If you take your time to study the habits and mindset of successful people, you’ll find many similarities. That’s because success all comes down to doing the right set of actions on a daily basis.
Finding out what these are and developing the behaviors to make them a permanent part of your life will make all the difference for you.
If you feel lost, stuck or lack the motivation as you haven’t seen progress in a long time, read on. You’ll now see the only 4 things you should work on, that will have a positive effect on any other area of your life and thus contribute to your overall success.
1. Take control of your time.
You often hear how important time management is, but what have you done to really analyze how you’re spending your hours daily?
That’s where your transformation begins. By looking at your daily schedule and taking a second look at each activity there.
Successful people never leave things to chance. They don’t wait for anything to happen, they make time for it and then go make it happen. That starts by adding it to their to-do list the night before.
If you want to manage your time better, start by spending the next 3 days analyzing anything you’re doing and how long it takes. Write it all down. Then, analyze it.
Look for activities that are there and you dedicate time to often during the week, but which don’t get your closer to your goals. Think whether they are necessary, and don’t be afraid to remove them. This way you’ll make time for more of what gives you real results.
Always have a to-do list. When something important comes up, add it to it. Even schedule time for brainstorming, relaxation, checking email, etc.
That gives your day structure and you perform better.
Over time, you will realize that how you manage your time teaches you how to take control of your money and your whole life. The principles are the same, and they work every time.
2. Seek novelty.
If you avoid doing new things, you get stuck in your comfort zone. There you don’t grow, you don’t expand your horizons, and you definitely don’t improve the quality of your life.
So it’s much better to get out of it and see more of what life offers. Do that by learning new stuff all the time, going to new places, meeting people, trying new activities and hobbies, reading about different fields, and experimenting with daily chores by doing them in a different way.
That challenges you a bit every time and you grow spiritually and mentally. Which is closely related to your personal development process.
3. Own your mornings.
The beginning of each day is a really special period of time. While some people spend it sleeping one more hour or just being in a hurry to get out and thus miss out on the benefits of having a morning to yourself, others do it differently.
Successful people rise early and dedicate the first 30 or 60 minutes of their day to a ritual. That’s great because a routine helps you build discipline, and starting the day in the same way every time is a good way to get in the right mode for action later on.
What you fill that extra time with, however, is crucial. So make sure it’s things that help you wake your mind and body, but also activities you enjoy and that set you up for success.
That can be meditating, decluttering, emptying your mind to prepare for work mentally, having a healthy breakfast, creating your to-do list, reading an inspirational part of a book you like, getting pumped up with a quick workout, or something else.
You can do just a few little habits like that and spend 5 minutes on each. Or you can make your morning routine longer if you enjoy it.
The point is to be ruthless with your mornings and never waste them. That helps you manage your time better in general, it contributes to your overall health and peace of mind, and you perform better and are more productive for the rest of the day.
4. Turn to gratitude.
When I study the way of thinking of high-achievers and those on top, I always find out this: they are truly grateful.
Gratitude is the one attitude you can develop that will increase your happiness levels tremendously, even if you don’t change anything else about your life.
And that’s where the magic happens. You focus on all that you already have, feel blessed, remind yourself of it every morning when you wake up, and it suddenly starts to feel like more.
You see the abundance that was always there, but you were just thinking about all the things you don’t have in your life yet.
Such a shift in the mindset can turn everything around. The moment you start thanking for what you have, is the moment you let go of negativity, judging, blaming, and having regrets for the past. You simply come back to the present moment and enjoy it. You want to make those around you happier too.
These 4 habits are quite simple, but so is success. It’s an attitude you develop over time, that helps you take action in the right direction on a daily basis and get to your final destination.
What do you think? Which of these habits would you like to work on building first?
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Georgi Todorov is the founder of Digital Novas. You can learn more about him, and the work he does at digitalnovas.com