Top 10 Habits of Successful People

Photo Credit: Michael Liao

What You Do Every Day is Everything

Successful people are very similar. It doesn’t matter what industry they work in or what passion they are pursuing.

There are a few shared habits that nearly all successful people possess.

Habits are some of the most powerful forces in life and it’s very easy to predict a person’s future based on their recurring choices.

10 Habits of Successful People

I define a habit as a recurring pattern of behavior, a series of repeated actions. It’s not just what you do, but what you do OFTEN that will inevitably determine your destiny.

In terms of success, I use Earl Nightingale‘s classic definition: ìthe progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” In other words, your repeated progress towards something noble is what makes you successful.

By this definition success is not an end destination but instead it is something to be achieved on a daily basis. That is why habits are so incredibly powerful, because they determine your level of success.

Ideally, you will make daily progress toward goals you have pre-determined to be worthy in your life.

I have listed a few of the best habits below that will take advantage of the self-discipline you already have in order to maximize your productivity, effectiveness, and overall success.

1. Challenge Your Brain

Successful people think. They also learn, grow, and challenge themselves as often as they can. Your brain is your most powerful resource and it only works to your advantage when you turn it on by intentionally thinking.

Make it a habit to think on purpose. Earl Nightingale, the father of modern personal development, recommends taking just 30 minutes a day to think critically and creatively. During that time ask yourself one tough question in your life and brainstorm every possible answer.

I have been doing this for months and it is amazing what I come up with when I intentionally focus my thoughts. I have come to realize that every problem, large of small, has a solution. I just need to dig deep and find it.

2. Cardio Exercise

If you could only choose one form of exercise for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Ideally, your answer would be a form of cardiovascular training. Maintaining a healthy heart is fundamentally more vital than growing huge biceps or having a thin waist.

If you don’t exercise regularly now, then this a great opportunity to find a FUN form of exercise you could maintain for the rest of your life. Keep in mind that if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t keep doing it.

Find an activity like swimming, running, cycling, playing volleyball, chasing your dog around in circles, or whatever you just love to do that increases your heart rate.

Check out my post on Heart Rate Training for a great way to build heart strength with greater ease.

3. Wake up Early

You don’t have to get up before sunrise, but those who wake up early on a consistent basis are more productive than others who sleep late. Maintaining a consistent sleep pattern is the most important element.

I prefer to wake up early and tackle the day at sunrise, but your schedule may differ. During the morning hours I experience my highest forms of clarity and creativity. This is when I usually do my 30 minutes of intentional thinking.

Whatever you want to do, make it intentional and customize your life for optimal efficiency and personal joy.

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” – Earl Nightingale

4. Eat Healthy

Your diet is only one part of the equation but it just may be the most important. You are what you eat.

Based on my experience of transitioning from a Standard American Diet (SAD) into a low-fat raw vegan, I can personally attest to the power of a dietary change.

Eating healthy is easily one of the greatest things you can do to revolutionize your mental clarity, productivity, energy, passion, and vigor for life.

Check out my post on Getting Started as a Raw Vegan.

5. Buy High Quality Stuff

If you eliminated, sold, donated, or threw away everything you did not need you would be left with a miracle. The remaining stuff will be the essentials, which are likely the most durable, expensive, and highly valuable items in your life.

If you make it a habit to stop buying cheap stuff, be patient, save a little extra money, and buy the higher quality items more often, over time you will acquire a collection of valuable items you simply cannot live without. Respect yourself by respecting your stuff.

6. Do Less by Saying No

Successful people are excellent at saying no. The goal of saying no is to eliminate mediocrity from your life and focus on a few simple and powerful things.

Less is more and saying no makes doing less more possible faster than anything. Successful people are able to make progressive realizations toward their goals because they have minimized or eliminated the low-quality factors that hold them back from thriving every day.

7. Live in the Now

The past is not real. Neither is the future. Both are simply manifestations in your brain. The past is a memory you experience by reliving it in the present and the future is a projection you invent in your mind.

You only live in the present – the now. Master the art of living right now. Thinking right now. Acting right now.

Successful people understand that living in the moment allows them to take action and focus more intensely because they are not distracted by fears of the future or regrets of the past.

The present is all you have and you have to make the most of it. Practice living consciously and begin to experience your life as it happens.

8. Cleanliness is King

The clean inbox strategy is the same thing as the clean desk policy. In your email inbox you treat every incoming message as an item on your to-do list. Every email must be attended to, without exception.

You read the email, decide if it needs attending to, process the information, and then either trash it or save it. That’s it.

Junk mail goes in the junk folder. Trash goes in the trash. Emails you just cannot throw away need to be put in another folder.

At the end of the day your inbox should be empty. This same policy applies to your desk, both at home and at the office. Address every piece of paper, every to-do item, every time. Address it and then trash it or save it.

Keep things simple. Keep your life clean. Don’t forget to unsubscribe to newsletters you don’t read and limit yourself to checking your email only a few times per day to keep your sanity.

9. Commit to Personal Growth

Personal development is essential to every successful person in every industry. Intentional growth is the only way you will ultimately progress towards your goals.

Sadly, most people don’t understand the power of personal development and look for luck to get them by. If you want more from your life than simply a lucky opportunity, consider personal growth as the ticket to success, because it is.

The best method to get started is to pick up a great book and start reading. I always highly recommend Darren Hardy’s The Compound Effect as the best book on the topic. This book, and his hugely popular SUCCESS Magazine, address personal development from every angle.

Check out my post for more great Personal Development Resources.

10. Do Something that Scares You

The only difference between a successful person and everyone else is that the successful person makes the choice to move forward, despite their fear.

We all experience the same anxiousness, nervousness, and doubts – but the high achievers push through their negative emotions and make progress anyway.

The best way to begin tackling your own fears is to do something every day that scares you. Start with the small stuff, like making one phone call or running one mile.

Make the choice to confront fear one day at a time and watch yourself grow. It’s incredible.