We all know people, either in the public eye or personally who just "succeed." They may come from difficult backgrounds and have fought an uphill battle to get to where they are now. Somehow they have this mysterious quality, some intangible way about them that seems to just catapult them into success in unexpected ways. 

I have studied many successful people through my work over the years and I have found five crucial factors that are consistent in all of the people I define as successful. They have qualities in common that universally seem to help them become successful that go beyond the standard qualification of hard work, determination and focus.

Here are the five secret qualities I recommend you make a priority in your life if being successful is your goal. Once you do make these parts of your daily life, I believe you will have all the success you could ever want! Professionally or personally, its up to you how far you reach. Achieving your goals can be as simply as eliminating 5 secret stresses that become obstacles to success.

1. Relationships. Oddly enough, successful people typically struggle less with relationships. They SHOULD struggle more! They are very busy, have extremely demanding lives, often are geographically separated due to travel and may not share all the same interests as their partner.  However, they do have the laser-like focus and the daily discipline it takes to have great relationships! These two qualities are important in business and are the foundation of every good relationship. Prioritizing what really matters in a relationship and maintaining the discipline to actively care everyday, no matter how difficult, are traits successful people just inherently understand and utilize daily.


2. Beliefs. Research consistently shows us that the beliefs we hold about ourselves and our life is often the number one factor that determines the quality of our lives. The simple and often subconscious beliefs that make up your day will ultimately create your success. Examine your thoughts throughout the day and see how many times you find your belief making you tired, distracted, bored, less passionate, frustrated or losing focus. Taking a hard look at these hidden beliefs and changing them out for more powerful and effective beliefs will go a long way to creating your success.


3. Clutter. We all have it. It is unavoidable in today's crazy, over-scheduled world. The secret is not to eliminate clutter. That can actually be counter-productive. You may be like me and spend a bit more time de-cluttering, creating a highly organized and pleasing environment and not focusing on the work at hand. On the other hand, too much unproductive clutter that causes ongoing distraction is not helpful. Work toward achieving a sense that your clutter is the result of your productivity and not a way to avoid being productive.


4. Vision. We all have dreams. Some people have great dreams and work their entire lives to achieve them, sadly never to see them fully realized. There is a big difference between a dream and a vision. Vision requires a specific plan, complete strategies and a long-term pathway to success. Sit down and map out your vision. A dream takes a moment to write down. It's a statement of what you want to do or to become. A vision requires a fully detailed and realistic plan based on your dream. Take the time to create and then follow through daily on a vision for success that will help you not only get to the Superbowl, but to WIN!


5. Forgiveness. This is a powerful secret not many people think about on their road to success. Are you motivated for the right reasons? Make sure your efforts are truly based on your dreams and vision you have now crafted and not a misguided reaction to someone or something that happened in your past. Many successful people do very well on that kid of momentum. However, true staying power requires a level of energy, passion and focus that can only come from acting on your heart and your mind. Don't make your success be about anything other than what you want to create. The momentum that comes from being authentic and creating something bigger than yourself will take you farther than you ever dreamed...or envisioned!

Annie Leedom is the Founder and CEO of Sandy Lane PR, a premier marketing and publicity agency for experts, celebrities and companies who want to create a global platform.  For more proven strategies on expanding your brand and connecting on a worldwide stage visit www.sandylanepr.com.  To receive industry PR tips used by today's leading experts, sign up here.  Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.