Pearl Nash
Successful people are successful not just because they take big risks.
They’re successful because they have developed habits that they do day in and day out—without fail.
If you want to be successful yourself, here are 13 habits you must develop now.
1) They allow themselves to get super lazy
When we’re “lazy”, it’s usually a sign that we’re burned out or that we’re not really where we’re supposed to be.
So successful people use this time to just do nothing instead of pushing themselves to hustle hard. They’d “laze around” for hours—even days!—because when they’re this uninspired, they know something’s just not right.
But they don’t waste their time.
Once they’re recharged, they’d ask themselves questions like:
- Do I really still love what I’m doing?
- Am I just lazy because I feel stuck?
- Should I ask for outside help already?
- Why am I really uninspired this time?
In other words, they use it as a time to reflect and reassess…and they don’t ever make themselves feel guilty for it.
But here’s the thing…successful people operate this way because they’re rarely truly lazy and uninspired in the first place.
2) They wake up before six (even if they slept late!)
I don’t know what your definition of “success” is (maybe “success” to you means being free to do whatever you want), but it might be helpful to know that the majority of CEOs wake up before six am.
And you know what’s admirable? They do this so consistently even if they were up the night before. If this isn’t self-discipline, I don’t know what is.
So if you define success as being able to create something or contribute to something, then you should set your alarm earlier.
Of course, there are some who wake up later, but they’re the exception.
But even if you’re not a corporate person, you’d still benefit from waking up before the world does. You’ll have peace and quiet, and your day doesn’t feel rushed.
Just the feeling of “being ahead” can motivate you to do more with your day.
3) They don’t rush self-care
Since most successful people wake up early, they have time to take care of themselves.
It usually starts with them fixing their bed, then meditating, then brushing their teeth and maybe doing some stretching.
Of course, exercise is part of the package—most of the time, anyway. And that’s because there’s a strong connection between fitness and success.
And if they feel burnt out, they don’t “rush” their relaxation and leisure just so they can get back in the saddle as quickly as possible. They take their time until they’re fully recovered.
4) They visualize success
Successful people are optimists.
Sure, they know not every goal and business venture can even come true, but they believe in impossible things anyways. They know that without hope, NOTHING is possible.
And so, they imagine success as if it’s right in front of them already—they smell it, touch it, see it, feel it, and even taste it.
When one believes something so bad that it almost feels real, we “attract” it. Some call it “The Law of Attraction”, but really it’s just our subconscious guiding us to make small and big choices that could make it all come true…and our subconscious is truly a powerful thing!
5) They count their blessings
Successful people make gratitude a daily habit.
They know that they’re blessed to be where they are. And, to them, simply having clear goals is enough to be thankful for (even if they’re still far from achieving some of them).
Because of this, they’re more enjoyable to be with. They’re thankful to their employees, to their clients, to everyone they meet….even to their grumpy neighbor. And in return, they’re given even more blessings.
What gratitude also does is that it makes a person less bitter in general, and so this makes successful people even more inspired to work better.
6) They make to-do lists
Successful people ENJOY making lists. In fact, many of them can’t live without it.
Not only do writing to-do lists help them become more organized, it also removes the clutter from their brains—giving them more space to think of the more important things like new inventions and improvements to their screenplay.
Successful people know that they can’t simply rely on their memory to remember what they have to do for the day…and so lists are essential to their success.
7) They take purposeful breaks
Successful people know that breaks are essential to productivity.
So even if they’re in a crunch, they take 10-15 minute breaks, especially if they’ve been working at their desk all day.
They’d go out for a quick walk, have a short nap, play a game on their phone, or do some stretches.
As mentioned earlier, they don’t scrimp on self-care because they know that in order for them to succeed at anything, they need to have a fit mind and body.
8) They recite positive affirmations throughout the day
Just like short breaks, successful people know that they need to nourish themselves with encouragement and positivity to get through the day.
They don’t just do this on tough days where pep talk is definitely needed. They do this even on regular days just so they would have a strong shield against negativity.
Successful people usually deal with risky ideas and big projects. They don’t want that one bad comment or one rejection could wear down their spirit.
9) They reach out to others
Successful people know that they can’t make it alone—that they need partners, and friends…heck—a village!—to reach their goals.
But they’re not just all take and take, they also genuinely want to help out. For them, it’s more fun that way anyway…when people collaborate and push each other to the top.
They send emails to their friends, mentors, and business partners. They say hi to their colleagues and new neighbors. Yes, it’s become their habit. A part of them feels “off” when they can’t reach out to someone to even send a cute GIF.
10) They do something scary every day
You know that life advice “Do something every day that scares you”?
Well, successful people take it seriously—waaay seriously that they turned it into a habit.
They know that while doing the same thing over and over again is admirable (it shows one has self-discipline), great discoveries and solutions aren’t made only by taking risks—by doing something scary.
If they’re a painter, for example, they’d try adding a new element to their painting or they’d walk on a different path going home from work just to get some inspiration.
Successful people like to shake things up a bit because they know that that’s how progress is made.
11) They get nerdy
Successful people love learning.
It’s simply in their nature. Interestingly, this very trait also allows them to create things that not everyone else can. They’re able to make more unique art, more innovative inventions, and they’re able to run businesses smoothly because well, knowledge is power, after all.
They make sure that they won’t sleep without at least reading a few pages of a book, or learning about something new on Youtube. Learning is always part of their day.
12) They monitor how they spend their time
Time is the most valuable asset. Successful people are very much aware of this so they constantly pay attention to how they use time.
They know that 30 minutes of scrolling on Instagram or 15 minutes of coffee break add up.
They constantly find ways to eliminate time-wasters like long, unproductive meetings. They also say no to invitations if they have deadlines.
They check on their productivity at the start, middle, and end of their workday to make sure they’re actually doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
13) They “switch off” when it’s time to stop
You might think that successful people devote all their time to their work. But can you really consider someone who’s a workaholic successful?
I don’t.
Success, to me, should be holistic. That means not only are you achieving your grand goals, you also have a good family life and a healthy mind, body, and soul.
The truly successful people know that work is just work—whether they’re doing grand things.
So when the clock strikes five or when the time they set to stop working arrives, they do a full stop.
They know that they can just go back to it the next day. Besides, if they truly have successful traits, they wouldn’t be rushing on any deadline anyway.
Last words
It’s no guarantee that you’ll become instantly successful once you adapt these habits. Success requires more than habits, after all.
However, it’s a 100% guarantee that your chances of success will increase dramatically. And not only that, you’ll have a much happier life overall.
So incorporating these habits slowly but surely…and you’ll be glad you started sooner than later.
