THE truth is, a large part of what we accomplish in life is
governed by our habits.
Habits can lead us to think and act in specific patterns, as
they rewire our brains with neural pathways that make the behaviors almost
automatic.
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| Discover how you can be 'Wildly Successful', too |
Because our habits are so powerful, it is important to pay
close attention to the ones that have the biggest impact.
While luck and genetics play a role in your long-term
success, there are certain learnable behaviors that will make you more likely
to be successful in all your endeavors.
In fact, some “keystone
habits” can compel you to perform other positive behaviors, creating a
string of good habits that can significantly improve your life.
Many of these positive habits don’t require a major life
change – which is hard to pull off without employing dozens of habits.
Instead, making a few small changes to your daily routine
can potentially result in an unexpectedly large payoff.
People who are wildly successful – like Warren Buffet, Bill
Gates, Oprah Winfrey – understand the secrets of developing these small daily
habits.
Here are 11 habits of successful people that you can
adopt in your life:
1. They practice
willpower
When you are working toward a goal, it is important to think
about what you want vs. what you want right now.
Successful people have the strength to finish what they have
started without procrastinating.
When you want something and have a clear long-term goal, you
will make it happen.
Some of the world’s greatest achievers are people who have a
laser focus on their goal and are therefore consistent with their efforts.
2. They read
We know that reading has considerable benefits, from
improving your overall health and well-being to expanding your capacity to have
strategic decision making.
People who read are constantly learning about new things,
whether it is the biography of someone who was successful before them or just
the current events in the news.
Reading can also help improve writing skills and alleviate
stress.
3. They have a
morning routine
Developing a morning routine and sticking to it gives
structure to your day and allows you to have the energy to accomplish everything
that is important to you.
Some common morning routines include:
- Gratitude meditation
- Exercising
- Journaling
- Mapping out your MITs for the day
- Responding to important emails
4. They don’t sweat
the small stuff
People who are successful don’t waste their time worrying
about small matters that do not have an impact on their long-term goals.
Instead, they let those things slide or put them aside to
deal with later when they are not trying to focus on their work.
Time is a very important variable in the things that we are
able to accomplish and the people who choose to spend their time wisely are
able to be more successful than those who waste time worrying about irrelevant
matters.
5. They wake up an
hour early
There is another hour that you can use in your day to
accomplish great things, but you may have slept through it most of your life.
Waking up an hour earlier than usual will take some time to
adjust to, but once you do, you won’t want to go back to sleeping in.
Early risers tend to be more dedicated and optimistic than
those who choose to sleep in, and they are able to anticipate upcoming problems
and conquer them more efficiently.
This is a crucial element to success in the business world.
6. They complete THAT
task first
There is always that one task that you really don’t enjoy
doing, but you absolutely have to in order to continue with your work.
Maybe that is calling a certain client that you have to talk
to on a regular basis or creating a report that is just tedious.
Reprioritize your to-do list by placing your most dreaded
task at the top of the list.
Rather than allowing it to loom over you all day while you
are getting other things accomplished, save yourself the stress and get it over
with first.
This will provide you with a sense of relief and allow you
to be more willing and able to complete any trivial tasks that follow.
Remember, you usually have the most energy in the morning
when you are feeling the most rested.
7. They find their
mantra
What is your core motivation for being successful?
Is it so you can provide for your family, or retire early and
travel the world?
Remember your motivation and create a mantra that will help
keep you going during times of stress.
Repeat your mantra to yourself each morning while you are
taking a deep breath and relaxing.
This will help you feel more motivated and focused
throughout the day.
8. They make sure to
set aside time to get exercise
Exercising not only gives you a boost of energy, but it also
helps to keep your brain sharp and your stress levels low.
Exercising will help you feel ready to take on any issue
that comes your way.
It is best to get your exercise over with in the morning,
because studies have shown that you are less likely to skip your workout if you
do it first thing in the morning before you have time to make an excuse to put
it off.
Even if it is just a fifteen minute run in the morning, get
some physical activity and get your body moving.
9. They keep their
space organized
Whether it is their desk at work or where they handle
business at home, there is no clutter or unnecessary items filling the space of
people who are successful.
They throw away old papers and excess items that are not
used on a regular basis because these things only add a distraction.
Take some time each day to clean up your working space and
organize your papers and projects from the day.
This will help set you up to be ready to work the next day
without having to deal with any clutter.
10. They are
self-confident
Self-confidence is born when one is able to master their
skills and their talents.
This is a slow process that builds a sense of trust in
yourself, letting yourself know that you know what you are doing and that you
are good at your job. This is a key element of success.
It is important to realize that being self-confident also
requires a sense of self-awareness. Successful people know who they are and
have a defined vision.
But while they know their strengths, they are also very
aware of their weaknesses.
This allows them to know when they need to seek outside help
with a project or get a second opinion.
People who have the most success are aware of the instances
in which they need to rely on someone else who may be more equipped to handle a
specific problem than they are.
11. They contribute
to others
One of the habits of successful people that may seem
counterintuitive is to give to others.
People who are successful make it a habit to provide other
people with things of value.
Whether that is intangible items such as knowledge or
support or tangible things such as money and books, looking for ways to give,
rather than get, is an important thing that successful people do.
Research has shown that giving makes people happier than
receiving and if you are genuinely happy with your life and the person that you
are, you are more likely to be successful.
If any of these habits intrigue you, choose one to focus on
for the next few weeks. It can take about four to six weeks for a new habit to
become automatic, depending on the difficulty of the habit.
Determine the actions you need to take to develop the habit.
Set a consistent time of day, every day to work on it, using a trigger or cue
(a previously established habit like brushing your teeth) to remind you.
Create accountability by telling your habit plans to someone
else or reporting on your efforts on social media. If you miss a day, just pick
up the next day, and don't beat yourself up.
Once your first habit feels solid, move on to another so
that you build a series of positive habits that will make you wildly successful
too!
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