They walk the roads you walk on, stand under the same sun, but view the world from a lens that sets them apart from the common man.
In the following lines, I will lend you that lens.
The 6 points you will see may look nothing like what you would expect, but their charm rests on their ability to look like one thing while being another. And there, I just gave you one characteristic to wet your beak:
Highly successful people see the good in every situation.
But what else do they share?
In no order,

1. They Never Try

They never try because trying isn’t doing. Instead, they do what they set to achieve. How?
  • By being crystal clear about their goals.
  • By sacrificing anything that would steal resources (ex: time) away from those goals.
  • By celebrating every small win along the way.

2. They Leverage Everything

To leverage is to use a small input to reap a maximum reward. Simply.
Highly successful people have the unique ability of making use of every bit of their human experience. They sell their winning strategies in books, market their experience on TV shows, use their vulnerabilities to connect with strangers and leverage their friendships to access closed circles. Look at your life and assets carefully, there are many things you could leverage.

3. They Give More Than They Take

There is a connection between the number of people you serve and the amount of returns you can make. That is why billionaires tend to be those whose companies serve the largest number of people. Does Amazon ring a bell? Find a universal pain point, focus on addressing it and in due time the returns will come. Nature rewards givers.

4. They Conquer Hearts

The most valuable resources and opportunities are hidden behind relationship walls.
Whether they are introverts or extraverts, highly successful people find a way to connect with the people they meet. They understand that if our aspirations or backgrounds do not unite us, then our flaws will. So they use whatever common ground is available at the moment to reach for your heart.
For example,
  • They will greet you in your native language,
  • Call you by name as much as they can,
  • and mirror your body language if they have no clue what sports you are talking about.
And if none of those work, they will show themselves vulnerable with  stories about themselves. Works like a charm.

5. They Give Up

Only a fool repeats the same action and expects different results. Successful people get that.
As a result they do not lay their time on the altar of regrets, or stay in love with ideas and methods that do not work. They fall in love with the end goal, not the path, and stick to what works.
What doesn’t work, they discard. Quick. And try something else.

6. They Are A-Students

Richard Branson included. Although many highly successful people are school dropouts, one thing they never drop out of is the school of life.
For example,
  • They are fantastic students of their mistakes. That is why most keep a personal journal.
  • They are great students of others’ successes, which is why they read more books than the average man.
  • They are students of what makes people tick. Case in point, there is something you bought this week that you didn’t really need.
  • They are brilliant students of people’s problems. Proof? Their products (solutions) sell.
If you commit to being an astute student of life, you would have made a great leap on your journey to success.
I believe that you will, so I wish you the very best in this endeavor.