Ethan Sterling
Unless you’re extraordinarily fortunate, success won’t just land on your lap.
Those get-rich-quick schemes advertised by ‘self-made’ millionaires on Instagram? Nonsense.
Whenever it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
If you want to be successful in this life, take a deeper look at your routine.
Your habits define you.
Unsuccessful people who never get anywhere, for instance, will typically have some pretty counterproductive habits.
Meanwhile, the high achievers of the world tend to have daily habits that promote growth and progress.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the latter habits. Let’s get to it!
1) Set clear goals
As established, you can’t wake up every morning and expect to one day chance upon success.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t work this way.
It’s a little cliche for a reason: setting clear, achievable goals will go a long way.
Having clearly defined goals will help provide you with direction and purpose; they will keep you focused and motivate you to make progress, however marginal, each day.
If you don’t have real goals, or if your goals are too lofty and unattainable, you probably won’t get anywhere.
So get a notepad and pen and jot down a few things you can realistically do, both in the short and longer term.
Track your progress. Motivate yourself.
Once you’ve earned something through hard work and commitment, there’s no better feeling in the world. Real talk.
2) Exercise regularly
You’ve heard it before: Exercise matters.
People who spend their waking hours on the couch, snacking on takeout pizza, and binge-watching Love Island don’t tend to stumble upon exceptional things in life.
So take this as a cue to get moving!
Nobody is saying you have to become a gold-winning triathlete, but incorporating some physical activity into your daily routine will do you good.
Exercise will improve both your physical and mental health, boosting productivity, cognitive function, and overall well-being.
Do you know that euphoric feeling right after a vigorous workout, endorphins released and all?
Imagine feeling that every day.
Priceless.
3) Read and learn continuously
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re living through the golden age of television.
Every day, there seems to be a new series coming out that blows our minds.
While I loved Succession and The Bear as much as the next guy, I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to truly learning new things, reading reigns supreme.
There’s something about reading and processing words and sentences that has a considerably more profound effect on the brain than staring at screens for hours at a time.
Hence, you should dedicate time in your schedule to reading.
Reading is a habit that fosters growth, allowing you to absorb new information at a high level… while simultaneously having a therapeutic, calming effect on the brain.
Perhaps, instead of scrolling through reels before hitting the sack, you should replace that habit with scrolling pages of a book.
4) Practice mindfulness
I used to dismiss things like mindfulness and meditation as new-age psychobabble.
But then I learned that it’s science: Mindfulness and meditation exercises have been proven to reduce stress, increase awareness, clear your head of clutter, improve concentration, and uplift your mental state in general.
Pretty sweet deal I’d say.
Rather than worry incessantly about the future or ruminate on the past, mindfulness promotes being fully present at the moment.
When you’re able to be fully present, and not caught up in your thoughts and ruminations, your stress levels go down and your concentration levels go up… putting yourself in a prime position to achieve great things in life.
5) Network and connect
No man (or woman) is an island.
To truly go places in life and fully maximize our potential, a little help can go a long way.
Building relationships can open up new opportunities and ideas. So consider it time to get out there.
You don’t have to confine ‘networking’ to conventional business events.
Networking opportunities are everywhere, from the bar to social media to your local mall.
Just the other day, I was in a shoe store browsing for new sneakers.
The choices were abundant at this shop, and being a shrewd shopper, I carefully took my time to weigh options.
I spotted a fellow customer in my vicinity, wearing a pair of shoes that made it to my shortlist.
So I started a conversation, inquiring about the footwear he had on.
Long story short, we ended up talking for a good fifteen minutes.
Turns out, we work in very similar fields.
We exchanged business cards and now have a meeting next week to discuss “potential business opportunities.”
Of course, this interaction may amount to nothing. I’m not holding my breath.
But the fact remains: opportunities like these present themselves every day if you put yourself out there.
Most of these interactions will go nowhere, but some will. But you’ll never know if you don’t try.
6) Manage finances
When I got my first taste of entrepreneurial success, I treated myself a bit too much.
I was young and inexperienced–and to put it bluntly, I didn’t know how to handle money.
So I spent like crazy, with minimal regard for saving or budgeting.
Lesson learned–a costly lesson.
While I have no real regrets, if I had to do it over, I’d be far more vigilant about keeping track of my expenditures… I’d budget, I’d save, I’d invest.
I wouldn’t deprive myself. I’d prioritize financial balance.
There’s no way around it: good financial habits are critical for long-term success.
7) Get adequate sleep
As you get older, your sleep patterns should be a priority.
So invest in sleep.
You may think you can work long hours with minimal sleep… and maybe you can for now, but this way of life isn’t sustainable in the long term.
Hence, you should do what you can to regularly get enough sleep.
Make it a point to incorporate seven to eight hours of restful slumber into your daily routine.
Sleep is essential for recovery, cognitive function, moderating stress levels, and overall performance.
Contrary to popular opinion, when you snooze, you don’t lose. You win.
8) Practice gratitude
Sometimes, we can get so caught up in life that we lose perspective.
Unchecked, we can become perpetually discontent, try to compete with others, longing for things we don’t need… not realizing we have plenty to be grateful for.
So start ending your day by reflecting on the good things in your life–be it a loving family, a supportive partner, a roof over your head, and so on.
The little things matter.
Simple practices like these can improve your mood and outlook on life.
And when your outlook is in good shape, success will almost always follow. You got this.
