The Millenial Generation is about to take over the economy. Are you ready?

“Unfounded optimism is a commodity of the young.” 

The attitudes, values, and behaviors of every generation reflect their shared experience.  This has never been more true than for America’s Millennial Generation, having survived the Great Recession, finishing school with record debt, and  entering the working world amid challenges of globalization.  Still, they are inordinately optimistic, ready to influence our economy en masse.  Just like the wave of Baby Boomers going from silver to gold is impossible to ignore, the population explosion of maturing Millennials will very quickly become a predominant driving force in business, politics, communities, and our economy.  Smart businesses are already focused on meeting their needs as consumers and capturing their business for the long-term.  So let’s take a look at the financial characteristics, challenges, and beliefs of Millenials to get a better idea who they are:

Millenials Defined.
Millenials are most commonly characterized as being 18-33 years old, though it could go as high as 36 years old.

They are sometimes also called Gen Y.

Millenials are often split into two distinct groups of older (ages 26-33) and younger (18-25) members.

There are 77 million individuals 18-36 years of age, compromising 24% of the US population.  That is about on par with both Baby Boomers (1946-1964) and Gen Z (born 1995-present) but more than the approximately 50 million Gen X’ers (1964-1979.)

Right now, Millenials are the largest generation on the planet.

Every day, approximately 10,000 Millenials turn 21.

Outlook and Optimism.
32% of Millenials say they currently have enough money to lead the lives they want, and 53% say they expect that in the future.  That’s more than 8 out of 10 who show optimism they’ll have enough money.

69% of Millenials say they feel better off financially than others in their own generation.

68% of them expect their standard of living before retirement to be better than their parents.

Education.
They are best-educated generation of any in American History, with 1 out of 3 of older Millenials having a four-year college degree or more.

63% of Millennials have a Bachelor’s Degree.

They believe in their education – 76% of Millenials who attend college agree that their college education was worth the cost.

However, their attitudes about higher education are less traditional; 50% of millennial college students say they don’t need a physical classroom.  53% believe that online colleges are reputable. And 39% view the future of education as being more virtual.

Income.
The median income for younger Millennials is $25k, but $48k for older Millennials.

The income levels for college-educated Millenials are much higher.  Among those with a college degree, the median income for men is $83,000, and $63,000 for women.

Despite their optimism and income levels, 56% of Millenials say they are living “paycheck to paycheck.”

Savings and Investing.
59% of Millennials say the stock market is the best place to invest for retirement, less than the 66% of boomers who say the same thing.

A resounding 80% say living through tough times like the Great Recession have taught them they have to save “now” to “survive” economic problems down the road.

84% of Millenials say they are not saving yet because they “do not have enough money to save right now.”

Retirement.
Just over 55% are saving for retirement, while 45% are not.

51% of Millenials think there will no money for them in the Social Security system by the time they are ready to retire.  39% say the system will only be able to provide them with retirement benefits at reduced levels and only 6% expect to receive Social Security benefits at levels enjoyed by current retirees.

40% of Millennials say they have “no idea” how much money they’ll need to retire.  31% estimate they’ll need less than $1 million while 15% think they’ll need $1- $2 million for retirement.

Spending Power and Consumer Habits.
By 2015, Millenials are expected to spend $2.45 trillion annually and by 2018, Millenials will spend $3.39 trillion, eclipsing Boomers with the most spending power of any generation.

Mobile commerce will be more prevalent than ever with Millenials, with 41% of them already making purchases with their smartphones.

63% currently stay updated on their favorite brands through social media.

Only 17% reported a TV ad prompted them to make a purchase, while 43% like more than 20 brands on Facebook.

Debt.
A remarkable 81% of Millenials have at least one long-term debt and 44% have more than one major debt they are working to pay off.

About 70% of recent college graduates have student loans at an average near $30,000.  Just two decades ago, only 50% of graduates had any debt and it was only $15,000.

42% of Millenials cite the pressure of debt as “Their biggest financial concern currently.  40% say their debt is “overwhelming,” compared to only 23% of Boomers.

Other than paying day-to-day bills, 29% of Millenials say paying student loans is their top concern, followed by credit card debt (16%,) mortgage debt (15%,) and auto debt (9%.)

Employment.
Millenials definitely have an entrepreneurial mindset. 54% either want to start a business or already have started one.

89% of Millennials would prefer to choose when and where they work rather than being placed in a 9-to-5 position.

Additionally, 45% of Millennials would choose workplace flexibility over the highest pay.

They don’t stay in one job long – the average job tenure for Millenials is only 2 years, compared to 5 years for Gen X and 7 years for Baby Boomers.

By 2030, Millenials will make up 50% of the U.S. workforce.

As of Q1 in 2013, Millennial unemployment rate was 13.1%, the highest rate recorded for any adult demographic, compared to a national average of 7.1%.

***
Please let us know if you would like more information on the demographics or consumer behaviors of Millenials.  The information in this blog is a compilation of studies by the Pew Center, Nielsen, Wells Fargo, and ODesk.com.

Should you be worried about Ebola in the U.S.A? Learn the facts behind the fear.

 The last few days, more people have expressed concern over the decision to bring two aid workers who are inflicted with the Ebola virus back to the U.S. for treatment.  Around the water cooler, there are whispers about the virus spreading here on U.S. soil.  On Facebook, people offer their opinion that we shouldn’t bring the infected man and woman back into our borders for fear of an epidemic.  There are even people prophesizing that this is the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, channeling their fear into misguided humor. 

It is scary.  This outbreak is the worst in history, killing a reported 729 people and infecting a couple thousand at last count, with no sings of slowing down.  The outbreak has gotten so bad in West African countries like Sierra Leone that the government has quarantined affected communities, saying they’ll send the police or military to enforce the medical segregation if necessary.  But like any medical outbreak or disaster, rumors and half-truths only perpetuate our fear and sometimes make the situation worse.  

So for the sake of sharing accurate information and putting your mind at ease, here are the facts about the Ebola Virus:

About the Ebola Virus.

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.  It used to be called Ebola haemorrhagic fever.

It was first discovered in 1976 when two outbreaks occurred at the same time in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The village where the outbreak occurred in Congo was near the Ebola River, where the name for the disease comes from.

EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.

There are actually 5 strains of the Ebola virus.  The strain that’s causing the current outbreak is Zaire Ebolavirus, the deadliest one.

The Ebola virus doesn’t change significantly from year to year like other viruses.  That’s the case with certain flus and SARS, which make them so much harder to identify and treat – and easier to spread. 

How many people have been sick and how many have died?

Since it first showed up in 1976, there have been more than 3,270 reported cases and more than 2,000 deaths from Ebola, according to the World Health Organization.

In this current outbreak in Africa, roughly 2,000, people have been infected and about 729  died, though the numbers are climbing daily.

What’s the survival rate?

It’s important to note that although media reports the mortality rate from Ebola cases as “up to 90%” (or a 10% survival rate,) that does not characterize the actual death toll.  Since Ebola was discovered in 1976, there has been a survival rate of roughly 30%.  The current Ebola outbreak has had a survival rate of about 40 percent, per the latest numbers from the World Health Organization.

Why is the death toll so high?

Mortality rates are so high largely because Ebola outbreaks occur in desperately poor countries and communities where there’s a lack of public health education, sanitation, and medical care.  The countries where this current outbreak took hold, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, are among the poorest in the world, with GDP’s per capita less than Haiti.  There is almost no healthcare infrastructure for most of the people there.  Due to this, almost all the medical care for the outbreak has been provided by international Non Governmental Organizations like Doctors Without Borders, who are completely overwhelmed and lack the resources and manpower to address it.

A lack of literacy and education about disease control, cultural norms, and a mistrust of foreign aid workers have exacerbated the problem.

Where does Ebola originate?

Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are thought to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.  From there, it infects animals and eventually humans.  Outbreaks most often start in remote West African villages near tropical rainforests.

It’s documented that humans have been infected by Ebola by handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, and other animals found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Where are Ebola outbreaks reported?

Since its inception in 1976, Ebola outbreaks have mostly occurred in poor Western African countries like Uganda, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire,) and Sudan.

It also has shown up in the Philippines and China though no deaths have been reported in those places.

How does it spread among humans?

Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission by direct contact with bodily fluids.  Being exposed to blood, sweat, vomit, feces, semen, mucous, organs, or other bodily fluids can spread the infection.  Healthcare workers frequently have been infected because of their proximity to Ebola patients, especially in un-sterile field conditions in African villages without proper facilities or resources. 

The virus can be transmitted by even touching the bodily fluids of an Ebola patient. If an animal or patient dies, the virus stays alive on a surface for a few days, so even touching bedding, cleaning up waste, or eating infected food or drinking infected water is a danger.  In Africa, some cultures call for burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the dead person, which also play a role in the transmission of Ebola.

How soon would they be sick and infectious?

Typically, symptoms appear 8-10 days after exposure to the virus, but the incubation period can span two to 21 days.  People usually aren’t infectious until the symptoms of their sickness emerge. 

What are the symptoms?

People usually start with a high fever, aches, acute weakness, headache, rashes, and sore throat.  It proceeds to vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in sometimes, both internal and external bleeding.

The problem with diagnosis is that the first symptoms also occur in ailments common to the region so before it can be confirmed as Ebola, malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers have to be ruled out.

Can it be treated? 

There is no vaccine for the Ebola virus.  Several vaccines are in the testing phase but none are approved for clinical use. The only thing that can be done is to treat the symptoms Ebola causes, which include sever dehydration. 

What happened with this current Ebola outbreak?

The current deadly outbreak is in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, the first time big Ebola cases have hit those areas.

The numbers are growing daily, but as of July 28, 2014:

In Guinea - 460 cases, 339 deaths

Liberia - 329, 156 deaths

Nigeria - one case, one death

Sierra Leone - 533 cases, 233 deaths

There has been an approximate 40% survival rate.

To respond to the medical crisis, aid workers from Doctors Without Borders, containing volunteers from all over the world, entered infected areas to treat victims and help contain the disease.

Earlier in July, Patrick Sawyer, a government official in the Liberian Ministry of Finance, died at a Nigerian hospital. He was the first American to die in what health officials refer to as “the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history."

Shortly after, Nancy Writebol, an American aid worker in Liberia, tested positive for Ebola she contracted while treating infected patients.

On July 26, Kent Brantly, medical director for Samaritan Purse's Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Liberia, was infected with the virus while treating patients.

On July 29, Dr. Sheik Humarr Kahn, in charge of Ebola treatment at Kenema Government Hospital in Sierra Leone, died from complications of the disease.  The next day, The Peace Corps announced their decision to remove all volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. 

July 31, 2014 The Center for Disease Control went to Warning Level 3, advising all U.S. residents not to travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia unless absolutely necessary.

Where are they now?

On August 2, 2014, Dr. Kent Brantley, one of two living Americans infected with Ebola, was put aboard a specially equipped medical plane to leave Africa.  He landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia and then was driven by ambulance to Emory University Hospital, where he is being treated in quarantine.  The latest reports are that Dr. Brantley "seems to be improving." 

Nancy Writebol is expected to be flown back to the United States for treatment imminently.

What are the chances of spreading in the United States?

The high rate of international travel these days makes it a reality that other people inflicted with Ebola may come to the United States.  It’s important to note that Ebola does not spread through airborne transmission, so there is very little risk of respiratory infection just by being on the same plane or in the same airport as an infected person. 

The CDC has set up an Ebola quarantine station at Los Angeles International airport, just as a precaution.

Is this the first time the Ebola virus has been in the U.S.?

Ebola has actually been seen in the United States before.  In 1989, macaque monkeys were imported from the Philippines and later found to be infected wit the Ebola virus.  They were quarantined in facilities in Texas and Virginia but managed to come in close contact with four humans.  The exposed people actually developed Ebola antibodies and never suffered symptoms, or had any health problems due to the virus. 

What are the chances of a serious Ebola outbreak in the United States?

That is almost certain not to happen.  Awareness, medical treatment, and medical technology are so far ahead of conditions in African outbreak areas that any cases are sure to isolated and safely contained.  Epidemiologists would quickly track down people who exposed to the infection and make sure it can’t spread.

To cite an example, in May, the population of the Middle East was inflicted with hundreds of cases of the MERS virus.  Two infected people brought the virus to the United States but it never spread further.

Epidemiologist, doctors, and international medical professionals characterize the chance of even a small U.S. outbreak at “extremely unlikely.”

Do employers care what college you graduated from?

We recently wrote a blog about a controversial study that concluded where you go to college may not be nearly as important to career success as once thought.  It begs the question – if employers don’t put high regard into which institution of higher learning you graduated from, then what do they look for?  We hit the books once again to find the answer.

Our syllabus in this class comes from a recent Gallup poll that ranked how much weight business leaders put into certain factors when looking at potential employees.

It found that 84% of business leaders polled said the amount of knowledge the candidate has in a field was very important.  Another 14% said it was somewhat important, leaving only 2% of business leaders who though it was not very important or not important at all.  That’s an overwhelming revelation.  Furthermore, 79% of potential employers ranked a candidate’s applied skills in the field as very important, and 16% somewhat important.

And what of their major and where they went to college?  The majority of business leaders said it was not very important or not at all important where the candidate went to college.  Only 9% said their alma mater was very important!  Of those same business leaders, only 28% thought a candidate’s college major was very important!  22% said it was not very important and 8% said it wasn’t important at all!

What they’re telling us comes through loud and clear – when judging potential new employees, businesses don’t give much credence at all into where someone went to school, or even what they majored in.  Instead, the amount of expertise and the skills necessary to perform the job at hand dominated their hiring decisions by a wide margin.  Yet, we see millions of young people every year still focused on getting into the “best” college possible, stressing over what academic major to declare, and amassing student loans at an alarming rate just to pay for it all.  Yet that has very little bearing on what job they get and future career success (though they’ll be paying off their student loans forever.)

Something interesting emerges when we poll the American public, not business leaders, the same questions.  47% of those polled thought that a college major was very important and 43% somewhat important.  An alarming 80% thought where a candidate went to school was very or somewhat important!  Compare that to only 46% of business leaders, and we can see the public’s perception what employers are looking for is incredibly skewed.

What can we learn from these polls?  Employers are less focused on what school is written on a candidates degree and much more concerned with what skills, experience, and knowledge that candidate that will help them succeed at the job.  Internships, real world job experience, attitude, and networking are far more important than what major a candidate has.  Since their major or the school you attend won’t make a significant difference when it’s interview time, they probably shouldn’t overemphasize going to the biggest name school, and definitely avoid taking on student loans just for the sake of false prestige.


A study by the NOVA Workforce Investment Board in Silicon Valley confirms these findings.  They discovered that mastery of current technologies is the most critical factor in hiring decisions for many employers, while few even mentioned college degrees. ”Especially in the tech industry, employers want to see skills applications rather than traditional resumes. Show, don’t tell,” says Kris Stadelman, director of NOVA. “Employers are interested in what skills you bring and how these skills can be used in their business.”  It seems that if you know programming languages like C++ is more important than if you got C+’s in school.

However, there is one caveat to this – Ivy League schools.  Specifically, you have a chance to go to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or MIT, you should take it because those graduates do markedly better in their careers.  However, we might similarly attribute this to networking among smart (and wealthy) students - the future business leaders who own the companies that do the hiring.

Battle of the cell phone carriers - who's the best?

According to the Pew Research Center, 91% of adults in the United States own cell phones, up from only 65% in 2004.  And among 12-17 year olds, 78% have their own cell phone – and 1 out of 3 is a smart phone.  Of course we don’t just use them for calls anymore.  In fact, 63% of cell phone users go online with their phone, and between texting, web surfing, and talking, Americans spend an average of 58 minutes every day on their phones!

Our affinity for these devices is astounding; people actually sleep out to line up for the newest iPhone release or vehemently debate the merits of the latest Android phone.  And it seems more than ever were defined (and restricted) by what cell phone plan we patronize.  They aren’t cheap – the average person now spends nearly a $1,000 a year on their cell phone plan, more than $80 a month.  That’s up from $63 a month in 2010 and only $19 a month in 2001.  With these exorbitant prices, its no wonder the cell phone providers try their hardest to lock you into a long term contract, for a year or even two. 

So which cell phone provider is the best?  In a complex and ever-changing telecommunications landscape, that’s almost an impossible question to answer – but those are the kinds of questions we love to tackle for our readers!  So we combed the web – reading dozens of articles, price comparisons, and quality reports.  We summarized the most relevant information here, including tips how to choose the right cell phone plan, the results of comprehensive surveys in 2014, and a little-known cell phone provider through a mega-popular store that might soon overtake them all. 

The cell phone industry is usually segregated into three types of plans: the Big Four, Discount Plans, and Innovators.

10 Tips to choosing the best cell phone plan for you.

1. Ask yourself, “What will I be using it for?”  Will I be calling people a lot?  During the day for business, or mostly nights and weekends to my friends?  Will I be surfing the web outside of my home, or using it for text?  Focus the cell phone plan you get on that.

2. Remember that it’s always easy to upgrade – but virtually impossible to downgrade.  So if you need to, start with a smaller plan and go from there.

3. Unless you opt for an unlimited plan, track your minute/text/data usage as you go through your first month, or any month.  Actually schedule a few days throughout the month to check or sign up for automatic overage alerts.  The big cell phone carriers make a significant portion of their revenue on fees and you want to avoid those whenever you can.

4. How much data is sufficient for surfing the web?  For most casual smart phone users who browse the web and read eBooks, and send a handful of emails, 500MB to 1Gb is enough.   

If you’re occasionally streaming videos on YouTube, watching movies on Netflix, and listening to music on web sites, then you’ll probably want 2GB to 3GB per month.

Of course if you use those frequently – more than once a day and outside the regular Wi-Fi spots (like if you’re a business traveler) then an unlimited plan is right for you.

5. Don’t forget to input your Wi-Fi password at home, the office, and at every café and restaurant you regularly frequent.  By doing this the first week you have the phone, you usually won’t have to do it again and the phone will automatically pick up the Wi-Fi signal – saving you a ton of data usage. 

6. If you have children (especially teenagers) with phones, set them up with a plan that gives an alert and then suspends usage once they go over their calling, text, or web usage.  You’d rather have a teenager complaining to you mid-month than a bill with $1,000 of over-limit fees! 

7. Consider a family plan – there are HUGE economies of scale when you get 2, 3, or more cell phones users on the same plan. 

8. If you’re going to be calling overseas, there are some plans that specifically offer great blocks of discounted calling minutes to certain countries. 

9. Get it in writing.  Don’t just go off what the salesperson says, but make sure you get any details in writing so you can prove them later on.

10. Be careful with the long-term contract.  Cell phone carriers hook you with a big discount on a shiny, new smartphone so they can lock you into an expensive and inescapable long-term contract.  Instead, consider getting the last generation of smartphone (which still works great) on eBay or through another reputable reseller and just shop for the best cell phone plan – with a month-to-month contract. 

***

Cell phone service can now be divided into 3 types: The Big Four, discounters, and innovators.  The Big Four include T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T. 

Discounted carriers like Metro PCS and Boost Mobile compete on price and offer great no-frills service and often use the same cell phone towers as the Big Four, so there’s no loss of coverage.

Innovators like Cricket, Ting, and Virgin Mobile try to carve out market share in the crowded telecommunications space by doing something new, different, or better than the Big Four, or often serve smaller regional markets. Another great resource to shop around for the best cell phone plan (without driving to every store) is the site, WhistleOut.com.

Here are the cell phone plan ratings for 2014:

Plans and Pricing

T-Mobile  10.0  

Sprint  9.0

Cricket Wireless  7.75

Metro PCS  7.75

AT&T  6.75

Boost Mobile  6.50

Verizon Wireless   6.25

U.S. Cellular  5.50

Virgin Mobile  4.25

Ting  4.25

Coverage and Quality

Verizon Wireless  10.0

AT&T   9.25

Cricket Wireless   9.0

T-Mobile   6.75

Metro PCS   6.75

Sprint   5.5

Boost Mobile   5.5

Virgin Mobile   5.5

Ting   5.5

U.S. Cellular   3.75

Help & Support

Verizon Wireless   10.0

U.S. Cellular   9.75

Virgin Mobile   8.75

Ting   8.25

T-Mobile   8.0

Cricket Wireless   8.0

AT&T   7.75

Sprint   7.50

Metro PCS   7.50

Boost Mobile   7.50

Devices and Features

T-Mobile   10.0

Sprint   10.0

Cricket Wireless   6.25

Verizon Wireless   9.25

AT&T  9.25

Metro PCS   6.25

Boost Mobile   6.25

U.S. Cellular   7.50

Virgin Mobile   4.75

Ting   5.0

Fees

Metro PCS   10.0

Boost Mobile   10.0

U.S. Cellular   10.0

Virgin Mobile   10.0

Cricket Wireless   9.25

T-Mobile   8.75

Ting   8.25

Verizon Wireless   5.75

AT&T   5.75

Sprint   4.75

Overall Rating

Verizon Wireless  8.68

T-Mobile   8.58

AT&T  8.03

Cricket Wireless  7.98

Sprint  7.53

Metro PCS  7.38

Boost Mobile  6.50

U.S. Cellular  6.45

Virgin Mobile  6.38

Ting  6.10

So after doing all of this research, which carrier earned my cell phone business?  For years I used AT&T, but I finally got wise to their aggressive hidden fees, constant shifty tactics, and bad customer service.  So I asked around and heard about the emerging dark horse in the telecommunications game - Wal-Mart.  Not many people realize it but they now offers cell phone plans.  They’re simple and inexpensive with two other huge advantages: you can use your existing cell phone (as long as it’s unlocked,) and there are no long-term contracts – you just refill your plan with one monthly payment online or at the store. 

They have easy SIM card activation kits and use T-Mobile towers, so the coverage and service are great.  Their price structure is one of the best in the game:

$30/month unlimited nationwide talk and text.

$45/month unlimited talk, text, and web

Up to 2.5 GB of 3G speed.

$55/month unlimited talk, text, and web

Up to 2.5 GB of 4G speed.

The 30 universal traits of mega successful people.

1.         They go the extra mile.

People who achieve big things in life invest extra effort, thought, and creativity into everything they do, no matter how big or small.

2.         They take risks and are willing to fail.

Failure is not the enemy of successful people – it’s a necessary ally.  In fact, if they don’t go through enough failure in their lives they understand they’re not taking enough risks.’

3.         Luck is created.

Successful people don’t wait around for luck to bless them – they go out and create their own opportunities with hard work, smart planning, and persistence. 

4.         They have a dream.

Mega high achievers have an overall goal or dream that always seems audacious, unrealistic, and out of reach…until they reach it.  They keep this big dream in mind at all times.   

5.         They set small, realistic goals.

Even though they dream big, successful people break the path to that dream into smaller, manageable goals.  They focus 100% on the goal in front of them; cross it off once they reach it, and set the next goal.

6.         They take responsibility.

People who go far in life understand that by assuming accountability for their actions they empower themselves.  They never try to pass the buck or dodge blame – they’re happy to take responsibility, fix the problem, and move on.

7.         Their thinking is flexible. 

Successful people have firm values but flexible thinking, adjusting their sails depending on how they wind blows.  They make constant changes to adjust to their ever-changing environment.

8.         They communicate effectively.

They communicate efficiently with simple, clear, and concise messages.  This also includes active listening skills – a vastly undervalued skill.    

9.         They surround themselves with the right people.

Successful people don’t fill their lives with negative, complaining, or distracting people. 

10.       They network.

Other than working hard, networking might be the most important practice for mega success.  As the saying goes – your network is your net worth.  I still think they should teach classes on networking in high school and college! 

11.       They are self-aware.

People who accomplish great things in life are confident but not cocky, have a good assessment of their own strengths and weaknesses, and have a high-self worth while still remaining humble. 

12.       They create instead of consume.

This is fascinating – instead of just amassing and worshipping material things, successful people always have the impetus to create something themselves, whether it’s a new business, building a house, or forming a non-profit.  Creation is one of the processes held in highest esteem by high achievers.

13.       They work hard.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas A. Edison

14.       They’re curios and eager to learn.

Learning and being inquisitive is a lifelong journey for successful people, and they invest in themselves by reading, going to training workshops, and seeking out mentors.

15.       They stay relaxed.

Successful people stay calm, balanced, and keep a healthy perspective in their lives.  This demeanor - not getting too high or too low - is so important once challenges, adversity, and stress come their way.

16.       They live in the present moment.

They key to success- and happiness – is to always be fully present and immersed in the moment.

17.       They’re persistent.

Successful people suffer the same setbacks and disappointments as the rest of us – if not many more – but they understand that their success is earned by bouncing back.  “Fall seven times, get up eight,” as the old saying goes.

18.       They want to improve on the status quo.

Successful people don’t accept the world as it is – they endeavor to change it for the better.

19.       They have a positive relationship with time.

Time stops for no man or woman, but successful people use time to their advantage instead of squandering it or letting it pass them by.  They schedule, plan, and prioritize their way to a “routine of ascension.”

20.       They’re optimistic.

They’re perpetually optimistic, enthusiastic, and never give up their positive attitudes.

21.       They stay focused on one task.

Psychological studies conclude that multi-tasking is a myth because the human brain can only fully focus on one thing at a time.  Successful people know this and don’t try to juggle – they fully engage with one task and when they complete that, only then do they move on.

22.       They have energy and physical stamina.

This trait is usually forgotten, but successful people work long hours and expend incredible amounts of energy day after day for the long haul.  So they take care of their health by exercising, eating right, and adopting healthy habits that keep their energy up.

23.       They don’t shy from conflict.

Instead of being people pleasers and avoiding conflict, they understand it’s a healthy and necessary function of growth.  They aren’t combative or aggressive, but firm and assertive and willing to hash it out when needed.

24.       They gladly put aside their ego.

Successful people want to be on the best team possible.  They always want to surround themselves with the smartest and best people without seeing this as an affront to their own ego.

25.       They’re sensitive to others.

They say the hallmark of genius is that they can consider two opposing viewpoints at the same time.  Leaders and succeeders can do the same with people, having empathy for others by adopting their viewpoints. 

26.       They’re ambitious.

Of course ambition and drive are common traits of successful people, but more than just amassing wealth, they want to build something bigger than themselves and make lasting changes that help people.

27.       They look for solutions.

The desired outcome or goal is always in mind to keep them focused and guide them as they work.  Instead of getting hung up on the minutiae of the process, they’re constantly focused on the target. 

28.       They have specific training, knowledge, skills, and talents.

Instead of just being generalists, high achievers invest in the education or training to become the best at one single thing.

29.       They stop and smell the roses.

No matter how busy they are, successful people schedule time off to spend time with their families, see friends, exercise, unwind, and have fun. 

30. They have fun!

Through all that hard work, discipline, and achievement, successful people always have fun.  They embrace that it’s all about enjoying the journey, not the destination.