What sets people like Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey or Elon Musk apart from the rest of us mere mortals? They have pushed boundaries, stood for what they believe in, tackled challenges head on and thought out of the box. In other words – they have adopted the winning attitude right from the word go.

The fact is that even you can be the next Richard Branson – all you need is the right attitude and a winner’s mentality. Where others would hesitate to take the first step – winners would make it their job to push open every door of opportunity they come across, and accept every challenge to ensure they get what they are aiming for.

Here are five winning qualities that you need to adopt to be a winner:

Be persistent: Hustlers and winners do not like to be told that there is nothing much they can do. As a winner, you need to put in every minute of your time to reach your goal. ‘No’ should not be a part of your dictionary, unless, it is something that goes against your belief.

Learn from mistakes: After facing 30 rejections for his debut novel, ‘Carrie,’ author Stephen King was all set to give up on the book. However, at the insistence of his wife, King persisted and resubmitted his manuscript. The author is now world famous for his spine-chilling novels. Similarly, Madonna received a rejection letter from the first label she had written to and was told that she was not ready, yet. But she persisted, and we all know where she is today. All of us make mistakes, but winners learn from them and figure out hundred ways of how not to do something.

Strive towards the goal: Winners dream about their goal day and night – they never let go of it. Be it starting something on their own, following their passion or applying for that dream internship – hustlers and winners don’t stop until they reached the top of their craft. Similarly, going for an internship interview prepared is half the battle won. Research about the organization that you are looking to intern with, find out more about their plans, whether they have been in the news lately, where do they stand among the competition, who their employees are and what background’s they come from. This information would put you in a good stead during your interview process. The same applies with individuals under whom you wish to intern.

Be confident: It doesn’t really matter if you are doing something for the first time, or for the 10th time. The way you conduct yourself with confidence, zeal, and a positive body language, can more than compensate for the lack of experience. But remember – there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. You want to be noticed, not ridiculed and laughed at!

Have the winning attitude: Give your 100 percent to whatever you do and strive to come on top of your game. Make that positive impact, be noticed and be talked about for what you have brought into it – this would surely open many doors. But, most importantly, be a team player. That go getter attitude will help you through every stage of your internship life and career.

About the author:

Aniket Singh works for Apple Inc. in California, United States. He is also the author of “Intern Abroad This Summer”.

Aniket holds a BTech degree in Electrical Engineering from the IIT, Madras, Chennai, and a Master’s degree in Wireless Systems from Politecnico Di Torino in Torino, Italy. He has interned at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and Ecole Polytechnic Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland during this studies.

Visit him at  www.aniketsingh.com

Check out his book at www.internabroadthissummer.com