HOW DO SOME people make success look so easy? While the rest of us struggle with routine challenges and achieve mediocre wins. Highfliers set their sights on reaching the top rung and somehow manage to get there. What is it that makes them so different, and how can we develop a little of what they have?
Psychologists have long explored the attributes needed for success, and have identified many skills and behaviours that help people excel.
The good news is that these studies confirm that if you are curious and persistent, you can acquire the knowledge and skills to perform at the highest level.
However, before planning the layout of your dream office, ask yourself if you have the essential 'can do' attitude - the X factor - that underlines every real success story. Without that, you are in danger of falling at the first hurdle.
In the 1950s, Norman Vincent Peale's bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking, highlighted the benefits of an optimistic attitude.
More recently, research has shown that those with a positive outlook on life achieve better grades in high school and generally outperform pessimists in the workplace.
Optimism is also a recurring theme in the most inspiring success stories of our time. Oprah Winfrey, known as the most influential woman in America, began her career as a humble radio reporter in Nashville. Her passion allowed her to overcome sexism, racism and a host of personal challenges to become the queen of daytime television.