While for some success can seem like a destined thing, it is not actually that easy. In order to be successful one should know what exactly success is and how to reach it. Success does not just come to you – you need to put enough efforts.
However, while there are no specific formula or recipe for success, there are some special guidelines/habits most of the successful people follow.
In fact, these small routines might seem like insignificant changes to your daily life – however, in the long term, they have an enormous effect on your productivity. Below is the list of habits of highly successful people.
Yes, you read it right – successful people do talk to themselves, and yes, it does help you improve your productivity. For instance, one of the success books authors, Michal Stawicki, believes:
“At the highest level of professional sports, they consider skills and techniques a given. You can’t reach that level without them. What allows them to beat their opponents is not more time spent honing their skills, but more focus on perfecting their internal dialogue.”
Moreover, a study suggests that talking to yourself can help you deal with stressful situations. Consequently, you can feel more relaxed and creative.
Successful people tend to keep a journal of their plans, expenses, and some other important things. For instance, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was keeping a journal.
If you want to turn to the more modern examples – look at Mark Zuckerberg. He says he has planned every single outfit he is going to wear a week ahead, so he does not waste time thinking about it. How is that for planning?
In addition, journaling not only will keep you organized, but also will give you that piece of mind. One of the studies showed that keeping a journal about the thoughts and emotions helps students to deal with stresses.
Meditation is one of the primary habits of successful people. While some find meditation a challenging task, once you get a hang of it – it really is a healing habit.
Meditation is proven not only to improve your mental health; it also has some physical health benefits. Numerous successful people meditate every single day – Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs… these are just a few names of famous people who saw meditation as a need.
In fact, they do not read on and off – they usually have the specific time on their daily agenda saved for reading. Warren Buffet, the most successful investor, spends about 80% of his day reading.
Reading not only develops and trains your brain – it also opens up new horizons for you. Diversified learning is the key to knowing and remembering more, as you improve your brain’s capacity.
If you don’t know how to get this habit into your daily schedule – start little. Find a book you like and start reading few pages per day, and you won’t notice how this success habit will become your daily need.
Successful people are also actually normal people – they have emotions. The difference is that they do not let emotions in their way, as they manage them in a smart way.
Mentally strong people were not born that way – just as bodybuilders work out in the gym, they train their brain to control emotions. Moreover, they are fully aware of how their emotions impact their thoughts and behaviors in the long term.
Successful people also understand the importance of discipline and self-control. They know the tips on how to stop procrastinating and they will never postpone the important task until the last moment.
Being disciplined also means having a schedule of sleep, eating and doing sports. The more you push yourself and challenge your limits, the stronger and more disciplined you will become.
Typically, successful people are good communicators. While some of them have it in them as a talent, others work on this skill constantly.
How to improve your communication skills? You can find some awesome online courses that will guide you on your way to becoming a successful communicator.
Remember, communication is not just talking – it is about the way you move, your tone and your expressions as well.
Sounds strange, does not it? However, multiple studies showed that morning routines usually give the structure to your day. Many believe that the start of the day is very important and some prefer to do meditation in the mornings.
Morning is a sacred time when you are getting ready to go and conquer the world with all the energy you got during the night.
Some successful people like to spend their mornings in the complete silence, while others go over the list of chores they planned to do.
Successful people have a little ‘me-time’ every day – this helps them focus on what is important and recharge batteries. Moreover, being alone for some time gives an opportunity to reflect and replenish the energy.
Psychotherapists say that mentally strong people do not fear alone time – they value it. They use precious minutes alone to process what is happening around and plan the next activities.
Successful people are conscientious, which means that they are highly organized and hardworking. They are very responsible and are able to manage their impulses.
Some studies showed that conscientiousness is one of the primary personality traits that contributes to success in regards to the factors like job satisfaction and income levels.
Persistence is one of the top habits of successful people. Successful people generate ideas and work on them regularly – only this approach guarantees results.
Let’s come back to our example about the gym and the sportsman – in order to develop muscles, he/she needs to work on them regularly. The same principle applies to the persistence in life – the more you work on something, the better results you get.
Successful people are self-aware – they acknowledge who they are and they have defined vision. They are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and they use them wisely.
Some industry experts are confident that the gratitude is among super important personality traits for successful people. Many success book authors praise gratitude as not only one of the noblest features of human’s character, but also as the key to great relationships.
Close relationships with right people are, in turn, crucial for success.
Sport is a very important part of every single successful person’s life. Not only sport keeps you healthy, it also positively affects your mental condition. When your body is exercising, it releases endorphin – the hormone of happiness, which is crucial for upped mood.
When you are in the good mood – all chores seem like no big deal!
Yes, we mentioned that successful people are good communicators, which, in part, means being a good listener.
Successful people recommend to listen more and talk less – it is important to be very attentive.
The CEO of the Likeable Local, Dave Kerpen, believes that listening is the most important skill in business and in life, in general. He writes:
“Remember that people care more about themselves than they care about you. People want to talk about themselves. Listening and letting people talk is key to winning them over in life, in business, and in all human relationships.”
Successful people usually wake up at least two hours before their actual working day starts – this gives them time to plan in advance and have this ‘me-time’ we talked about earlier.
They say that waking up early gives you the confidence that you, indeed, direct your life.
In order to become better, you have to spend time with those, who you admire or you think is a good example for you. You can learn lots of amazing stuff by just spending time with them.
In the same fashion, it is recommended to limit/eliminate the time spent with people, who do not have the positive influence on you. In other words – avoid time wasters, your time is gold.
Simply following these tips will not get you successful – unless you have a goal. Set up a goal and break it down to smaller objectives.
Every day, get a step closer to your ultimate goal and remember: only you can define, shape and reach your success!
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