Nigel Cumberland

Successful people never forget what they love to do and are passionate about. They quickly learn to follow their own path and to make the right choices, no matter how crazy or unpopular they might appear to others. Just look at Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, who quit studying at a prestigious university to pursue his dreams.

Try to be likeable but stay true to your self. There will be times when you have to do or say something at the expense of being popular. If you__e built up enough goodwill, you__l get away with it. People understand that difficult decisions have to be made and, if you__e paid enough into your __ikeability deposit_, they will hate the decision but not the person making it.There may be moments in your life when you have to choose between __eing liked_ and what you really want to do. Imagine your future spouse is a vegan and does not enjoy being with people who eat meat. Could you imagine putting aside your beliefs and feelings, to show support, love and understanding for your partner__?

You do not need to be a millionaire to feel successful or be successful. Financial wealth is only one of many possible indicators of success. However, to achieve your dreams and life goals you__e going to need money. And making it requires financial planning and goalsetting. I do not know of any successful person who has been able to simply ignore their finances.

Stop worrying about what you cannot control. It__ a total waste of your energy, energy that could otherwise be used to help you focus on what you can influence. I spend large parts of my coaching sessions helping people to sift through their challenges and concerns _ helping them to determine what they can change and what they have no control over.

True empathy is not about waiting to understand another person; it is about proactively seeking to do so. It takes effort to give another person your full time and attention; to ask others how they are feeling and if they coping well with things. And don__ overlook those closest to you. Never take anyone for granted. Avoid being too preoccupied to sit down and talk with your children, partners and colleagues.

But how do you come __ffline_ when so much of our daily lives is moving __nline_? Every month new sites and online services are launched. If you need to check anything _ about a new school for your children, medical treatment, tourist destination or recipe _ you go online. Bill Gates put it so well when he called the Internet the __own square for the global village of tomorrow_.Could you spend a week or even a day without reading your emails, using social media or going online? Someone recently joked with me that having Internet access is more important than having food or water.

Success requires a focused attention of your time and energy. This is true no matter what you want to achieve _ to change the world or simply change apartments. All success stories come down to one person having a focused aim _ so focused at times it can look like an obsession.

We live in a world in which everything seems to needed now and working quickly is normally viewed as a positive attribute in the workplace...Do not let yourself become too frazzled and stressed by doing everything at high speed.As I have coached hundreds of individuals in the workplace, I have discovered that we waste precious time by delaying and procrastinating. We might know that the work is very urgent and important but we still might find ourselves being slow to start the task.

A truly successful life is one filled with friends so it helps if people like being around you. If you suspect they don__, have a think about how strongly you exhibit __ikeable_ qualities such as listening well, being trustworthy, kind, generous, compassionate, fun, positive and unselfish. The good news is that you can learn such qualities even if they don__ come naturally to you.

Being a person that others can trust is one of the most sought after qualities in the workplace today. So many leaders and their staff have shown in the recent global financial crisis a lack of trust and integrity amongst themselves and with their clients and other stakeholders.

Diversity is a very popular business topic today while the negative side of diversity, discrimination, remains a touchy and sensitive topic. Even in organisations which follow the letter of the law in terms of not discriminating against any individuals, it is common for people to show prejudice and bias...Have the courage to stand out from your colleagues by being very open to and comfortable with all kinds of diversity amongst your colleagues and stakeholders. When you sense someone is being ignored or marginalized spend time with them and bring them into discussions encouraging them to speak up as needed.

The most powerful way of being able to listen to your own intuition is by being silent. Find a quiet space, slow down and calm your mind. Your goal is to eliminate all that noise going through your head _ all those thoughts that appear from nowhere.

Refusing to forgive never made anyone feel better about anything. All you are doing is holding on to feelings of upset, anger and jealousy and that can never be good. I once read that being angry and unforgiving towards someone else is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Do you enjoy your work? Are you happy to get out of bed each morning and dress for the office? If you answered __o_ to either of these questions, you are not alone. In a 2014 Conference Board survey, 52 per cent of Americans claimed to be unhappy at work and in a recent CIPD study 23 per cent of Britons claimed to be looking for a new job. In the same survey only about one-third claim to feel engaged with their work. You can see the effects of this in absence, stress and depression. In fact, you can see it in the rush hour in the tired and sad-looking faces of so many commuters.The majority of people I coach are unhappy or dissatisfied with their working lives. They describe their work in so many depressing ways _ as __oring_, __edious_, __ind-numbing_, __tressful_, __ainful_ or even __cary_. I hear similar opinions as I travel the world from all types of people no matter what their background, education or choice of career.

The new disease of our age is being OK doing everything at exactly the same time.

Success is the accomplishment of any number of possible aims, dreams, aspirations or goals. It__ very personal and unique to you. Your greatest desire could be someone else__ idea of hell; you might want to be an award-winning chef while your best friend hates cooking.

Good decision-making is like playing chess and you must avoid making hasty decisions without thinking of how that particular decision will impact on different aspects of your work and organization. The worst kind of decision-making is to decide to delay a difficult decision until later or to pass it to someone else to have to make. You will never excel and be valued by your colleagues if you get into these habits of procrastination and passing responsibility to others.