To most, common sense means the ability to render sound, practical judgments on everyday affairs. To do this, one has to sweep aside extraneous ideas and get right to the core of what matters. A Texas oil and gas magnate puts it this way: "The key ability for success is simplifying. In conducting meetings and dealing with industry regulators, reducing a complex problem to the simplest terms is highly important."
Is common sense a trait a person is born with, or can you do something to increase it? The oil man' s answer is that common sense can definitely be developed. He attributes his to learning how to debate in school. Another way to increase your store of common sense is to observe it in others, learning from their and your own-mistakes.
Knowing One's Field
After common sense, specialized knowledge in one' s field is the second most common trait possessed by the respondents, with three-fourths giving themselves an A in this category.
Geologist Philip Oxley, former president of Tenneco Oil Exploration and Production Co. and now chairman of Tenneco Europe, attributes his success to having worked in the oil fields, by "sitting on wells and bird-dogging seismic crews," he learned the tricks of the trade firsthand. "People, who are going to be good managers need to have a practical understanding of the crafts in their business," he says. Today his expertise earns him a six-figure salary.
On-the-job experience convinced people the importance of specialized knowledge. He says that "understanding why my equipment performs the way it does" is part of his success formula. A noteworthy point: he obtained his specialized knowledge through self-education and not through formal schooling.
Self-reliance
Top achievers rely primarily on their own resources and abilities. Seventy-seven percent give themselves an A rating for this trait. Self-reliance is not how you feel or how good you are; rather, it' s whether you have the gumption to take definitive action to get things moving in your life. It includes plain old willpower and the ability to get goals.
Two-thirds of the respondents say they' ve had clear goals for their lives and careers. And half of those we interviewed give themselves an A in willpower. Among other capabilities, willpower encompasses the ability to be a self-starter and to persevere after a project has begun.
General Intelligence
This is essential for outstanding achievement because it involves your natural ability to comprehend difficult concepts quickly and to analyze them clearly and incisively. At least that's the way our respondents see it—43 percent said it was a very important ingredient of their success, and another 52 percent said it was fairly important.
Ability to Get Things Done
Nearly three-fourths of our high achievers rank themselves "very efficient" in accomplish tasks, And they agree that at least three important qualities have helped them to do so: organizational ability, good work habits and diligence.
A physics professor summarizes his success formula this way: "Sheer hard, tenacious work, with the ability to pace oneself." He admits working up to 100 hours a week.
Besides the five listed here, there are other factors that influence success: leadership, creativity, relationships with others, and, of course, luck. But common sense, knowing your field, self-reliance, intelligence and the ability to get things done stand out. If you cultivate these traits, chances are you'll succeed. And you might even find yourself listed in Who' s Who someday.
“成功有个性吗”——也就是那些注定使人成功的优势组合？如果真的有，那么，其奥秘何在？每个人都能培养出“成功的个性”吗？
近来，我们在盖洛普组织深入集中地对成功问题进行了研究，在美国《名人录》中随机选取了1500名杰出人物，研究他们的态度和性格特征。在《名人录》中选取人物的重要标准，是他们在其所属领域作出的被公众接受的贡献，而不是财富和社会地位。我们的研究将高成就者身上频繁出现的几种性格特征准确地显示出来。以下是最重要的五条。
良好的判断力
这是被调查者所拥有的最普遍的品质。79%的人在这一项上都得了高分，并且61%的人说判断力为他们的成功立下了汗马功劳。
对多数人来说，判断力是指合情合理地解决日常事务的能力。要做到这一点，就应该扫除与主题无关的思想羁绊，确定事情的核心。一位得克萨斯州石油及天然气业的巨头这样说：“简单化是获取成功的一个重要能力。在主持会议和处理工业规定时，将一个复杂问题变成最简单的条款是非常有必要的。”
良好的判断力是一个人与生俱来的特征，还是后天提高的呢？那位石油大亨回答说，良好的判断力一定可以培养出来。他把自己的这种能力，归功于在学校学到的辩论技巧。增强判断力的另一种方法是观察别人，从别人和自己的错误中学习。
对你所在的领域了如指掌
在拥有良好的判断力后，拥有某一领域的专业知识是被调查者的第二个普遍特征，3/4的人在这一项上给自己打了满分。
Tenneco石油勘探公司前总裁——地质学家菲利浦·奥克斯勒，现任Tenneco公司欧洲分公司主席。他把曾在油田工作过的经历当做自己成功的一大原因。通过“在油井边坐着，观察地震队员工作”，他学到了第一手成功秘诀。“要成为出色的管理者，需要对自己的事业所处的行业有切实的了解。”他说。如今，他的专业知识为他赢得了六位数的年薪。
专业知识的重要性在实际工作经验中得到了证实。他说“了解我的设备的工作方式”是他成功的一部分。值得注意的是：他不是通过正规的学校教育获得专业知识的，而是自学成才的。
依赖自己
成就大事业的人基本是依靠自身的资源和能力。77%的被调查者给自己的这一特点打了A。依赖自己并非你感觉如何或认为你有多好就可以了，而要看你是否有魄力采取实际行动，并在生活中真正地实施这些事情。这包括人们通常所说的意志力，以及实现目标的能力。
被调查者中有2/3的人说他们曾有确定的生活和职业目标，其中半数人给自己的意志力打了A。与其他能力相比，意志力是一种主动开展一个项目并持之以恒的能力。
一般智能
这是做出突出成就不可或缺的因素，因为它包括对困难概念的迅速理解，并清晰、准确地对其进行分析的自然能力。至少在我们被调查者眼中是这样的——43%的人说这是他们取得成功的一个非常重要的因素，另外有52%的人肯定了它的重要性。
完成任务的能力
高成就者中，几乎有3/4的人认为他们“非常有能力”完成任务。他们普遍认为，至少有三个重要的品质有助于他们这么做，即组织能力、良好的工作习惯和勤奋精神。
一位物理学教授在总结他的成功模式时这样说：“全力以赴，紧张工作，使自己有规律地匀速前行。”他坦言，一周的工作时间总计有100个小时。
除此五条，影响成功的还有其他诸多因素，比如领导能力、创造能力、协调能力等，当然，运气也不可或缺。但是，良好的判断力、对你所在的领域了如指掌、依赖自己、一般智能和完成任务的能力这五项较为突出。如果有了这些特点，你就可能获得成功，甚至在某天，你会突然发现《名人录》中有自己的名字。
我们不得不承认，那些成功人士身上拥有共同点。看到这些共同点，学习这些优点，坚持去做，总有一天，我们也会成功。
formula ['f:mjul] n. 公式；配方；规则
There is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional
acceptance of life and what it brings.
成功没有公式可循，除了可能的一种：无条件地接受生活以及生活带来的一切。
recur [ri'k:] v. 出现；重现；频现
The symptoms tend to recur.
这些症状有可能复发。
category ['k鎡igri] n. 种类；范畴；方面；项
Certainly this likely belongs to the philosophy discussion category.
当然，这更像是属于哲学的讨论范畴。
seismic ['saizmik] adj. 地震的；地震仪；地震；与地震有关的
This year, the new reservoir dam, oil storage, gas storage facilities
and the need for major national construction projects seismic safety evaluation.
今年起，新建的水库大坝、贮油、贮气设施和国家重大建设工程必须进行地震安全评价。
增强判断力的另一种方法是观察别人，从别人和自己的错误中学习。