If you’ve ever known anyone ultra-successful, you know that they can appear to be a different breed. We’re not talking about someone that’s a straight-A student and goes on to make $250,000 per year. We’re talking about people that win gold medals, become billionaires, or impact the entire world in some way.
These ultra-successful people are all unique, but they share many of the same habits.
Mimic these habits of successful people and become more successful yourself:
1. Get up early.
The vast majority of the most successful people in the world get up very early. They make great use of this time, too. They have a morning routine that often includes exercise and meditation or prayer.
Try getting up an hour earlier and have a plan for using this time effectively. Do this for 30 days and evaluate the results.
2. Practice self-discipline.
Success requires work. High levels of success require doing work that most people aren’t willing to do. It takes self-discipline to do difficult things day after day.
Work on your self-discipline each day. You have countless opportunities to do this. If you need to lose weight, throw out 25% of your lunch each day. When you feel like taking a break, force yourself to work for another 15 minutes.
3. Become action oriented.
4. Read daily.
People with mediocre levels of success often like to plan, but they struggle to actually take any sort of action. Successful people take intelligent action. They are the masters of getting things done. They’re also great at getting started on new projects.
Reading saves years. Without reading, you’re forced to figure out a lot by yourself. A book written by a competent author is like a mentor. The world is full of experts. Why try to do it all yourself? Stand on the shoulders of the world’s all-time greats.
Buy a good book and use the information in it. Life is too short not to take advantage of the expertise of others. Remember that it’s not enough to read and understand the information. You must apply it.
5. Get clear on your goals.
Ultra-successful people know exactly what they want. The average person does not. You can’t make progress toward a goal if you’re not aware of your goal.
Decide what you want. Make a list and be precise.
6. Say, no to practically everything.
Highly successful people avoid distractions much better than the average person. Many of us say Yes to every opportunity. Successful people say No almost all the time.
Decline offers that don’t assist you in the pursuit of your goals. Everything you do either brings you closer to, or takes you further from, your goals. Before agreeing to something, ask yourself, How does this impact the pursuit of my goals?
7. Persevere.
The most successful people have a tenacity that most of us fail to demonstrate. We give up far too easily.
Set goals that truly excite you. That will encourage you to continue when the going gets tough. Practice persevering when you want to quit. Learn how to grind and get things done. Perseverance is a combination of faith and pushing through discomfort.
Your habits largely influence how successful you’ll become. Effective habits result in great results. Poor habits lead to undesirable results. One of the most effective ways to take your life to the next level is to create habits that support your goals.
The most successful people in the world have the best habits for success. Pick up a couple of these habits and integrate them into your life. You’ll be glad you did!