Attributes+of+Success

To be successful is to ultimately be proud of who you are. Whether that pride comes through making money, creating things, getting promoted at work, or loving people, the key to success is meeting your personal goals to become who you want to be. Success should not depend on others' opinions, although many will "approve of you" if you believe yourself to be successful by accomplishing your goals.
 * __ Part 1 __**
 * What does it mean to be 'successful'? Define Success.**

Confident, intelligent (not necessarily book smart, but also in terms of common sense, knowledge of how to interact with other people, etc.), happy.
 * Create a list of** //**personal qualities/characteristics**// **associated with successful people.**

I wouldn't say that they can be learned, but they can be fine-tuned or improved. For example, you could increase your confidence by telling yourself, "I am AWESOME," and eventually, you will truly believe it. Any quality is influenced by experience, so that is also a big part of how to acquire the qualities of being a successful person.
 * Can these qualities/characteristic be learned or are they innate?**



Ultimately, any course, book, or site that consists of a person's interests could potentially increase the possibility of being successful. I feel that learning is crucial to achieve success, so I try to find things that will increase my knowledge (especially of things that relate to my future plans, like stuff about music and teaching). It helps to apply knowledge that may seem boring to what I know I could use it for in the future (like taking information about motivation learned in Psychology to think about how to motivate kids to practice).
 * List a few resources including books, internet sites and course offerings that could assist a person seeking to become 'successful'.**

Sometimes, circumstances feel like they are beyond our control - such as no job openings in the area for the position we want, for example. The trick with these is to be optimistic and try to handle it with poise and logic. Perhaps there's a reason that you can't find a position - maybe if you try elsewhere, you will find a person or place that makes you feel good, and feel like it was all for the best. []
 * Describe various** //**circumstances**// **that can contribute to becoming successful.**

Eliza Gaynor-Minden. She created a new brand of pointe shoe. She and her shoe have been featured on NPR, CBS News, the Discovery Channel, the BBC, the front page of the Wall Street Journal, in the New Yorker, and in many other publications. She was also recently named "Inventor of the Week" at MIT. I would say she's successful because she used modern to create a new kind of pointe shoe that I personally love wearing. She has been widely recognized, and made lots of money, and is proud of her work. For lots of interesting information about her new designs (too much to say here), visit... []
 * __Part 2__**
 * Choose a successful** //**INDIVIDUAL**// **from the past or present (Jesus, Abe Lincoln, Michael Jordon, Oprah, Obama, etc.) and describe** //**why**// **you perceive them to be successful.**

David Garrett. I believe that David Garrett is successful not only because he's an incredible violinist, but he knows how to relate to his audience. He plays a lot of "classical pop" if you will, songs like Vivaldi's Four Seasons or the Flight of the Bumblebee, that everybody knows, along with more modern pieces like "He's A Pirate" from Pirates of the Caribbean, and arrangements of songs by Queen and other popular artists. He plays songs that his audience knows, but he presents them in a totally different way. He's also quite charismatic, so he is able to relate to his audiences on a personal level as well.
 * Choose a successful** //**MUSICIAN**// **from the past or present (Mozart, Wynton Marsalis, Eric Clapton, Ari Rudiakov, Sting) and describe** //**why**// **you perceive them to be successful.**

They both worked hard to become good at their craft, studying for years. They also both love what they do and have a personal connection to it - Eliza Gaynor-Minden is not just a pointe shoe designer, she is a dancer herself and is surrounded by friends and family who also used to complain about the pain from their pointe shoes. David Garrett also grew up exposed to music and the violin.
 * Create a list of** //**personal qualities/characteristics**// **that were the same for both.**

Yes, they both had really supportive families who understood what Eliza and David wanted to do.
 * Were there similarities between each person's** //**set of circumstances**// **that led to their success?**

I think an important quality that I possess is the desire for knowledge, and the ability to believe that I can achieve something. I'm an optimist, so even when it seems like there's a lot against me, I focus on the good things so that I'm not distracted by the potential for failure.
 * What qualities, characteristics and circumstances do you believe YOU possess to be a successful person/musician?**