Hello Friend!
Along with my clients, my work keeps me growing and learning and over the years I’ve collected quite a lot of informal research about habits, success and how one impacts the other. There are certain habits that the vast majority of truly successful people have consciously developed because they understand their foundational importance.
The people I speak with – through training, coaching or just conversations – are most times trying to excel and get better at some aspect of their life: they have a strong desire for moving forward by improving their ( or creating new ) success habits. They have learned through all their effort and experience that certain habits lend themselves to forward movement and success, more than others.
These listed below are the MOST popular among people who are quite informed and passionate about self-development, habits and success. These success habits will give you the biggest bang for your self-development buck.
I suggest you reflect as you read…are you where you want to be with each of these habits?
Which one habit do you consider to be THE MOST IMPORTANT success habit ( a habit a person MUST have if they wish to be successful) of all time?
Top ten list of success habits: (not in any particular order)
- Bedtime/Wake-up routine that WORKS. – Going to bed early enough to get up at the time needed to have the day start right is a habit successful people ALWAYS reference as a key to their success. Obviously our bodies and minds REQUIRE adequate sleep and rest to have us function at our highest and best. I know this for sure…rising early enough to get those quiet things done (reflection, meditation, prayer, writing) positively impacts the rest of my day every single time.
- An attitude of gratitude – having a habit of saying and meaning “thank you” throughout your day is powerful. What we are grateful for expands in our life. I’m presently [as it has not always been the case] in the habit of saying thank-you for the challenges as well. They really are tomorrow’s blessings. This has been demonstrated more times than I can count. Thank everybody for everything – not just with words, but with your attitude and actions. Be grateful!
- Reading and Learning – being on a continuous quest for knowledge about the world, countries and cultures, your self, your work, your skills and talents, parenting, health, technology, etc. Live with your mind open to new experiences and they will come.
- Exercise. Need I say more? Whether it’s in the gym, garden, nature walks or play…all successful people schedule some sort of physical activity that keeps them alive, healthy and well. Combining exercise with something you are learning — like dance, is a great way to be active AND have fun all at once. Exercise is not by necessity something we dread and hate doing…CHANGE YOUR MIND about it! Decide to make it fun and choose wisely. Pick an activity you enjoy and do it with someone you love. (I chose Zumba and learned some great dances along the way!)
- Eating well. Another obvious one. Limiting caffeine, alcohol, sugars and general junk food is essential for good health. Good health is an essential aspect of success. Successful people understand that their health is directly linked to their creativity, energy level, mindset, emotions and output.
- SMILING – yes, smiling 🙂 . I’ve worked with several people and actually live with one very successful person – my husband, who has worked on “smiling” as a priority habit. It’s not just about the smile…it’s the spirit of optimism behind it. It’s the commitment to joy and laughter behind it. Optimistic, joyful people produce more and do more. Did the success lead to the smile or the smile to the success? Well a whole book can be written about that one…suffice it to say, if all a person has to smile about is their tangible, daily success, they are anchored to a moving target and are dependent upon outside factors. Not a good thing. Smile easily, frequently, deeply, regardless of daily circumstances! It’s a tonic for the mind, body and soul. Smiling breeds success – the real lasting, internal kind of success.
- Being STILL…that would be the habit of PAUSE. As with sentences – can you just imagine this blog without punctuation?! So is a life without stillness and pause and rest. Be still long enough to connect to your source. For me that is God. Successful people know how to tune out and get re-energized. Stillness is the most powerful way to do this. It’s called meditation by some. But don’t get confused with technique, just get still, get present and permit your mind to concede ‘power’ and control. Thoughts and thinking can really keep a person busy, even when they’re sitting still. The idea is to tune into your deeper source, not your patterned thoughts and self-centered cares.
- Deep Breathing. ..which by the way is what you can do when you pause throughout the day. Breath, deep breath is a habit that is MOST understated and underestimated. It’s actually not one that gets mentioned often by folks I coach. But I have to bring it up because it’s pivotal to success. Breathing from your diaphragm is breathing to excel. That’s the kind of breath that pushes the needed substance into our blood stream to our brain. We simply need oxygen and all that’s in it for a reason: energy and LIFE! Ask any high performing athlete or performer, they will tell you about the power of breath.
- Patience & Calm. This is the habit to develop if you struggle with anger, intolerance, hasty decisions, dependencies, worry, anxiety, disorganization, and more. Having a habit of patience allows you to remain present – not in the past, full of anxiety and not in the future, full of worry. Of course there are other characteristics and habits ( like breathing, self-control, faith, etc) that would need to be developed to support this place of patience and peace. Successful people know what the “small stuff” is and they know how impotent and ineffective it is to fight against circumstances outside their control. They’re wise.
- Forgiveness. Having a habit of letting things go, releasing, not taking offense, not holding on to guilt is most powerful. Taking offense, holding grudges and malice, hurt feelings and taking things personally SAPS your energy. A forgiving mindset allows you to release all this baggage and actually, it helps you to not be offended in the first place. Successful people are able to keep their eyes on the important things; they don’t let themselves get weighted down with any excess baggage. And of course, with this habit and mindset of forgiveness, patience, calm, inner peace, joy, stillness, smiling, gratitude, creativity, kindness, productivity, self-discipline…all flow naturally and powerfully.
I know…2, 9 & 10 are not as simple and straightforward as the others…they require more soul searching but you can create specific action steps to build these success habits into your life. As for the others, they each require a commitment that is lasting and anchored to your plan for your life.
These are the habits over the years that people – super successful people – have identified as having the most impact in their lives because they helped them to develope the habit of self-discipline and self-mastery. Not just in their business life but in the entire of their life – personal, relationships, community, home life and work life.
These are the self-discipline “watershed habits,” create these, and many others will follow.
So look over this list again and select one or two to focus on over the next 21 days. If you’d like to sign up for a free 21-day, e-coaching, email program, you can do so here.
Several other essential personal success habits like accountability, organization, communication, goal-setting, visualizing, and affirming were as frequently referenced as the ten above, and will be covered in a follow-up post.
Wishing you an abundance of peace, joy and productivity,
~♥~
photo credit: Ed Yourdon via photo pin cc
Thank you Daniel! 🙂