Successful people, whether they are in business, government, non-profit or a professional field have five characteristics in common. These characteristics distinguish them from those who are in the middle of the pack. Some leaders have displayed these since their youths. Others have learned them, in many cases painfully, over the years. With drive, passion, hard work and a degree of luck (i.e. being in the right place at the right time) anyone can be successful.

The common traits of successful people include:

Passion for the current job or profession. Successful people wake up every day exciting about both the challenges and opportunities facing them in the day ahead. There is no oh its Monday! or thank goodness its Friday. Most work, in some way, seven days a week and do not clock in/out. I one way or other, they are always working. Everyday single day brings new challenges and new opportunities for those who have a passion about what they do to make money.

Balance of work, family and other interests. Successful people do put how they make a living first. But they also find ways to weave their family and their interests into the way they make a living. Whether it is traveling with family, supporting a non-profit cause tied in to a personal (and professional) interest or just relaxing on the beach, successful people find ways to integrate work, family and personal interests together in a way that enhances each and is not to the detriment of their professional objectives. You can have it all.

High tech/low tech. There are super successful people who use pencil and paper. There are super successful people who use typewriters (yes, this IS getting more challenging). And yes, there are super successful people who always have the latest notebook computer, cell phone, PDA device and the other latest cutting edge devices. Does one or the other make one more successful? Wit the risk of sounding like a Luddite, I say no. What works for you is the right technology. Now there are some fields and some professions that demand a high degree of technological savvy and tools. That is clear. But in other, more entrepreneurial endeavors, the low tech person may be just as successful if not more so than the one checking their email and answering their cell phone non-stop.

People powered. Successful people thrive on other people. Customers, clients, investors, potential clients, employees and others energize successful people. It is difficult to be successful if your idea of a good time is being in your office or even just with a few close associates. Listening to the thoughts, ideas, needs, questions, issues and concerns of a variety of people opens up whole new possibilities for successful people. And they create situations where they can have these exchanges constantly.

Reading and learning. While there are many ways to learn: classes, TV, radio, CDs and other medium, the one that propels most successful people to the top of their field or profession is reading. Most super successful people read constantly. And they do not just read professional journals and reports. They read everything they can get their hands on. They are curious about the world and they see opportunities and tie-ins for themselves in much of what they read. They devour books, magazines, newspapers, journals and just about anything else they can read that serves to expand their mind and their horizons.

Success, while a state of mind, is also a series of behaviors. And the most successful people exhibit these five behaviors consistently. Even if one does not achieve the stratosphere of the super-success, adopting there habits into daily life will leader to a higher level of success and personal fulfillment in the future.