The 6 keys to success are unshakable focus, undeniable passion, fierce tenacity, hard work, building relationships and improving your leadership skills. You could be in the process of obtaining your degree and this most definitely applies. You could also have chosen to pave your own path with a entrepreneurial head strong spirit like myself and this applies to you even more. When you don’t have a degree to fall back on it’s a constant reminder to keep working tirelessly and to never allow yourself to become complacent.

• Focus: is defined by the dictionary as the center of interest or activity. The definition of this word is paramount because it defines why this aspect of your success is so significant- “As you think, so shall you be.”

• Passion: is the difference between following through to actually achieve your goals or giving up when the going gets tuff. You can’t buy or bottle this stuff. It comes from deep within and it breeds the best of the best such as Oprah Winfrey. One of my favorite quotes by her is “What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.”

• Tenacity: I’ve learned anything that comes easily goes easily and that includes money, success and even relationships.  That’s why get rich quick schemes never pan out. Like the late Dr. Randy Pausch advised, “Brick walls aren’t meant to keep us out, they are there to make us show how bad we want it! In fact, brick walls are meant to keep others out.”

• Hard Work: Sorry to disappoint, but there’s no work around for this one. What separates productive and successful individuals from others is like my pop always says “You have to work hard, but more importantly you have to work smart.” When adversity strikes do what Dr. Randy Pausch said, “Don’t complain, work harder.”

• Build Relationships: When I first moved to Scottsdale, Arizona for the career opportunity that changed my life I didn’t really know anyone except a close family friend. Not having much to do in a new town and having some spare time on my hands I headed over to Barnes & Noble to see what’s new in the business section. Nothing popped out at me so as I’m walking away in a different isle I see this big orange book titled “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. The title was thought provoking enough for me to pull it off the shelf. This set the foundation for networking and cemented the concept that “Your network is your net-worth.”

• Leadership: is the best way to attract like minded individuals that you’ve networked with to desire to work with you. A lot of people talk, but it’s the doers that get things done that people want to work with. A good friend recommended I read “The 21 Irrefutable laws of Leadership” by John C. Maxwell a while back and it was a turning point in my focus as a entrepreneur- The title says it all: “The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and they will follow you.” My mentor referred “Good to Great” when I went to him for advice on a new startup that I’m currently pursuing. His advice was “read this before doing anything else.” I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge since reading this book and I immediately stopped in my tracks to restructure my current venture to line up with my newly acquired knowledge. I think the most valuable lesson learned was that Great Companies that out perform their sector and the market over the course of  “x” amount of years started with choosing their executive leadership team prior to finding their product. That simple piece of advice provided me so much understanding that it was worth reading just for that one sentence.

I am a living testament to the 6 Keys to Success listed above. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the reasons above that propelled me in my career. My favorite of the 6 would definitely be building relationships because reaching out and helping people is my passion.

“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.” – Oprah Winfrey