If you want to enjoy some -- or all -- of these benefits in the future, invest 30 minutes today to discover how you can create more success for yourself and your company.

This article covers 10 important success characteristics that all superachievers have in common. After reading about each individual success skill, you will find a brief success benchmark test. In the same way that corporations look for benchmarks to achieve excellence, top sales achievers seek out benchmarks to avoid plateaus and reach ever higher levels of success.

The benchmarks in this article will help you compare your performance in 10 key areas to the performance of superachievers. As you discover how these superachievers think and act, you will be able to set new guidelines and standards of performance that will help you create more success.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The objective of this guide is to help you understand and master the 10 critical factors that can help you create more personal and professional success. You will learn:
* How positive thinking begins your success process
* How physical fitness creates the energy for your success
* Why integrity is the only foundation that can support success
* Why disappointment becomes the cradle of ambition
* How goals generate the vision to keep you going
* How persistence and concentration help you win
* Why adversity is essential for rising beyond your limitations
* Why you don't have a chance to win without motivation
* How to think constructively to create your success
* How professional skills contribute to success

1. POSITIVE THINKING: Success Begins in Your Mind

When I first started Personal Selling Power, I wasn't too confident that our publication would make it through the first year. Then I learned about the humble beginnings of some of the great motivators like Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I remember reading every article and every book he had written before calling his office. I remember worrying, "He'll never take the time to talk to a little guy like me," and I was surprised to hear that he was only too happy to visit with me in his New York office.

I recall sitting in the elegant waiting room going over my questions and wondering, "What if I don't get any new information from him because I am not trained to interview people?" I was wrong again. Dr. Peale's enthusiasm was contagious, he answered every one of my questions thoughtfully and his reassuring words wiped away my own negative thoughts.

Dr. Peale suggested that our thoughts and images are mainly responsible for how we feel. He explained, "You can make yourself sick with your thoughts and you can make yourself well with them. A positive emotion is created by positive thoughts and images. You can say, `This is a great day. I am fortunate to sell a wonderful product. I look forward to meeting many interesting people today; I'll be able to help some of these people and I look forward to learning a great deal today...' You see, thinking and talking that way adds to your enthusiasm and vitality. Your mind is expanding and all this contributes to your well being."

Dr. Peale shared examples of many people who wore themselves out by the debilitating quality of their thoughts. He said, "If you put yourself down mentally, you are reducing the vitality of your system. I knew a doctor once who told me of a man who actually killed himself by hate thoughts."

I asked him how we can be successful dealing with problems so we can create more success. Dr. Peale answered, "A problem is a concentrated opportunity. The only people that I ever have known to have no problems are in the cemetery. The more problems you have, the more alive you are. Every problem contains the seeds of its own solution. I often say, when the Lord wants to give you the greatest value in this world, he doesn't wrap it in a sophisticated package and hand it to you on a silver platter. He is too subtle, too adroit, for that. He takes this big value and buries it at the heart of a big, tough problem. How he must watch with delight when you've got what it takes to break that problem apart and find at its heart what the Bible calls `the pearl of great price.' Everybody I've ever known who succeeded in a big way in life has done so by breaking problems apart and finding the value that was there."

Dr. Peale helped me realize that I needed to change my tendency to predict negative results. Over time I learned how to silence the "misfortune-teller" within me and I found positive thinking to be a very successful way of life.

Positive Thinking

Answer each question below. Give yourself 10 points for each Yes answer and 0 points for each No answer. Add the totals.

POINTS

1. Are you thinking positively about yourself and your job today?
2. Did you smile before leaving home this morning?
3. When you deal with negative people, do you always maintain a positive attitude?
4. Have you helped a client solve a problem in the past three days?
5. Do you currently have a clearly defined, enthusiastic goal?
6. When you lose a sale, do you immediately go to work on restoring your positive attitude?
7. During the past 24 hours, have you read (or listened to) positive material?
8. Are you planning for a positive, quiet moment for yourself today?
9. Do you sincerely feel that each problem facing you contains the seeds to its own solution?
10. When you are calling on a tough client, do you visualize a positive outcome before the call?

Your Total Score

Rating Yourself: A score of 100 means that you are 100 percent positive. The difference between your score and 100 indicates the amount of positive thinking required for a more positive "you." Until your score is 100, read the classic bestseller The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

2. FITNESS: Creating Energy For Success

When I first interviewed Zig Ziglar, I was impressed by his commitment to physical fitness. Although he had been inactive and overweight in his late thirties, he gradually started an exercise program by first walking, then jogging until it became a positive, energy-generating habit. Many top performers follow a regular, ongoing physical fitness program. I was impressed with Zig's persistence, because my own physical activity was limited to skiing in the winter and sailing or swimming in the summer. Since Zig talked about his mentor Dr. Ken Cooper, the man who pioneered the fitness movement that has swept this country for the past two decades, I thought that it would be a good idea to learn more about his work.

"Fitness," Dr. Cooper explained, "begins on the inside, with our cardio-vascular system. Fitness is the result of ongoing, concentrated aerobic activity along with proper dietary balance."

What made the interview with Dr. Cooper so interesting was that he himself once was out of shape and felt that he was "mentally dying of stagnation." After a scary experience on water skis where years of deconditioning caused his heartbeat to increase to the point that his head was spinning, Dr. Cooper became so depressed about his physical deterioration that he began to change his lifestyle.

"Fitness can't be stored," says Dr. Cooper, suggesting that if we want to keep fit, we have to keep exercising. He encourages people to work out a minimum of 30 minutes, three times a week, or 20 minutes four times a week. Dr. Cooper cautions people not to overdo aerobics (aerobics means to exercise with air), saying, "If you are running more than 15 miles per week, you are running for something other than cardiovascular fitness."

In his speeches he asks people to measure their heart rate in beats per minute. A heart rate from 50 to 60 is excellent, between 60 to 70 is considered good, and 70 to 80 is average. Dr. Cooper's studies suggest that middle-aged men between 45 and 55 years of age, who had an average heart rate of 72 beats per minute could decrease their heart rate to 55 beats per minute after three months of systematic conditioning.

Dr. Cooper thinks that aerobic exercise is nature's best tranquilizer and it dissipates stress. Dr. Cooper says that during a stressful day, our adrenal system produces hormones that set us up for flight or fight responses. When we stop working, our body can't relax until the chemical imbalance has been corrected. While many people use a drink or a drug to restore the chemical imbalance, aerobic exercise provides for a natural, physiological release of the stress and at the same time it improves our physical fitness. In addition, says Dr. Cooper, "There are a number of side benefits such as greater enthusiasm, better energy levels, increased confidence and improved attitudes."

Sold by this evidence, I decided to follow Dr. Cooper's advice. For the past nine years I have walked and jogged regularly, three to four times a week. It has become a pleasant routine that I always look forward to. I've learned that walking is a wonderful way to let go of stress. When I started, I thought that running was a form of self-punishment, now I see it as a joyful exercise that helps me perform to the limits of my ability.

Fitness

1. Do you follow a regular, aerobic exercise routine? Yes No

2. Is your resting heart rate under 70 beats per minute? Yes No

3. Is your weight what your doctor recommends? Yes No

4. Do you work off stress through regular exercise? Yes No

5. Do you get regular physical check-ups? Yes No

6. Do you check with your doctor before you try a new diet or exercise routine? Yes No

Note: If you can't answer all questions with "yes," read The Aerobics Program for Total Well Being by Dr. Ken Cooper.

3. INTEGRITY: Your Foundation For Success

In 1973, just one year after I came to America, I watched the televised Watergate hearings. There was one old senator from North Carolina, a folksy, Bible quoting, story telling country lawyer, a former judge named Sam J. Ervin, Jr. Looking over his reading glasses, he gave Nixon advisors an eye opening cram course on integrity. His sharp wit and insights into human behavior made a deep impression on me.

In 1983, when the senator was enjoying his retirement back home in Morganton, North Carolina, I called his office to set up an interview. He graciously agreed and, as I prepared for the interview, I realized that this superachiever had dedicated his life to public service. He loved and defended the Constitution and had spent a lifetime searching for the truth. In the long conversation with Senator Ervin, I learned that integrity is our best insurance for success.

Yet, he cautioned, "Telling the truth does not come easily to everyone." He referred to former President Richard Nixon, saying, "As a general rule, people are the authors of their own misfortunes." I wondered how other people could hang on to their success and avoid making the same mistake. Senator Ervin offered this insight: "We all find occasions where we have to choose between what we believe is right and what we suspect is advantageous. And that is quite a conflict."

He remembered this advice from one of his law school professors: "The things which try people's souls do not consist of choosing between good and evil. That's fairly simple. But the thing that tries our souls is having to choose between conflicting loyalties. That's the hardest thing we ever have to do."

As a judge he had heard many people rationalize their failures. He said, "A lot of people made choices which I thought were unwise, but when I stopped to analyze these, I realized that they were making choices between conflicting loyalties."

Sam Ervin created his success by being an industrious, honest and dedicated leader. In a speech at the University of North Carolina, he told students, "The world of the mind is an illimitable land whose boundaries are as vast as the universe itself, and thought is calling us at all times to the undiscovered countries lying beyond the next visible range of mountains."

Driving home from this memorable interview, I realized that once you have met someone like Senator Sam Ervin, you don't have to consult a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word "integrity," which he defined for me as "the absolute fidelity to the truth."

Integrity

1. Does your plan for success include a personal standard of ethics?

2. When you have to choose between what is right and what is advantageous, do you always choose to do what's right?

3. What is your definition of integrity?

4. Do you practice integrity in all your dealings with your customers and with your company?

4. DISAPPOINTMENT: The Cradle of Ambition

Disappointment is the most overlooked force that can help us create success.

I remember the day when I researched the Library of Congress catalog for books on success. I found over 1,200 titles on this popular subject. In addition, there were 220 books on winning, but only 16 on losing.

When I searched under the subject heading of disappointment, I was surprised that there was not a single book on record. I wondered why, because disappointment is such a common experience.

There was only one magazine article entitled "The Management of Disappointment" (The Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec 1967) written by Dr. Abraham Zaleznik.

I wanted to understand more about the subject and called the Harvard Business School, where Dr. Zaleznik was the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership. His background includes a doctorate in commercial science and, he is a certified clinical psychoanalyst who has taught at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society.

When we met, I asked, "What does disappointment mean?" Dr. Zaleznik replied, "Let's start with a superficial definition. You want something, you don't get it, the result is disappointment. But disappointment is not simply the result of not getting what one wants or expects. We need to examine what it is about that want that makes it psychologically significant. What a person wants often has enormous unconscious value and, consequently, not getting it takes on a great deal of significance."

What makes disappointment such an unexpected trap for the success seeker is that it is often realized after people become successful. Says Dr. Zaleznik: "Many people charge a business venture with certain unrealistic dreams. When a person finally gets what he or she has been working so hard for and sees that the unconscious dreams aren't realized, the result will be a tremendous disappointment." Disappointment is such an isolating experience because the world of business is perpetually preoccupied with success. Says Zaleznik, "The world loves a winner, nobody likes a loser. So people expect that they have to come on with the bright, cheerful, upbeat mask, because the world loves a winner. There is a strong code in business that if we are disappointed, we are not supposed to show it."

When people suffer from disappointment t, they tend to go through stages from hyperactivity to depression. Dr. Zaleznik explained that disappointment is associated with rage, "Rage towards oneself for falling short. The enormous shame or humiliation that one has not measured up to one's ideal. Rage towards others who did not fulfill..."

After studying the lives of many gifted leaders such as Winston Churchill, Gandhi, Henry Ford and General Patton, Dr. Zaleznik came to the conclusion that disappointment can become the most powerful force for creating future success. In his Harvard Business Review article he wrote, "Preoccupation with success may be less important than the role of disappointment in the evolution of a career."

He described how Winston Churchill suffered great disappointment during World War I, learned how to paint, took up writing and refocused his energies from the political world to himself. He added, "It takes a great deal of courage to look at life as it is and to look at ourselves as we are and to come to terms."

Dr. Zaleznik recommends that people should not withdraw from the battle after suffering disappointment, but allow for a psychological retreat where they can rediscover themselves, and rediscover that life and their place in it has real meaning.

Disappointment

1. Looking at past disappointments, can you see how they have helped you grow? Yes No

2. Are you willing to accept present and future disappointments as growth experiences? Yes No

3. Do you to accept the fact that you can't expect much sympathy from other people when you are experiencing disappointment? Yes No

4. Do you have the courage to look at life as it is? Yes No

5. When you experience disappointment, do you give yourself a chance to rediscover your true strengths? Yes No

Note: If you can't answer any of the above questions with "Yes," and if your hurt is alarmingly deep, you may consider getting professional help.

5. GOALS: The Vision That Keeps You Going

One of the most common characteristics that I have observed from interviewing over 80 superachievers during the past 11 years is that they knew where they were going. They all were determined to reach their goals and would not let any obstacle discourage them. For example, Mo Siegel, the founder of Celestial Seasonings, told us, "I think that you either follow the basic principles [for creating success] or you are going to get nailed. If you don't set goals, you don't get anywhere. That's so basic. The thing that I enjoy in my business is figuring out the overall mission, then establishing goals, developing the strategies, then the action plan and the calendar by which they must be completed."

Superachievers choose a course, stay on course and if circumstances force them to drift off course, they do everything they can to get back on course. Bo Pilgrim, the founder of Pilgrim Industries, a $300 million producer of chicken in the Southwest, told us, "After I made my first million dollars [in sales], I said, `Maybe I can make ten million.' After I made ten million, my next goal was to make ten million a year."

Each year, Bo Pilgrim set higher goals until he made one million dollars each day. "The key lies in having a management control system," he explained, "and having managers who understand those goals and perform in that direction. I also set up a monthly award system where we compare actual performance versus goals. If my managers meet the goals, they'll receive a bonus check at the end of the month."

Jim Tunney, well known in football circles as the "Dean of Referees," once told Personal Selling Power, "A goal is like a magnet to top performers. It motivates. It directs. It pulls them around detours and distractions. If you choose goals which are personal and deeply felt, suddenly you have a clear road map."

Multi-millionaire W. Clement Stone estimated that 98 out of every 100 people who are dissatisfied with their world do not have a clear picture in their minds of the world they would like for themselves. In a memorable interview in his luxurious lakeside home in Chicago, he told me, "Think of it! Think of the people who drift aimlessly through life, dissatisfied, struggling against a great many things, but without a clear-cut goal."

Pollster George Gallup, Jr., talked to Personal Selling Power about his own research of the most successful people in America. He said, "Most top achievers have had clear goals for their lives and their careers." Having a clear vision of where you are going will keep you going from success to success. Once you have reached your goals, remember to set new goals to keep on going.

Many superachievers told me that they view success as a journey. They always aim at success, but never think that they have achieved it.

Goals

1. Do you have a personal mission statement to bring your life energies into focus? Yes No

2. Are you following a clearly stated and achievable goal for your career and for your personal life? Yes No

3. Do you have a detailed daily, weekly and monthly action plan for achieving your goals? Yes No

4. Do you regularly check your progress and adjust your course? Yes No

5. Do your goals include ongoing education to insure your progress? Yes No

6. Do you reward yourself for achieving your goals? Yes No

7. When you run into difficulties, do you redouble your efforts and renew your faith in your mission and your goals? Yes No

6. PERSISTENCE & CONCENTRATION: Twin Drives For Winning

Many people fail in their quest for success because they are unwilling to develop the power of persistence or they are unable to concentrate on their goal until they've achieved what they wanted to achieve.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in The Conduct of Life, "Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs." While many people squander their physical and mental abilities, successful people learn how to focus, concentrate and persist.

One of the best examples for persistence and concentration is the inventor Thomas A. Edison. He was once asked by a reporter for the secret that could best explain his continued success.

Edison answered, "The ability to apply my physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly without growing weary." When the reporter suggested that Edison imposed a rather severe schedule on himself, the inventor laughed, saying, "You do something all day long, don't you? Everyone does. If you get up at seven o'clock and go to bed at 11, you have put in 16 good hours, and it is certain that most people have been doing something all the time. The only trouble is that they do it about a great many things and I do it about one. If they took the time in question and applied it in one direction, to one object, they would succeed. The trouble lies in the fact that people do not have an object, one thing to which they stick, letting all else go."

Ron Rice, the founder of Hawaiian Tropic, told Personal Selling Power about how he used the power of persistence and concentration to build his business: "I had an old Ford Mustang convertible, and the ocean had just about eaten it apart. I just drove around to pool decks and lifeguards and little beach front Mom & Pop stores, and sold it [the suntan lotion] to them. I was driven to the point where I had to work physically and mentally all day long. I'd do everything before I could feel comfortable about going home at night. Sometimes I'd go a whole day without eating and not realize it 'til the next day." Persistence is the trademark of all pioneers in any field of endeavor.

Victor Kiam, the successful entrepreneur who turned Remington around, told Personal Selling Power, "Let's say you started a new publishing venture and your first issue is supposed to come out on the first of the next month and it is the thirty-first. You realize that you are going to have to work hard all night to get it out. Then a friend of yours calls up and says, `I've got two tickets to tonight's World Series game. How about it?' You have a choice."

Kiam agreed that going to the World Series game is a lot more fun than working late, but if you want to create success, you have to persist, you have to resist distractions and concentrate on your goal.

Granted, persistence and concentration mean work. But work is a small price to pay for success. "We don't pay the price of success," says Zig Ziglar, America's leading motivational speaker. "We only pay the price for failure." Many people realize too late that failure demands a much greater energy investment than success.

Persistence & Concentration

1. Are you willing to do everything in your power to succeed? Yes No

2. When you know that you have to move mountains of work to get the job done, do you keep going? Yes No

3. When people tell you what you are trying to do can't be done, do you keep going? Yes No

4. Do you feel that achieving success is worth putting in 16-hour days if necessary? Yes No

5. Do you agree with the saying "When fate resists, I will persist"? Yes No

6. Do you habitually apply all your energy to one goal without growing weary? Yes No

7. MANAGING ADVERSITY: Rise Beyond Your Limitations

A wise philosopher once stated that an eagle's only obstacle to overcome for flying faster is the air. Yet, if the air were withdrawn, and the proud bird were to fly in a vacuum, it would fall to the ground. The element that offers resistance is at the same time the condition of flight.

The same is true of a powerboat. The main obstacle the engine has to overcome is the water against the propeller, yet if it were not for the water's resistance the boat would not move at all.

The same law, that obstacles are conditions of success, holds true in human life. Without any difficulty, forward momentum would be impossible. Obstacles can lead us to search for new energies within us that we never believed we had.

To learn more about how to manage adversity, Personal Selling Power interviewed several Navy pilots who spent many years in North Vietnamese prison camps and survived torture, malnutrition and humiliation. Captain Gerald Coffee told us, "I think that one of the most helpful techniques that I used all the time was a constant reminder that whatever was happening at a given time wouldn't be forever. Every time I went to bed at night, I would say to myself, `Okay, that's one day closer to whatever it is.' In a torture session I would remind myself that this can't last forever. Just the rephrasing of `This too shall pass.' You can say to yourself, `Hold on, there will be better times. Hold on, it's going to get better.'"

Coffee, who was imprisoned for seven years, explained his method for dealing with the excruciating pain: "You try to detach yourself from the circumstance as best you can by projecting into some other time and place. But in any case, you detach yourself from the present reality."

Paul Galanti, a graduate of the prestigious United States Naval Academy who spent almost seven years in captivity, shared with us a mystical experience following a brutal torture session. It happened one day in January of 1969 after he spent 25 days chained to a stool in an unheated interrogation room. He was not permitted to sleep. If he tried to doze off, the guards would rush in and hit him with a rifle butt. He felt drugged and feared that he was about to lose his mind.

Suddenly, a strange figure materialized in the room with him. The figure carefully explained that the North Vietnamese were trying to get him to sign a confession and told Galanti, "Hang tough, I'm always with you. Don't give up." He stiffened his resolve and resisted further interrogation attempts. To this day, Galanti insists that the figure, who he says looked similar to the image of Jesus Christ on the shroud of Turin, was a messenger from God who came in at the exact moment necessary to keep him from weakening and possibly killing himself. This moment filled him with the courage to rise past the adversity, and the experience changed his whole life.

Both Gerald Coffee and Paul Galanti confirmed that the best way to fight adversity is through winning a hundred little victories each day. Says Captain Coffee, "A hundred little victories throughout the day can make a tremendous difference in the success of that day. Victory and blessing are almost interchangeable. The fact that we wake up in the morning is a blessing and a victory. As POWs it meant outsmarting one of the guards so you could communicate with another POW. Another victory was outsmarting the rat so you could eat all of your bread, instead of letting the rat get some of it."

Every year there is a reunion of Navy pilots who were held captive in North Vietnam. No outsiders or press are allowed. As friends of Paul Galanti, we were invited to attend their reunion in Virginia Beach and had the opportunity to talk to dozens of former POWs. Every single member of this extraordinary group of people was more positive, enthusiastic and cheerful about life than any other group I have ever met before. They are not bitter about the fact that they've lost some of the best years of their lives. They've all learned the key lessons adversity can teach us. When I asked Paul to explain why none of these people complained about anything he said, "I am convinced that people who complain about adversity have just never been pushed so hard that they've had to fight back and win little victories."

Adversity

1. Do you view adversity as the diamond dust with which nature polishes its jewels?

2. Do you face adversity with faith in yourself and courage in your abilities to rise beyond?

3. When you feel that you've reached your limit, do you encourage yourself not to give up?

4. Do you sincerely believe that out of difficulty, new strength is born?

5. Are you prepared to fight to win little victories every single day?

8. MOTIVATION: The Action That Precedes Success

Daniel Boorstin wrote in his book The Discoverers: "The greatest obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents and the ocean was not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge."

Many salespeople think they completely understand the process of motivation. Most don't. Their illusion of knowledge prevents them from getting motivated.

Mary Kay Ash, the chairman of Mary Kay Cosmetics, opened a storefront in Dallas in 1963; today her name is revered by thousands of highly motivated Mary Kay representatives. Mary Kay told Personal Selling Power, "Motivation is the ability to inspire a person, to reach down within himself or herself, to bring to fruition those wonderful `seeds of greatness' that God planted in each of us."

Every superachiever I've ever interviewed was highly motivated. They see motivation as an action management tool. Action creates motivation, while inaction demotivates. Study after study shows that the promise of achievement is one of the greatest sources of motivation. A few years ago, behavioral scientists in Baltimore asked a group of students to take a set of five rings and toss them over cones placed at the other end of the room. When the students asked what distance they should stand from the cones, they were told that it didn't matter, since the scientists only wanted to study their behavior.

The researchers found that one group of students went as close as possible to the cones, then tossed the rings over the cones, got bored very quickly, turned in their rings and left. A second group went to the other end of the room and tried their luck. They couldn't get a single ring over the cones and they became frustrated. They left feeling low. A third group of students assumed a distance of about ten to 12 feet. They had a few hits and a few misses. With a bit of practice they increased the distance to 15, then 20 feet. They enjoyed the challenge and their growing skills. The students learned that achievement motivation comes from pursuing challenging goals that provides room for growth.

Superachievers look for challenges that are just slightly above their reach so that they can grow in the process.

Motivation

1. Do you assume 100 percent of the responsibility motivating yourself?

2. Are you motivated to be the best that you can be?

3. When you set a new goal, do you also plan for motivating rewards for yourself and others?

4. Do you seek out new motivation ideas from mentors, role-models and biographies of successful people?

5. Is the mission you have chosen in life a source of meaning, satisfaction and motivation?

9. CONSTRUCTIVE THINKING: Your Elevator To Success

I always wondered about the key ingredient that made superachievers think and act differently from all other achievers. I remember interviewing Earl Nightingale for a cover story in Personal Selling Power. Since he had studied many successful people I asked him what he thought was the critical difference.

Nightingale told me, "When I was 29, I was reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I came across six words that made a big difference in my life: ` We become what we think about .'

Earl's words stayed with me and, three years later, I learned about Dr. Seymour Epstein's research on the thinking styles of highly successful people. After a long interview with Epstein, who was chairman of the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, we agreed to conduct a joint study to examine the thinking styles of 50 superachievers who had been interviewed for Personal Selling Power during the past ten years and compare them to the thinking styles of 250 of our average readers.

The results of the study were truly surprising. The superachievers were wealthier, enjoyed their families more, found more meaning in life, worked more effectively and had developed better social skills. In addition, they enjoyed better health and felt better about their lives. The most interesting survey result, however, was the fact that superachievers think differently than average achievers. Dr. Epstein found nine key differences:

1. Superachievers think in ways that make them less sensitive to disapproval and rejection. They brush off rejection faster.

2. They think in ways that facilitate effective action.

3. Their thoughts are more focused on the task at hand and they refuse to let their minds drift to unpleasant events of the past.

If they can't do anything about a negative situation, they don't worry about it and they move on with their lives.

4. They don't engage in superstitious thoughts. When something bad happens, they don't assume that more bad things are likely to follow. 5. They think that failures are an important source of learning and refuse to equate failure with low self-worth. Thinking constructively saves them from wasting time and suffering psychological pain.

6. They don't restrict their thinking by establishing rigid patterns. They don't divide others into "winners" and "losers," but accept people for who they are as individuals.

7. They think thoughts through without jumping to false conclusions. They are able to see their actions and the world in a healthy and realistic perspective. They are optimists, yet think realistically.

8. They welcome challenges with optimism and without fear. When they face difficulties, they find ways to look at the positive side of life. They establish clear priorities, develop an effective action plan and stick to it.

9. They don't waste time in unproductive thoughts, esoteric thoughts or catastrophic thoughts. They think constructively and they know that their level of thinking determines their level of success.

Dr. Epstein's research reminded me of Dr. Zaleznik's comments on the subject of thinking: "Remember that thinking can help you make the most of your experience. Thinking is an experimental form of action. Action can be very expensive. There is no charge for thinking."

Constructive Thinking

Review the nine constructive thinking habits that superachievers have developed. Make these habits your own benchmark for success.

10. PROFESSIONAL SKILLS: Your Chief Source Of Success

Superachievers outperform others for one simple reason: they develop their professional skills to the point that they become the best in their field of endeavor. For example, Ed McMahon told me how he had practiced for hours on end as a bingo truck announcer just to develop the quality of his voice.

Zig Ziglar developed his legendary speaking skills by giving hundreds of free speeches before accepting payment for his services. He shows salespeople how they can increase their skills through practice, saying, "Try to write down your presentation, and you'll discover that you are using too many words, that you drift away from the point, or that you are not specific enough. Writing will remind you of something you've forgotten and help you generate better selling ideas."

Zig Ziglar feels that salespeople should think of their occupation as a profession. He told Personal Selling Power: "Professionalism starts with a commitment to excellence, to integrity and to helping the customer solving a problem with your expertise." To increase the salesperson's expertise and skills, ongoing training and development is essential. Says Ziglar, "The individual who's not spending a minimum of one hour a day developing his selling skills is just kidding himself about how serious he is as a professional."

While many superachievers have learned their skills through self-development, others have followed formal education or training programs. For example, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale told me how a stern newspaper editor helped him hone his writing skills through expert advice, and at the same time insisting on his rewriting his story until he had produced the best article he was capable of writing.

Buck Rodgers, the former VP of sales and marketing with IBM, told me that the typical IBM training program for newly hired marketing representatives takes one whole year. Representatives receive a 30-day orientation, then go to a training center to learn product knowledge and selling techniques. Then they go back to a branch office where they apply what they have learned and work with marketing representatives and systems engineers on real life proposals and visit customers. After about three months, they go back to the classroom for another 30 days to expand their skills and knowledge.

The IBM training is based on the principle of alternating theory and practicality. According to Rodgers, the process is very competitive and the representatives are on their feet as much as possible. When they've graduated, they're totally confident about their products, their competition and their communication and selling skills.

Rodgers suggested that the ones who practice daily excellence are those who make the real difference. He emphasized that success is not the result of developing a single skill. He explained, "The thing I stress all the time is that you have to do a thousand things one percent better, not just one thing 1,000 percent better."

Professional Skills

1. Have you received professional training in product knowledge, selling skills and personal motivation?

2. Do you strive to improve your professional skills through ongoing practice and ongoing study?

3. Do you review your performance and do you test your professional skills on a regular basis?

4. Do you achieve consistent results, regardless of market conditions, that help you rank in the top 20 percent of your peer group?

5. Do you devote a minimum of five percent of your time to professional development?

CONCLUSION:

Success is a process. Just when you think you've arrived, a new challenge presents opportunities for growth and creativity. For companies this means entering new markets, adjusting to economic conditions, downsizing, upgrading and retooling.

The benchmarking process provides an ongoing system for maintaining high productivity while measuring success in the marketplace.

The idea of personal benchmarking may be new. It may be unusual. It may be daring. It may also be your best bet for finding out where you are and where you need to go.

To perform at the highest levels in all 10 success areas, fill out your benchmark tests, retake them every month, track your progress and watch your success profile expand. Remember that superachievers always aim at success, but never think that they have achieved it.