The Common Denominator Of Success Isn’t What You Think

“The common denominator of success — the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful — lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.” — Albert E.N. Gray

To achieve success, our superpowers aren’t mere habit-forming but something much more spectacular.

Mr. Gray was a highly sought-after speaker and influenced many. Yet, his speech as captured in the book, The Common Denominator Of Success, overlooked one pertinent aspect on this topic. Since he chose to discuss the common denominator of success, let’s discuss the core denominator.

The Core Denominator Of Success

The most valued aspect of highly successful people is that they do not mind talking about their journeys, experiences, or their life lessons. People such as Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Ursula Burns have each widely and openly discussed their paths to success. They have discussed it, we as a public have monitored it, and then as fans have faithfully followed it. Yet, many seemingly glide over the angle as to how each has discussed the core feature that afforded them their success in the first place.

About Ursula Burns, “She is open, grounded, and down-to-earth. Burns is self-aware and authentic.” — Kurt Blazek, TruScore.com

When Bill Gates was asked during a Reddit interview what advice he would give to his younger self. He responded by saying…

“I would try and make myself more aware. Self-awareness is crucial.” —

Jacob Morgan author of, The Future Leader, skirts around the idea of self-awareness and admits it is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence as he talks through identifying marks of Jeff Bezos's effective leadership skills.

Being self-aware allows him to build strong, collaborative teams and create a culture of growth. — Jacob Morgan, TheFutureOrganization.com

These are just a few examples of high-profile game-changers who have done the work of self-reflection and recognized its’ value. In other words, they each identified the core denominator of success, self-awareness.

Timeless and True

It is astonishing that a message Mr. Gray delivered in the 1940s still resonates with audiences today and has thus proven to be timeless. But as we consider the current landscape of leadership and paths toward success, we’re hearing the words of CEOs stipulate that self-awareness has been their true prized possession towards growth and achievement.

“Look outside and you will see yourself. Look inside and you will find yourself.” — Drew Gerald

Quick PSA. Success is subjective and is exactly what you define it to be in your life and for all aspects of it. Keep this in mind and do not allow yourself to get caught up in the surrounding noise. Better, focus on your personal journey.

My strongest truth is….

The fundamental key to personalized success is achieved only after embarking on the journey of self-awareness.

Self-Awareness, The Key to Your Success

Albeit success is subjective, relative, and decided upon how you define it within and for your life, the fundamentals of self-awareness remain the same in every aspect. Thus, let’s begin by settling our definition of self-awareness for this discussion.

Self-Awareness is being intuitively perceptive of your thoughts, actions, impacts, and responses. As a result of cognitive understanding, you reside in a space of objectivity and are emotionally aware internally and externally.

1. When I discover who I am, I will be free. — Ralph Ellison, Author, Invisible Man

This is the foremost advantage of becoming fully self-aware, being free. Yes, self-awareness offers a sense of emotional, psychological, and mental freedom. This freedom is worth more than the price of rhodium, the most expensive precious metal in the world. This freedom also brings about peace.

2. A girl should be two things: who and want she wants. — Coco Chanel, Designer, Businesswoman

This is one of the priceless outcomes of self-awareness, empowerment. Your newfound freedom imbues you with confidence to discover who and what you want to become. Self-awareness begets the clarity of knowing your instinctive capabilities and empowers you to pursue your highest dreams.

While many leaders think they are self-aware, only about 10%–15% of leaders are actually self-aware.

3. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. — John Maxwell, Author, Speaker

Self-awareness puts you in the know. In this knowing, it creates the way or path towards success. As a leader, you share that path for others to follow. The Center For Creative Leadership list self-awareness as a top 5 characteristic and trait of a good leader. Awareness provides the leader the power of influence.

Unlocking The Core Denominator Of Success

“To know yourself, you must sacrifice the illusion that you already do.” — Vironika Tugaleva, Poet, Activist

Tugaleva said it best. In order to embark on a journey of self-awareness, we must first become aware enough to know that we are not yet fully aware.

In full transparency, the road to self-awareness is an arduous and humbling journey. On top of that, this journey will prove to be exhilarating but also at some points possibly depressing. It will prove to be the best thing ever while also possibly the most miserable thing too. In it, you will find great pleasure but likely discontent peaking its’ head from around the corner. Yet, most of all, you will find it to be the most beneficial, the most rewarding, and the greatest accomplishment of your life. So, are you up for the challenge?

Let me know below if you have embarked on the journey of self-awareness. If so, please share your experience, your rewards, and your suggestions to encourage others on their journey.