First of all, let’s define success:
The immediate media-driven narrative is of a beautiful woman or handsome man driving a luxurious car and adorned with expensive clothes.
Well, that’s not really success.
If anything, those kinds of people are either wealthy from inheritance or are just plain boring and vapid.
Success is the writer who finally got his or her book published, the father or mother who makes enough money to afford their family everything they want and spend time with them.
Success isn’t cash or fame, diamonds, and Ferraris. Success is achieving your dreams, however big or small they are.
The Habits
And success… starts with habits.
Habits take around three weeks to form. That’s what the recent research tells us and can last for an entire lifetime.
That is why just like breathing, something simple can mean the difference between success and failure in the long run.
1. Time Management
Probably the most important one right out of the bat is proper time management.
Given that everyone, rich or poor, has exactly 24 hours in the day, time is the one resource that you can’t just buy, even if you’re very wealthy.
While schedules may seem restrictive, we’ve begun associating them with success and the high status already in our cultural zeitgeist.
Just think about the kind of person who says, “let me see if my schedule’s free that day,” when asked to hang out for some off-the-cuff anecdotal evidence.
2. Discipline
A disciplined mind is a strong mind.
No one says it’s easy, but building muscle takes pain, building wealth takes saving, and by that logic, you can only imagine what building a good life takes.
Of course, this isn’t to say that success necessitates constant suffering, but just like you have to exude an amazing amount of force to swim through water or leave the atmosphere if you want to make a change, expect some resistance from the outside world.
3. Nutrition
Ah yes, nutrition, nutrition, and the great lie that’s been perpetuated that healthy food’s expensive.
Whole Foods and many other “trendy” bio, organic, wholesome, or other labels slapped unto overpriced products for marketing purposes.
The truth of the matter is, yes, it can be convenient to pay extra for prepared salads and healthy options, but easy, green meals that fortify your body and mind aren’t nearly as hard to prepare as the media would lead you to believe.
Not only will a good diet improve your concentration, but your energy levels and mood too.
Perception Of Failure
This is not so much a habit but a mindset.
Successful people stay cool when things don’t go according to plan and treat failure more as a teacher than as defeat.
This is partly because they have a safety cushion to fall on, but this only means a proper plan takes into account that everything won’t go smoothly 100% of the time and factors in contingencies.
Adopting The Growth Mindset
All of these tips and habits are just parts of the puzzle as to how people succeed.
Of course, the main factor has and always will be – hard work.
Keeping an open mind, gracefully accepting everyone might have something to teach you, and realizing the bigger the goal, the bigger the sacrifices have to be are others.
That is the growth mindset.
Yes, unfortunately, there isn’t some secret like eating avocados and raw eggs will give you 24-hour energy.
It’s simple yet immensely powerful, so don’t let that discourage you from filling in your own niche, and building the ladder to your specific goal.
Final Thoughts
And so, what can we learn from the habits of successful people? How do they think differently, and what do they focus on to achieve their goals?
We’ve looked at a few examples in this article, but there are many more out there.
If you want to be successful, it’s important to study what others have done and find out what works best for you. x
What is your favorite success habit or strategy? Let us know in the comments below!
