7 Good Habits of Successful People
It’s a fine line dividing success and failure. Not all people who meet their goals are successful people. Just like how not everyone who doesn’t meet them is unsuccessful. Success and failure are flexible, dynamic concepts. Both are also relative — they’re not absolute.
Usually what happens is that success and failure show up in our lives at the same time. One thing we CAN do is build a certain perspective on life. One that encourages success. Successful people cultivate that attitude, go after what they want, and end up getting it, sooner or later.
They say the difference between success and failure is found in our habits. That doesn’t mean we should mechanically follow a list of behaviors. What we’re talking about is strengthening and nurturing an attitude that leads to fulfilled dreams. Read on for seven good habits.
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
-Winston Churchill-
1. Successful people get in the habit of focusing on concrete goals
They say that if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else. Purpose is like our “compass” of life. It’s true and good when it comes from a deep desire, which requires self-discovery and reflection.
Focusing on definite goals will turn into a habit that will point you north no matter where you are. Don’t let circumstances carry you away. Instead, get oriented and pick a direction you want to go.
2. Understanding Your Motivation
Motivation is fundamental to successful people. Being very clear on the “why” will give you strength and determination when you go after your objectives. Actually, setting concrete goals goes hand-in-hand with understanding your motivation.
What gives meaning to a goal is its motivation. It makes the difference between success and failure. If there’s no clear motivation, it will be hard to find the strength to keep going when things get tough.
3. Being decisive
All decisions have value, because they always result in a gain or a loss. There is also a certain amount of risk. Whatever you decide could end in success or failure. So making decisions can be very scary.
Successful people don’t delegate their decisions or hesitate when there’s no one to tell them what to do. They understand they’re the only ones who can make the decision and accept its consequences. But that doesn’t mean they won’t ask for help if they do need it.
4. Managing time well
Time might be the most valuable resource in life. It’s actually life itself. Successful people know that time runs out, so they take advantage of it. This means managing it with clear, well-thought-out priorities.
People get in the habit of prioritizing, or they don’t. If we don’t, we leave important things to the last minute, sabotaging ourselves. Or we do what’s urgent, but not important. Successful people distribute their time in a constructive, intelligent way. That’s why they’re able to find time to work hard while also spending time with their families.
5. Taking advantage of opportunities to improve
Laziness and success never go hand-in-hand. In order to succeed, we must have at least a little bit of self-control. If we want to grow and go far, we have to develop skills in taking advantage of or creating opportunities. This applies to any level: intellectual, physical, or emotional.
In addition, success requires humility. We have to acknowledge that we can always be better. We also have to be very aware that we can’t achieve much success all by ourselves. This is true no matter how lucky we may be. A successful person gets in the habit of looking for opportunities to grow.
6. Staying focused the whole time
Distraction only leads to confusion and doubt. It says that we aren’t clear about what we want. And if we don’t know what we want, it’ll be hard for us to get it. In fact, it’ll be hard for us to move forward at all.
When you start a lot of things, but never finish them, all you’re doing is wasting your time. Successful people get in the habit finishing whatever they’re trying to do. They understand that perseverance is an achievement in and of itself.
7. Getting rest
Body, mind, and spirit all need time to rest. We’re complete beings, and feeding only one of these three dimensions will eventually hold us back. Rest and relaxation are ways of respecting our human limitations.
It’s one thing to set your eyes on a goal, but obsessing over it is entirely different. Rest helps us recharge our energy and get a break from the routine. It helps renew our perspective. They say that a person who knows how to enjoy their free time is more likely to reach their goals.
The things we do a lot create habits, and habits create character. We can always reprogram ourselves. Do our ways of thinking and acting move us toward the goals we want to achieve? Have we thought seriously about this, or are we just letting life take us to who knows where? It’s worth asking ourselves these questions — and answering them.