Time + Risk + Flexibility = Success 

Have you ever thought what the difference was between really successful people and those who never seem to get ahead? Believe it or not, the difference between them has nothing to do with money, material possessions, or fame, or luck. The difference is that successful people exude happiness and energy, whereas the not-so-successful people out there go through their daily routine, day after day, just to make ends meet.

So What Does the Successful Person Know That The Average Person Doesn't?

The successful person knows three important things: time, risk, and flexibility. The successful person knows that money, love, and fame can be won and lost and won back again. These things are replaceable. What is not replaceable is time. Time for the successful person is the most valuable thing in the world because it is the one thing that we can not replace. Our time on this Earth is limited—and for the sake of this article, we are not going into any philosophical or religious arguments. Time is the most valuable commodity that you have and no matter who you are; all of us have a fixed amount of time that slowly trickles away.

The Ability to be Flexible

Everyone has goals and expectations for their life. Some reach them and others don't. Those who don't reach their goals always complain about some misfortune in their life—some chain of events that made them misses their opportunity to excel. What they don't realize is that there will always be misfortunes in their lives. There will always be things that go wrong. There will always be someone or something that stands in their way. Successful people are no different in this regard. The difference therein lies with the ability to be flexible in life to adapt to changes and find ways around them to reach the goal. Disgruntled dreamers get discouraged easily when things don't go their way, doers are flexible enough to find new ways of making that goal a reality when they encounter an obstacle.

Successful People Know the Value of Good Health

Successful people know the value of good health. Being healthy not only allows you to hold onto more time during your life, but it also makes the quality of time you spend here on the earth more enjoyable. A person who is overweight and feeling unhealthy will not be able to fully enjoy the precious time that they have been given. Health is extremely important because a healthy body helps shape a healthy mind and overall healthy spirit—a spirit that is ready to take on new challenges.

Risk is Not Always a Gamble

An attribute inherent with many successful people is that they are willing to take risks. We should make clear the difference between calculated risks and Russian roulette. Successful people know that they cannot push ahead without risking a little of what they already have to get there, but they are not careless when making these decisions. Successful people research, study, and test out their plans before they make that leap into uncharted territory—and they do it with their full momentum. Risk is scary, none of us like to be outside our comfort zones, but sometimes the reward can be worth that risk and to be successful, you must know what risks are worth taking for you to get ahead.