It’s a new year and a new chance for you to begin to improve your financial standing. Most of us would love to live an 8 figure lifestyle, but in order to achieve this we need to have an 8 figure income. Acquiring an 8 figure income is certainly not easy. In life only a small percentage of people actually reach this financial plateau. And of those that do, most are the recipients of some type of financial handout that allows them a stable financial situation.

For those that acquire this high level of income from their own efforts, their personality traits, actions that they take every day, and the way that they look at and approach are remarkably similar.  Here are the things they do to become and remain successful.

1. They have a positive attitude about the future

The world gives us a reason on a daily basis to not believe that wonderful things can happen. You lose a job, you get hurt, and important relationship falls apart, or your car gets stolen. These things and many others like them can cause the average person to feel as if life has something against them and is focused on keeping them down. As a result they lose their ability to have a positive outlook and to believe that wonderful things can and will happen. But a big part of success is believing that success is actually possible. Those who are successful find ways to remain positive in spite of life’s daily challenges and setbacks. They focus on the good things what are those good things happen to them, other people they know, or people they don’t know but with whom they can relate. So to be successful you need to find ways to maintain a positive attitude about the future.

2. They have a plan

Whether  the subject is Thomas Edison trying to create the light bulb, Bill Gates working on the first version of Windows, Mark Zuckerberg creating Facebook or Nelson Mandela being released from Robbin Island, each had a clear plan of how they were going to be successful. Your plan does not need to be as grand as those of the industry and political leaders named here but you do need to have a clear idea of where you are going and how you will get there. The added benefit of putting together a plan is that you begin to notice things that aren’t necessary, run contrary to your goals, or that do not really have a chance for success. You can also share this plan with others who can add value, by giving resources, good advice, or Playing devil’s advocate regarding your goals or the path to your goals. So planning is critical, in fact it might be the most critical component of success.

3.  They are stubborn

Anyone who achieves any level of success in anything meaningful has been told a thousand times that what they were seeking to do is stupid. In fact if you have not been told constantly that what you were trying to do is stupid, you can bet that what you were trying to do is stupid. Successful people expect head winds when they set out to do something important. They know that not many will understand or buying to their vision and that in order for them to execute on your vision they will need to be stubborn about what they see and what they want. They must build very thick skin, and learn to take rejection and even ridicule as a part of the process. This does not mean that their ideas do not get modified or are closed to constructive criticism. Then use these things to improve and perfect what they hope to achieve. But they fully believe and their core goals and our unwavering in their pursuit of these goals.

Use these tips to help you achieve important goals that you have. Remember it isn’t easy, but in the end it is always worth it.