5 Habits of Successful People
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Here are five habits of successful people that you should develop if you want to take luck out of the equation—and guarantee a life of success!
1. They Are Goal Oriented
Goal setting is one of the most common habits of successful people. Setting a daily to-do, or goals list will not only increase your productivity—it will also boost your mood as well!
I'll briefly show you how goal setting can affect your level of motivation and productivity:
As seen on blog.idonethis.com: “Dopamine performs its tasks before we obtain rewards, meaning that its real job is to encourage us to act, either to achieve something good or to avoid something bad.”
You are effectively hacking your brain chemistry by setting and achieving goals.
Goal-setting provides you with a dopamine spike—increasing motivation and providing a feeling of satisfaction.
This is why goal-setting is one of the most important habits of successful people.
2. They Complete a Morning Ritual
Setting and completing a consistent morning ritual has many benefits and is one of the most powerful habits of successful people.
A morning ritual sets the tone for the day. Remember the time you slept through your alarm, skipped breakfast and ran out the door? I'm sure you do, because your day started out in a state of madness and stress.
You will feel much more focused and relaxed when you complete a basic morning ritual. For example, waking up early, having a shower, having breakfast and watching your local morning TV show in your area. All before leaving early and getting a head-start on your work for the day.
Some famous advocates for morning rituals include:
- Tony Robbins (American best-selling author, entrepreneur and life coach)
- Tim Ferriss (American podcaster, best-selling author and entrepreneur)
- Oprah Winfrey (American media executive, actress, talk show host and television producer)
- Barack Obama (former president of the United States and attorney)
Completing a morning ritual is a great way to get your day started on the right foot.
3. They Take Massive Action
You will put yourself ahead of the pack by taking massive action.
What Is Massive Action?
As Grant Cardone explores in his book: The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure, there are four levels of action.
- Do Nothing
- Retreat
- Take normal levels of action
- Take massive action
I didn't mean to make this post sound like a sales pitch, but it's important that you fully understand this habit—and the benefits of implementing it.
To take massive action you must work much harder than the average person—in an effort to achieve your definite goal.
Examples of Massive Action
Grant Cardone took massive action when he first launched his consulting business. Consistently working 10-12-hour days in the pursuit of success.
Many of the world's most successful individuals take massive action, many without knowing it.
Another example of someone who takes massive action is an entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX—Elon Musk. As seen on CNBC.com: “The SpaceX and Tesla CEO has endured an “excruciating” year that sometimes drove him to sleep on his factory’s floor and work more than 120 hours a week.”
Musk is a perfect example of both massive action and the success it can lead to. Elon Musk had a personal net worth of $US22.3 billion as of March 22, 2019.
4. They Take Care Of Their Health
I'm going to explore how your diet, level of exercise and personal hygiene can affect the level of success you achieve.
Highly successful people understand that good health is their most important asset. Living a healthy lifestyle will extend your lifespan and optimize both your energy levels and mental clarity.
Here are some examples of successful individuals that make their health a priority:
Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins likes to start of his day by “priming” himself. A task that can be completed in three simple steps.
Robbins believes completing this daily activity gives him mental clarity and gives him a “base” to start from. He believes it helps him live a life of gratitude and achieve his goals for the day.
Tim Ferriss
Tim takes many measures to optimize his health and maximize his level of focus and drive.
Among other things, Tim drinks his own blend of something called titanium tea. Its ingredients include things like black tea, dragonwell green tea, coconut oil, turmeric and more. Despite the taste, Tim drinks the tea and believes it is “rocket fuel for the brain”.
He believes it is one of the best ways to energize yourself for the day.
For more from Timothy Ferriss—visit his blog here.
It's important that you recognize how maintaining your health can affect your level of success.
5. They Read Regularly
There is a strong correlation between regular reading and success. Reading is a great way to relax and increase your level of knowledge on a topic.
I will now explore the reading habits of some of the world's most successful individuals.
Warren Buffett
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett claims to spend 80% of his time reading. And was known to read for 10-12 hours a day during his prime.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk had a strong compulsion to read at a young age. “It was not unusual for him to read ten hours a day” said his brother Kimbal in the book: “Elon Musk” by Ashlee Vance.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates says he reads fifty books a year. Gates mostly reads non-fiction books that teach him something. Typically, about how the world works.
As you can see, regular reading is one of the common habits of successful people.
I'd recommend getting started with a non-fiction book that is a from a genre that interests you.
I first begin reading stock market and personal finance books. And have gradually added additional topics to my library, from genres including self-help, education and business.
Consider reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change to learn more about what makes people successful.