Admiring an overachiever won’t make us
one. But if we analyze them and see what we can do to become a part of that
group of successful people, we will be more effective instead of just “watching
from the sidelines”. Successful
people have trained their minds to overcome every challenge and see the
best out of every situation.
In this article, we are going to explore the basic habits of successful people. By applying these habits in your life you can
be sure to achieve success in all aspects of your life.
1. Waking up early
Benjamin Franklin once said “Early to bed and early to
rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”. Getting a good amount of
sleep and “catching” the day early on is one of the most important daily habits
of successful people. People who tend to go to bed early and wake up early are
more concentrated, energetic and overall better performers.
Studies have
proven that productivity peaks first thing in the morning when our bodies and
minds are fresh and full of energy. Too many people try to achieve their goals
after work only to end up too tired or distracted.
If you want
to be successful, trade in a night wasted watching Netflix or browsing social media for
a morning of goal setting and accelerated productivity. Get a head start and
make your dreams a reality while everyone else is sleeping.
2. Reading everyday
It’s no coincidence that some of
the world’s most successful people are also avid readers; executives
like Elon Musk and Mark Cuban read for hours every single
day. Why? Because reading and success go together like milk and honey.
Countless studies have shown the advantages of
reading regularly. Reading puts your brain on a mental treadmill; stimulating
growth and fending off diseases like dementia. It’s a lot like going to the
gym; it significantly lowers stress levels and can unravel whatever anxieties
may be holding you back.
Reading can even help you sleep better by relaxing
your body and your mind. While all that is well and good the biggest advantage
of reading is knowledge.
Reading everyday:
·
improves your memory,
·
upgrades your vocabulary, and
·
Allows you to learn just about any
subject in detail.
You don’t need a special degree, a job or seminar to
accomplish your goals. If you read every day and choose the right books, you’ll
start making progress in no time.
3. Networking
It’s all about who you know. Am sure that everyone
has heard this phrase a thousand times but that doesn’t make it any less true. Most successful people are out to create win-wins. They are interested
in exchanging real value, creating the best outcomes for everyone involved,
which fosters positive relationships and creates a strong network of support.
Successful people’s
habits aren’t always fueled by independence. A lot of the most successful minds
in the world know exactly what they can contribute, know their skill sets, and
know their weaknesses. They know how to recognize their strengths and know that
collaborating with others, who have different skills, abilities, and
techniques, can help achieve a common goal. It acknowledges their own limits,
creates synergy, and most of all builds trust and relationships.
4. Eliminate
micro-decisions
"When it comes to making decisions, your
brain functions in two modes. One mode is largely automatic, it makes reactive
decisions based on intuition. The second mode is deliberate, it makes rational,
analytical decisions. This mode is also where willpower comes from.
The second mode
is finite--you can make only so many logical decisions before the tank is
empty and you are left only with the first, reactive mode. From deciding to
respond to a mobile notification to picking which shoes to wear, we are
inundated with micro-decisions every day.
These decisions
eat the fuel you need for willpower and deliberate thought. So, eliminate
micro-decisions.
Next time you're
at a restaurant, order the first thing you like as opposed to reading the
entire menu to find the best item. Or wear the same shoes to work every day. Or
the same black pants to work every day. If you can, eat at the same place for
lunch during the weekdays. Save the willpower and deliberate fuel for the
important stuff."
5. Spending Money
Some of
the best advice in business is that you have to spend money to make money. This
could mean buying a better website or hiring a public relations firm, but real
success requires more than a few extrinsic changes.
The most successful people actively shift
their focus from current expenses to potential profit. Instead of cutting costs
and finding shortcuts they invest in their own success by taking calculated
risks up-front.
Think about it like this, if you could lower
expenses by 20% or invest in something that increases revenue by 20% which
option is more profitable? The former is immediately more productive but the
latter ultimately promotes the growth of your business supplying more money to
reinvest in yourself.
This change
in attitude cultivates one of the most essential tools for anyone searching for
success – delayed gratification.
According to leading psychologists, the
ability to postpone gratification predicts success better than almost anything.
By regularly deferring rewards we are nurturing productivity and
self-discipline. Think about expenses and profits in the same way.
6. Avoid Time Wasters
One of the
biggest time wastes is checking emails multiple times a day. Calendar two or
three times a day where you check in with your inbox and don’t respond to the
buzz of your phone every minute of every day. Notice anywhere else in your day
where you are idling, or have the tendency to get distracted and set up a
system to keep you focused. Leonardo Da Vinci once said: “Simplicity is
the ultimate sophistication.” Successful people remove any physical,
mental, or emotional baggage that may be keeping them away from living their
greatest life. They don’t get distracted by comparing themselves to others or
daydream about where they ‘could’ be under different circumstances. They
instead seize the moment and know that time is of the highest value.
7. Creative
writing
Have you ever wondered why so many of the
world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs are also published authors? Most of them
aren’t exactly the most eloquent wordsmiths, so what gives?
Well, it turns out that creative writing
is a fantastic way to get inspired, gain clarity and develop the confidence you
need to succeed. By putting your life and your perspective on the paper you can
explore your own story while rediscovering how you got where you are today.
Creative writing can reaffirm that you’ve
embarked on the right path or help you find an entirely new calling. That’s the
beauty of creative freedom. You never know where exactly it might take you.
But what if you are not really a creative
person? The truth is that creativity plays as big as a role in success as
motivation or discipline.
Even if you don’t think you are very
creative try your hand at some journaling or write a short story. Set aside your
expectations for an hour or two just to see what you are capable of.Your work may not be published any time soon but
you’d be surprised at how many doors a little imagination can unlock.
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