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What does it take to succeed? A positive attitude? Well, sure, but that's hardly enough. The Law of Attraction? The Secret? These ideas might act as spurs to action, but without the action itself, they don't do much.
Success, however it's defined, takes action, and taking good and appropriate action takes skills. Some of these skills (not enough, though) are taught in school (not well enough, either), others are taught on the job, and still others we learn from general life experience.
Below is a list of general skills that will help anyone get ahead in practically any field, from running a company to running a gardening club. Of course, there are skills specific to each field as well - but my concern here is with the skills that translate across disciplines, the ones that can be learned by anyone in any position.
1. Public Speaking
The ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and forcefully in front of an audience - whether an audience of 1 or of thousands - is one of the most important skills anyone can develop. People who are effective speakers come across as more comfortable with themselves, more confident, and more attractive to be around. Being able to speak effectively means you can sell anything - products, of course, but also ideas, ideologies, worldviews. And yourself - which means more opportunities for career advancement, bigger clients, or Business funding.
2. writing
writing well offers many of the same advantages that speaking well offers: good writers are better at selling products, ideas, and themselves than poor writers. Learning to write well involves not just mastery of grammar but the development of the ability to organize one's thoughts into a coherent form and target it to an audience in the most effective way possible. Given the huge amount of text generated by almost every transaction - from court briefs and legislation running into the thousands of pages to those foot-long receipts you get when you buy gum these days - a person who is a master of the written word can expect doors to open in just about every field.
3. Self-management
If success depends of effective action, effective action depends on the ability to focus your attention where it is needed most, when it is needed most. Strong organizational skills, effective productivity habits, and a strong sense of discipline are needed to keep yourself on track.
4. networking
Networking is not only for finding jobs or clients. In an economy dominated by ideas and innovation, networking creates the channel through which ideas flow and in which new ideas are created. A large network, carefully cultivated, ties one into not just a body of people but a body of relationships, and those relationships are more than just the sum of their parts. The interactions those relationships make possible give rise to innovation and creativity - and provide the support to nurture new ideas until they can be realized.
5. Critical Thinking
We are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of times more information on a daily basis than our great-grandparents were. Being able to evaluate that information, sort the potentially valuable from the trivial, analyze its relevance and meaning, and relate it to other information is crucial - and woefully under-taught. Good critical thinking skills immediately distinguish you from the mass of people these days.
6. Decision-Making
The bridge that leads from analysis to action is effective decision-making - knowing what to do based on the information available. While not being critical can be dangerous, so too can over-analyzing, or waiting for more information before making a decision. Being able to take in the scene and respond quickly and effectively is what separates the doers from the wannabes.
7. Math
You don't have to be able to integrate polynomials to be successful. However, the ability to quickly work with figures in your head, to make rough but fairly accurate estimates, and to understand things like compound interest and basic statistics gives you a big lead on most people. All of these skills will help you to analyze data more effectively - and more quickly - and to make better decisions based on it.
8. Research
Nobody can be expected to know everything, or even a tiny fraction of everything. Even within your field, chances are there's far more that you don't know than you do know. You don't have to know everything - but you should be able to quickly and painlessly find out what you need to know. That means learning to use the Internet effectively, learning to use a library, learning to read productively, and learning how to leverage your network of contacts - and what kinds of research are going to work best in any given situation.
9. Relaxation
Stress will not only kill you, it leads to poor decision-making, poor thinking, and poor socialization. So be failing to relax, you knock out at least three of the skills in this list - and really more. Plus, working yourself to death in order to keep up, and not having any time to enjoy the fruits of your work, isn't really "success". It's obsession. Being able to face even the most pressing crises with your wits about you and in the most productive way is possibly the most important thing on this list.
10. Basic Accounting
It is a simple fact in our society that money is necessary. Even the simple pleasures in life, like hugging your child, ultimately need money - or you're not going to survive to hug for very long. Knowing how to track and record your expenses and income is important just to survive, let alone to thrive. But more than that, the principles of accounting apply more widely to things like tracking the time you spend on a project or determining whether the value of an action outweighs the costs in money, time, and effort. It's a shame that basic accounting isn't a required part of the core K-12 curriculum.
What Else?
Surely there are more important skills I'm not thinking of (which is probably why I'm not telling Bill Gates what to do!) - what are they? What have I missed? What lessons have you learned that were key to your successes - and what have you ignored to your peril?
怎样才能成功呢？积极的态度？确实是这样，但是这还不够。吸引的原理？秘密？这些观念都对行为有驱动作用，但是没有行动它们也起不了作用。
然而成功的定义就是马上开始行动，怎么采取好的合适的行动需要技巧。学校已经传授给我们这些技巧当中（然而不是全部）的一些技巧（虽然不太好），有些技巧是在工作中传授给我们的，然而还有其它的技巧是我们从普通生活经验中学到的。下面是一个罗列了普通技巧的列表，它能帮助任何人在几乎任何领域获得成功，包括开公司和经营园艺俱乐部。当然，同时也有针对特殊领域的技巧，但是这儿我关心的是由条约转换而来的技巧，任何职位的任何人都能学习这些技巧。
1.演讲
在听众－不管是一个或是数千个听众面前清晰地谈论，有说服力和有激情的，这种技巧是任何人都能提高的最重要的技巧。有感染力的演讲者都很放松并很自信，对于周围的人更加有吸引力。有影响力的演讲意味着你能推销包括产品在内的任何东西，当然也包括理念，意识和世界观。也就意味着对于你的事业的提升，争取大客户或筹募商业基金的把握更大。
2.写作
写作好和口才好有同样的优势，文笔好的人在卖商品，推销理念和他们自己时比文笔差的人做的更好。学习提高写作不仅包括掌握语法，还包括发展把个人的想法组成整体的能力， 它的目标是更有效的针对读者。假定几乎每个机构都刊登大量的信息，包括法院简报和法律规定达到数千张纸和这些天当你买枪后得到的长长的收据。所以一个掌控字词的人能够期待每个领域的大门是打开的。
3.自我管理
如果成功依赖有效的行动，那么有效的行动依赖于何时何地最需要集中注意力的能力。优秀的组织能力，有效的强大的自律力，以及强烈的纪律感都是使你符合自我预期所必须的。
4.网络
网络不仅仅为了找工作或者客户。在由理念和创新占主导的经济时代，通过涌现的想法及创造的新思想给网络创造了渠道。精心连接的网络，不是把一个人和大量的人联系起来而是和大量的关系网联系起来。这些关系网不只是它的每部分的总和。这个关系网的交互作用使得引发革新和创造的几率更大，直到新理念实现之前给予滋养。
5.批判性思维
如果不是数以千计的，那么在每天的生活中我们得到数以百计的信息，而我们的曾祖父每天的信息却少的多。为了评估信息，从细微的信息中获得潜在价值，分析它的中肯度及意义和与其它信息联系起来是至关重要的并且不讲解它们是可悲的。现今，好的批判性思维技巧能迅速使你脱颖而出。
6.决策
由分析架起通往行动的桥梁是有效的决策，即根据信息的价值知道去做什么。然而缺乏批判是危险的，过多的分析及在做决定前等待获取更多的信息也是危险的。根据现实情况迅速和有效的作出反应是实干家和空想家之间的区别。
7.数学
你不要以为合并多项式就是成功的。尽管，在你脑袋里迅速计算数字的能力可以作出粗略但不是完全准确的估计，可是，了解诸如复利和基础统计数据能使走在大多数人的前列。所有这些技巧能使你更快更有效的分析数据，并能根据这来作出更好的决定。
8.研究
没有人指望能了解所有事，甚至是每件事的细微部分。即使在你了解的领域，有可能是你不知道的比你知道的多。你没必要知道每件事，但是你要能够迅速不费力的找到你要了解的。那就意味着要学着有效的使用因特网，学会使用图书馆，学会有成果的阅读，并学会如何平衡网络接点以及在任意给定的条件下，哪种研究将最有效。
9.放松
压力不仅会毁掉你，同时也会导致错误的决策，贫乏的思考及低级的社会化。因此如果未能放松，你将丢失这个列表里至少3个技能，实际上可能更多。另外，为了不落后而是自己过度的工作，并没时间享受工作成果也不是实际上的“成功”。这是令人困扰的。这个列表里最重要的事情是能以你的智慧在最有效的方法应对甚至是最紧急的�；�。
10.基础会计学
在我们的社会里，钱是必须的。这是一个简单的事实。甚至是生活里诸如拥抱你的孩子这类简单的乐事也最终需要钱，或者你没打算永远拥抱。知道如何追踪并记录你的开销和收入对生存是很重要的，而不要追求奢华。比那更重要的是，会计学原理应该用于更广阔的事物，比如追踪你花费在一个工程的时间或者决定是否行动的价值超过花费的钱，时间和努力。基础会计学不是K－12基础课程必须部分的核心的，这点令人蒙羞。
还有其它的吗？
当然还有其它更多重要的技巧我没考虑到的（很有可能是为什么我没告诉比尔盖茨该做什么）。它们是哪些？我没考虑到哪些？哪些教训是你学到的对于成功的关键要素？并且你忽视了哪些危险因素？
