The only thing preventing us is not our actions, but our reactions to others...

I always ask myself what makes a person successful in his career. Believe it or not, I found that the differences between most people and super-achievers are very subtle.

All of us have a burning desire for achievement. Most of us make sacrifices and work hard. We all look to grow and to plan to success in a way or another.

Yet very few people become successors in this.

However in my career, there is one thing that I have noted that managers do very differently. It's something that has nothing to do with knowledge, experience or even ability. Some Managers react differently to the actions of others than the rest of us. Top of the list is that people who achieve in an outstanding way learn not to take things personally. Most of us have big plans but are often concerned by what others might say. What if my business becomes a failure? What will people say if we have to downgrade? What if others make fun of my ambitious idea?

Criticism is part of achievement. There is not a single person who has achieved leadership in their chosen calling who has not had to suffer strong criticism at some point in their life - from a famous entrepreneur to the biggest CEO. It's a sign of resentment and the reason why most people do it is because it works. Most people will fold, the right manager will march on unfazed to success. Also on another note, Rejection is naturally painful. In our nature we are programmed to crave "acceptance". It's human nature to avoid rejection at any cost and should we receive a "NO" to accept if and find the next willing prospect.

For me, NO is just a word - a temporary state. I react to every "NO" as an opportunity to try again - maybe when the timing is better, or I understand more about the other person and/or problem, or when I have gained their respect. I never accept a NO as permanent and react to find another way. Also for me, Mistakes are an essential part of life. We all accept they happen and theoretically are prepared for them - however they still hurt and for the majority of us can often overwhelm us. Regretting our past actions, believing that we have missed opportunities and even quitting when everything has gone wrong is something everyone has done.

But I learned to react to failure differently. I see it as a valuable opportunity to learn - the knowledge that something is definitely wrong with their plan. I learned to never dwell on failure but to immediately build another plan and act on it.

The bigger the failure the bigger the lesson learned. But when reacting to the actions of others, the immediate response by most people is to look at ourselves. It's the person we know the most, love the most and feel the most. Just like our thoughts revolve around ourselves, I understand that the same is true for everyone else. People's actions are due to who they are and what they believe - not because of anyone else.

I try to react by understanding others. Most of us have goals and dreams and often even plans for achieving them.

Often the only thing preventing us is not our actions - but our reactions to others.