observe and listen more and talk
less, can gain a position of strength. This means that even a genuinely shy person, the type who
blushes easily and is reluctant to talk in company, especially new company, can become a strong
person, in just about anything they choose. Remember, knowledge is power, and a shy introvert
is in a better position to acquire knowledge than an extrovert.

It is widely accepted that timid people know a great deal about human character in general,
although they normally may not dare to get in contact with that many themselves. Even if these
painfully shy people had little social life, most of them grew up as great human resources
managers or psychologists, simply because they could analyze others better than a self
opinionated extrovert. Also they can tend to choose careers that require a lot of PR work, just
because they have a need to prove to themselves that they can do it.

Introverted people can give great attention to learning, and as good listeners they can take in an
enormous amount from others. Over time, people can come to respect them far more than the
extrovert who blasts out nothing but hot air, and usually about themselves.

What does it take, then for a very shy person to be that successful person they always wanted to
be. They may only need one more ingredient to push them on their way. They need to dare
themselves to take the leap; and when they do, they will probably find all the knowledge they
have acquired over the years, will come to the fore and help them on their way to the top in their
chosen field.
2.What Is Success?

I recently read a thread in a forum in which somebody was dismissive of other people who wrote
about success. His argument was that they wrote about success but were not successful
themselves.

I made no comment, just smiled as others were diving in to dismiss what was nothing more than
a self glorifying remark. To make such a statement he must have had a very narrow minded view
of success, presumably relating success to massive wealth. Even on such a narrow, and plainly
silly, definition, how on earth could he know whether others who wrote about success had been
successful or not? Clearly, he could not.

With that statement he had insulted just about every person on the planet who could write.
Success is a very personal and individual achievement. You could examine the life of any other
person, and pinpoint successes in their lives; and if they could write, they could write about
success. Those successes may be beyond the vision of somebody who is arrogant and judges
people by their level of conspicuous wealth. However, those little successes in that person's life
may be of relative importance to that person, whether a child, teenager or adult, and also to their
family and friends.

Success is always relative, and can relate to just about any aspect of human existence. Nobody
should just be dismissed as unsuccessful by others. An individual can, of course, be unsuccessful
in a particular endeavour; even so, if they set out on that endeavour at all, then they are more
"successful" than somebody who never found the impetus to do so, even though they want to.

It is even possible to "succeed" and "fail" at the same time. Taking an example from my own
life, in my late teens I wrote my first two novels. I felt very satisfied, and considered the second
novel at least a success, even though I could not find a publisher and never made a penny from it.
As a novelist, I was a failure; yet I felt success.

When considering your own success it is worth bearing in mind a dictionary definition, just to
help keep it in perspective: success is "An event that accomplishes its intended purpose." That is
really all it is; it does not have to be about conspicuous wealth, nor does it have to be highly
public.

The most obvious successes are, of course, visible in public and can often be accompanied by
conspicuous wealth. However, you will usually find those successes have been preceded by a lot
of smaller and less obvious successes, and failures as well, all of which were essential to that
ultimate and big success that everyone sees today.

A famous and successful musician, for example, may have had their first success in mastering
their first tune on a guitar. It was an essential success, but small and insignificant at the time.
That same musician may have had their first public performance, when everything went wrong
and the audience booed, and been dismissed by those present as a failure. Yet, it was an
important step to their ultimate success.

Long term success in anything depends on a series of steps, each of which has to be taken to get
to the ultimate destination. Each step can be its own little success, or sometimes a failure that
sparks the greater effort that leads to ultimate success. Each is as important as the other.

3.Vision, Mission, Goals, and Objectives - Strategizing for Success

An important, even critical, step in strategizing for success is to define and outline what success
looks like as well as what it will take to achieve it. While setting goals and objectives or writing
mission and vision statements may be most appropriate for a business or organization, they are
helpful tools for individuals also. Let me explain the terms and what they can mean for your
success journey.

In a simple definition, we might describe vision and mission statements as the "big picture"
while goals and objectives are focused on the smaller.

Most people use the words "vision" and "mission" interchangeably and in doing so may miss out
on the power of both in strategizing for success. A mission statement can be like the guiding star
for a sailor crossing the ocean - it seems timeless and constant. For an individual or business
alike the mission statement can describe the ultimate reason or purpose of existence with broad
strokes. A well-written mission statement might last a lifetime without need for change. Yet the
mission does not need to be so lofty as to be unattainable and should not be if success is to be
measured by its fulfillment.

By contrast a vision statement usually has some finite parameters such as time or achievement.
The acronym "SMART" (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed) is sometimes
used to help define and articulate a good vision. If the mission is to be your ultimate purpose
then the vision is what helps you to grab hold and accomplish that mission. I should note that it is
entirely possible that two people or organizations could successfully achieve the same mission
with entirely different vision statements.

If these descriptions sound a lot like goals and objectives you are correct. In essence a long-term
goal could be your mission and the objectives used to achieve that ultimate purpose could be
described in a vision statement. Where goals are left deliberately vague, objectives describe
specific details for achieving the goals successfully.