Dounia highlights and defines what she believes to be the ten keys to success.
Success is people's belief in their ability to achieve the goal they seek, whether it is a scientific breakthrough or an abundance of money and power; a common theme between these goals is that they are not easily achievable and need time to turn into a tangible reality.
The definition of success differs among people, as some may define it as pursuing charitable work, obtaining a high income, taking a promotion at work, or getting a financial reward. In my opinion, success is not limited to matters of finance, fame, or power; the feeling of happiness and insistence on achieving such goals are essential to rise to the top of success.
I believe that the ten keys to success in life are as follows:
Motive, the engine of human behavior: It is the force that drives a person to act and move. As Francis Bacon said, “The share of man is in his hands.”
Energy, the fuel of life: The motives as mentioned earlier provide man with a high point that enables him to work with great effort. As Hippocrates said, “The wise man is the one who considers that health is the greatest blessing of the human being.”
Skill, the orchard of wisdom: With knowledge, a person becomes creative, his level of intelligence rises and opens up to new areas of life. Jim Rohn says in this regard, "The search for knowledge is one of the plans to reach happiness and prosperity.”
Perception, the way to success: All the achievements today are the fantasies and dreams of yesterday. As George Bernard Shaw says, “Some people see things as they are and ask why ... As for me, I imagine things that did not happen, and I say why not."
Action, our human force: Application and work to implement the idea complete knowledge and make achieving the goal effortless. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, "Knowledge alone is not sufficient and not accompanied by application..and preparation alone is not enough, so work must be done."
Expectation, the way to reality: We must expect success, and we always need to think positively to reach our goals in life. James Allen says, "Now we are now where our ideas brought us and we will be tomorrow where our thoughts take us."
Commitment, the seed of achievement: It is the driving force to continue despite difficult circumstances, which leads us to accomplish great deeds. Zig Ziglar says, "People fail sometimes, not because of a lack of capabilities, but because of a lack of commitment."
Flexibility, the power of elasticity: A person must adapt quickly with others and strive for improvement and development in any work he or she does. Aristotle says, "Wisdom is experience plus contemplation.”
Patience, the key to good: This is the best treatment for all of the problems that prevent a person from achieving goals. Thomas Edison says, "Many of the failures in life were for people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Discipline, the basis of self-control: Discipline is self-control. Self-discipline is the only quality that makes the average person do the extraordinary, because keeping in line with one's values and morals can do great things. Oliver Wendell Holmes says, "When you open a person’s mind with a new idea, he will never return to his original horizons.”
*Although the author doesn't use others' quotes word-for-word, the quotes are still in quotation marks to offer credit to the original speakers.