All of us aspire to climb the corporate ladder to the top. But few people can achieve that level of success in their lives. Most successful people give off generic solutions such as “staying committed” and “never giving up,” “always thinking out of the box,” but these are hardly helpful and too cliched. 

Here are some answers on how to succeed in life given by a few iconic and wildly successful personalities: 

Steve Garfield/ Flickr | Steve's legacy has inspired a generation of leaders

1. Think of the bigger picture

   Steve Jobs once said that success doesn't simply come from following your passion, rather it comes from seeing your business from an outsider’s perspective. Think of the ways your business could benefit others 10 to 50 years from now. Look at it from an investor or manager’s perspective and provide them with reasons to support your business and open up new opportunities for the audience. In a successful business, the customers come first, and your dreams come second. 

2. Prioritize others

   To make it to your dream job, you may have to accept starting work on multiple small projects. You may not enjoy some of them, but they are necessary to build a foundation for your career. Business success is similar to building a good resume, you have to work on every step to get where you want yourself to be. This means you would have to fulfill all those customer and market requirements to get things done your way, finally. When you prioritize others, one day, all the benefit eventually comes back to benefit you as well. 

3. Experiment

   The co-founder of Flickr and CEO of Slack, Stewart Butterfield, emphasizes for people to push beyond the boundaries set by other ventures. Experimenting and following your curiosity is a great opportunity for those seeking innovative solutions. In the process, you may also have to embrace failure, but with vulnerability comes great proactivity. 

4. Don't fear to stand out

   
   UN Women/ Flickr | Priyanka Chopra has been actively working towards UN women movements

   Priyanka Chopra is now the most successful and wealthiest woman living in America. She originally comes from Indian roots but that never stopped her from aiming high. In the world of Hollywood, with people coming from all around the world, it's difficult to make a name for yourself. But she never let that stop her from giving it her absolute best. Similarly, if your business idea aims towards a unique goal, don't let criticism and failure stop you.

5. Keep taking feedback

   
   Daniel Oberhaus/ Flickr | Jeff Bezos started Amazon as an online bookstore and is now the richest man on earth

   Jeff Bezos, an American entrepreneur and founder of Amazon, found out that receiving feedback from customers helped him with new developments in Amazon’s products and the new technology he worked on. Customers are the biggest needle movers in your business, once you start working on their demands and requests, your sales figures will automatically begin to rise. Remember, there's always room for growth and improvement, even when you think you've made it to the top.