3 Beliefs of Highly Successful People - TIME

http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/3-beliefs-of-highly-successful-people.html

LAST UPDATED: APR 18, 2014

High achievement isn't just about what you do, it's also about what you 

believe, says HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah

Business owners are often told not to "ask for permission." Go out there and do what you want to do--approval will follow initiative. Another way to say that (which is perhaps less grating to those who think "don’t ask for permission" sounds self-centered or entitled) is "don’t wait to be selected." Successful people believe they can select themselves.

"Once upon a time most people had to wait: to be accepted, to get funded, to be promoted--to somehow be 'discovered,'" writes Shah. "Not anymore.... You can do almost anything you have the desire and skills and drive to do; you don't need to wait for someone else to discover your talents. You get to discover yourself. The only thing holding you back is your willingness to take the leap and try."

Forget Fate

If you have not yet achieved the success you dream of, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing you lack a certain something--character, skill, or maybe simple luck--to get ahead. Successful people, on the other hand, know that success only looks predictable in hindsight, and no one is predetermined to fail.

"Success is never inevitable. It's easy to look back on an entrepreneurial path to greatness and assume that every vision was clear, every plan was perfect, every step was executed flawlessly, and tremendous success was a foregone conclusion," says Shah. "Success is never predestined. If you're willing to work hard and persevere, who you are is sufficient--because when you work hard and persevere, who you become is definitely more than enough to do something significant."

Service Beats Selfishness

You might think that the truly great have tunnel vision and focus maniacally on their personal goals. Nope, says Shah. The truly great get that way by trying to be of service to others. "When you're in it only for yourself, initial success is always finite--and fleeting. When you're in it for others, they succeed--and so do you," he writes.