There are characteristics common among men and women who started out with nothing and achieved great financial success. Characteristics that are responsible for their success. They are traits anyone of average intelligence can develop if he or she is willing to pay price.

It is estimated that today every 58 minutes someone in United States or Canada becomes a millionaire. And rate is accelerating. When self-made millionaires are studied, however, it is found that they are not necessarily smarter than average person.

It is found that most self-made millionaires did not complete college. According to a study, between 68% and 75% of them did not complete college or never attended in first place. Many of them got poor grades in school. Some of them even dropped out of high school and went to work to help support their family.

It is also found that 80% to 90% of self-made millionaires came from a working class background. They did not come necessarily from a background that would open up opportunities for them. Most started with no opportunities at all.

I believe that one reason why people of average intelligence tend to be more successful is that they do not fall into what we call intelligence trap. This is what people fall into when they think that they know it all, they stop learning. Consequently, their peers, who are continually asking questions and learning, move ahead of them.

Mr. Brian Tracy, in his extensive study of one particular group of achievers, self-made millionaires, learned that they possess seven basic qualities and characteristics responsible for their success. To make it easier for us to remember these seven qualities, or keys, according to Mr. Tracy, he used acronym SECRETS. So, let's spell out these keys to learn what Mr. Tracy found in these secrets:

* Sense of Purpose: All men and women who achieve a high level of success in life are intensely goal-oriented. They have what Charles Garfield, in his work on peak performance, calls "a sense of mission". They are extremely focused on what they are doing. They have a clear vision of person they want to become and what they want to accomplish.

Here's an actual example.

My girlfriend Riza would sometimes buy me signature clothing. When my Mom founds out how much it costs, she would advise us to budget our money and just buy affordable ones.

A problem occurs when Riza thinks that her effort to give me best was unappreciated. Mom, on other hand, would think that Riza is such a spender.

There's a conflict with their beliefs. No two people are exactly alike. We are totally unique; not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

There will be many times when your opinion will not correspond with that of another. So how can people prevent this kind of conflict from occurring?

Communication is key to overcome doubts and misunderstandings.

You should let other people know what's in your mind. Don't keep them guessing.

There was a story about two couples who were filing a divorce. After lawyer have spoken to them both, he found out that root cause of all their problems was due to miscommunication.

Here's one of couple's problems.