6 Psychological Strategies for Success in Life

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand, utilize, and reason with emotions.

To improve your emotional intelligence:

• Pay attention to your own emotions. Focus on identifying what you are feeling and what is causing those feelings.
• Manage your emotions. Step back and try to view things with an impartial eye. Avoid bottling up or repressing your feelings, but look for healthy and appropriate ways of dealing with what you are feeling.
• Listen to others. This not only involves hearing what they are saying, but also paying attention to nonverbal signals and body language.

Mental toughness refers to the resilience to carry on and continue trying even in the face of obstacles. People who possess this mental strength see challenges as opportunities.

What can you do to improve your mental toughness and increase your chances of being successful in life?

• Believe in yourself. Cut out negative self-talk and look for ways to stay positive and self-encouraging.
• Keep trying.
• Set goals.
• Find support. Doing things alone can be difficult, but having a strong support system can make things easier.

Strategies you can use to improve your willpower include:

• Distraction. For example, if you are trying to lose weight but are having a difficult time staying away from your favorite snacks, distracting yourself during your moments of weakness can be an effective way to avoid giving in to temptation.
• Practice. Willpower is something you can build, but it takes time and effort. Start by making small goals. As you build your ability to use your willpower to achieve such small goals, you may find that your willpower is also stronger when working on much larger goals.

What can you do to boost your sense of intrinsic motivation?

• Challenge yourself. Pursuing a goal that is achievable, is a great way to increase motivation to succeed.
• Stay curious. Look for things that grab your attention and that you would like to learn more about.
• Take control. Look for ways that you can take an active role.
• Don't fear competition. There might be other people out there trying to reach the same goals as you, but this doesn't mean that you should give up. Don't compare your progress or journey to anyone else's, but you can look to others for motivation and inspiration.

If you are trying to learn how to be successful in life, consider what you can do to nurture these key traits:

1. Conscientiousness. They consider the effects of their actions.
2. Accepting of Ambiguity. People with a great deal of potential for success are better able to accept this ambiguity.
3. Capable of Adjustment.
4. Courageous. The world's most successful people often exemplify great courage.
5. Curiosity. People who are successful tend to be curious about the world around them.
6. Competitiveness. Successful people are able to utilize competition to motivate, but avoid falling prey to jealousy.