The 10 Laws of Enduring Success according to Maria Bartiromo

March 21st, 2011

For the last 15+ years, Maria Bartiromo has been the high profile face of financial news. She is host of CNBC’s The Closing Bell and also editor of the Wall Street Journal with Maria Bartiromo. She is someone who knows a great deal about what it takes to be successful and the wisdom she has gleaned is exceptionally well presented in her recent book “The 10 Laws of Enduring Success”.

She describes true success as coming from the inside, being introspective, passionate, bold persistent and ethical. “Success is knowing yourself – an inner comfort and inner contentment.”

I really appreciated this lesson from her experience “If you’re going to get anywhere, you have to learn to take the hits and rise above them. Taking the initiative is always a risk. You are sticking your neck out for sure. You risk being laughed at, being ridiculed, or, worse, being wrong. But if you believe in what you are doing and are trying to do the right thing in every instance, you will ultimately win.”

This book was written with the financial crisis of 2008 in the backdrop. When this occurred she noticed people re-evaluating the meaning of success. “They’re asking themselves the hard questions that have long been ignored, about what is really important to them and where the bedrock of their personal achievement lies.” She sought to find the answers to these questions in the 10 Laws and weaves through the principles with great personal and business stories as well as advice from many business giants.

Here are the 10 Laws. You will notice that none of these qualities are dependent on external circumstances.

10 Laws of Enduring Success

1. Self Knowledge – “Every successful person I’ve met has a strong sense of his or her unique abilities and aspirations, They are leaders in their own lives and they dare to live life on their own terms”
2. Vision – Create a beautiful blueprint for where you would like to take your life. Vision means having the foresight to look ahead and solve the next problem or innovate the next great idea. Ask yourself “How am I going to use the precious gift of my one life?”
3. Initiative – It is clear to Maria from her experience that if you want to be successful, you have to imagine what you want and go out and get it. Some of the most successful people have dared to step out over the edge and do something no one else has ever tried before. The only difference between the people who are first on the scene and the people who follow them is the commitment to act.
4. Courage – Be bold, smart and fair. “Courage isn’t bravado or taking stupid risks. It’s simply deciding to live in a mindset of possibility instead of fear.”
5. Integrity – Do the right thing. In this chapter Maria quotes Ben Franklins’ thirteen virtues. That if followed will all but guarantee a life of integrity. They are temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, humility.
6. Adaptability – The ability to change and find new opportunities. “The key is to have the attitude that you always have something to learn, even if you are at the top of the heap.”
7. Humility – The understanding that we are all human. “Believe in yourself, but don’t think you are the center of the universe” She then quotes Jack Welch former GE CEO “To get ahead, you have to possess self-confidence and humility at the same time. That combination is called maturity.”
8. Endurance – Pace yourself. Use discipline and sacrifice short term wins for ultimate long term success.
9. Purpose – Find what really makes your heart sing, what resonates with you. Never forget that true fulfillment comes from inner peace, creativity and meaningful relationships.
10. Resilience – The ability to survive and bounce back after failures and then use hardships as learning experiences in preparation for the return to greatness.

This book is an interesting read and hits home with the fact that although the landscape of success may change from era to era there are fundamental qualities that remain consistent no matter what happens in our outside world.

*Disclosure Policy* I purchased my own copy of this book and I have not been paid or otherwise compensated for this review.  If you decide to purchase the book from Amazon using the above links I will receive a small commission.