You can prosper, regardless of the current economic situation.

A management psychologist described a conversation he once had with his banker in which he was asked the following question: “Jim, you get around behind the scenes in a lot of businesses. What do you make of the current economic situation?” “The winners are still winning!” he answered, and went on to explain that, despite tough times, some people still pursue and achieve their goals.

No matter how pessimistic the news may be, the winners continue to wring triumph out of adversity. A refreshing and encouraging thought, isn’t it? What is it that winners do to continue winning? Here are six common characteristics of winners:

1. Winners depend upon themselves above all else. They’ll put any advantage they can acquire to work, but they primarily rely on their own talents. The economy and the government may affect business positively or negatively, but the winners know the only constants lie within themselves.

2. The winners also recognize the importance of other people. They know that human relations are even more crucial during hard times. But because they depend ultimately on themselves, winners don’t seek scapegoats among the people they work with. They accept full responsibility for their actions and waste little time blaming.

3. Winners accept and cope realistically with their own faults. They feel no compulsion to live up to the image of “big business executive,” no matter how popular that image may be.

4. Winners eagerly listen to and learn from almost anyone, but in the end, they act on their own convictions.          
5.  The tenacious pursuit of goals is another characteristic of winners. They’ll change pace, tactics and priorities, but always with one goal in mind. For them, the goal is fixed; only the strategy changes.
6.  And finally, winners care more about an accomplishment than about the ensuing rewards. They love the pursuit, the endeavor itself. Some winners may expect to be paid handsomely for their work, but they still see the work itself as a greater monument to their talents than any amount of money.