6 Success Habits you Need to Develop – RIGHT NOW
August 27, 2017
Obviously I write about ‘success’ a lot and all the many and varied things that means for different people at different times. Hopefully we all know that developing the right Mindset is crucial to success, as is identifying and eliminating the unhelpful mindsets that often block our path to success. But we can also work on certain habits and even if they are things that don’t come naturally at first putting some effort into developing these will aid you on your success journey. By definition a habit is something we do regularly so these will only be effective if they become part of a daily or weekly routine if we just do it once then forget about it they are unlikely to have much of an impact
Seize the Day
There are 24 hours in a day. We get to each make an individual choice about how we spend those 24 hours. Time is a very valuable asset that shouldn’t be frittered away haphazardly, unless you have decided to do that. Often people say I’d like to do ‘whatever’ in their business or in their life but then complain that they don’t have the time. A change of attitude is what is needed as their will never be more hours in the day. . Think about the 24 hours of each day and start making a conscious choice about how you will spend those hours. I know that some have to fit in work, possibly childcare, we all need sleep etc but you can decide every single day what you will do with the time and you can make choices. Lots of people fritter hours away on social media, or watching tV – nothing wrong with either of those but hey will both take ‘time’.
Think about how you start your day, it is amazing what you can achieve by getting up just an hour earlier and actually getting something done that you want to do.
Focus on your current goals
I acknowledge that for most people lots of different things are important, family, career, learning, socialising, relaxing, exercise………the list goes on. But within that there are also phases when different aspects take priority. Decide yourself what is important to you right now – that might be quite different from this time last year. Then make sure you fit those things in. If you are starting a new business and want to grow your social media following then make sure you fit that in – get up earlier, watch lessTV, but make time to what you think is important.
Always take care of yourself
Not many readers will know but I am also a qualified nutritional adviser and one of the things I always advised people was to make sur they get their 5 (or 7) portions of fruit or veg in every day because somehow you are more likely to make healthier choices about other food then and less likely to eat sugar laden processed foods. Planning also helps.
So if we are thinking about habits for success you need to develop the habit of taking care of yourself. Health eating, regular good quality sleep, exercise, and social or relaxing time are all important. Yes you can choose to skip them for short periods but establishing the habit will mean you are physically and emotionally in better shape and that will mean you can be more effective in whatever you do.
Nourish your mind
Read any biography of someone successful and they will almost always talk about what or who has inspired them. Sometimes this is real life contact with people, or perhaps experience but often it is because they choose to be inspired by reading or learning form others. It’s a habit that you need to develop to maintain a sharp focus and I always find ideas are more plentiful when I make time to find inspiration for myself. Creativity is another great way to feel inspired, it can be hard to decide to fit in creativity bt it always seesm to pay dividends for me.
Manage your own thoughts and emotions.
Last week’s blog was about thoughts – so if you haven’t already…. do have a read. As an adult you can choose your thoughts and you can choose how you respond to situations and the emotions or feelings you may experience. Emotions exist we may not choose them because they arise for a whole host of different reasons BUT we can choose how we respond to them. So you feel down one day, maybe you know why maybe you don’t. How you respond, what you decide to do is entirely up to you. Developing the habits of success, mean that you are more likely to be able to keep moving forward however you feel or whatever life may throw at you.
Know when you need help and how to get it
Having said all the above there will be times when you need either a shoulder to cry, time to retreat and replenish your own batteries or someone to give you a kick up the butt! Recognising that you need some support is important and knowing who or where to get that support is important too. It can save days of being in the doldrums if you can recognise a low and either address it yourself, or go to where you know you will find some support. Maybe it’s a simple coffee with a friend, maybe a session with your coach or mentor or attending a supportive network meeting. For others it might be a day alone, walking in the country, or a mindfulness retreat, some mediation or exercise. But knowing yourself and building in what you need is important. When you know what you need try building it in regularly anyway to make sure you stay strong, resilient and effective.
Be Positive, Grateful and Kind
If we accept that we choose our thoughts then we can acknowledge that we make a choice about what we focus on. Situations aren’t always under our control BUT how we choose to respond is. We can make a decision very day to focus on the positive, on what we have rather than what we lack. This might take a bit of practice at first but when you start each day with gratitude for the good stuff and an attitude that is positive it will help. Developing a habit like making some notes in a gratitude journal or spending a short time being mindful or in meditation each morning can have a really positive impact on you and your business. Values are important in business and in our everyday lives – in fact our business values should reflect our personal values. It is simply isn’t true that to be successful in business you need to be unkind. So treat people as you would expect to be treated and don’t forget o texted the courtesy of kindness to yourself as well as well as others.
You are not your business BUT by developing the right habits you can find ways to skyrocket forwards so get working on them today.
