secrets of highly successful people

Some of the freelancing I’m doing consists of personalizing some rather dry bio profiles of several very impressive people. 

Although I’ve been a little intimidated about the conversations (I wouldn’t say I’m overawed by position in general, but it’s safe to say that I don’t interact with a lot of CEOs on a daily basis), I’ve actually been enjoying them more than I would have guessed.

Successful individuals tend to have great people skills – so it’s not surprising that most of them were patient, congenial, curious, and passionate.  But I was also interested to note that most have also had at least two or three very different kinds of careers, as well as a lot of professional training along the way.  Many of these individuals have also spent time teaching in their area of interest(s) at one point or another.

Also, curiously, all of them have cited snowshoeing as among their favourite outdoor activities.  Now, is this just a wholesome, non-elitist winter sport self-consciously selected to humanize an extraordinary individual  in the eyes of a general Canadian audience?  Or will my prospects in life improve once the snow falls and I can get out there on snowshoes again? 

To summarize, here is what I have gleamed from my conversations with some very successful Montrealers:

Secrets of highly successful people

• Be who you want to be
• Follow your interests, both inside and outside of work
•  Get involved in those areas
• Connect with like-minded individuals
• Have a good, hard work ethic
• Enjoy snowshoeing