Success can come in many forms. It can be a job promotion you worked hard on, it can be a graduation, it can be overcoming uncertainty…the list goes on and on. Because success can show up in so many different ways, there’s also a long list of avenues to reach that point. You can find hundreds of thousands of hours of online YouTube videos and unlimited self-help books to reach where you’re aiming for. We think a great starting point is boiling it down to five main habits you can adopt right now into your daily life that makes a solid formula for success. Once you’re in the right mindset, it will be tough for anyone to get in your way as you rise to the top!
The 5 Best Habits to Have to Help You Reach Success
1. Drive
When you glance at the stories from some of the most successful people throughout history, a common trait follows through each of them: Drive.
There’s a special reason this makes number one on our list. We believe it’s a leading factor in reaching the unthinkable. With the right amount of determination, nothing can completely knock you down from achieving greatness. When you develop the habit of being driven in whatever you are doing and shooting for, you can quickly teach yourself how to get back up on your feet and keep your eyes on the prize. With enough strength and devotion, you are on your way to the top with no mental delay.
2. Awareness
Picking up positive habits of self-awareness can easily play a part in multiple different areas.
The first kind of awareness trait can come in the shape of knowing the industry you’re trying to break into. Closely monitoring trends to take advantage of or stay away from. Notice that massive tech company down the street releasing new exciting software coded with a particular programming language? Ingraining awareness allows you to have the understanding to look into learning that programming language because you are now able to take a solid guess that they are needing to fill their developer roles.
Awareness can also come in the form of acceptance. Being able to measure up your abilities confidently and accurately will put you closer to success. Allowing you to understand exactly how far off you may be in order to get you back on the needed path. This may be a struggle to some since it’s easy to miscalculate ourselves. But making sure to self-assess will prevent straying too far for too long.
3. Goals
Obviously if you are working towards success, then you already have the surface level of this habit taken care of. But drilling down your goals to very specific points is extremely beneficial. This can be crafting up a 5-year plan for yourself or can even be a more specific roadmap detailed down to a daily basis. Whatever timeframe works best for you, create goals to stay accountable.
Along with setting goals, it’s also hugely beneficial to achieve them! Often times whenever someone sets daily goals for themselves, very basic task are sprinkled into the list. You may find a goal such as “buy a new car” on a 5-year plan. But on a daily goal list, smaller accomplishments like “make a new LinkedIn post” or “watch a documentary” may appear more times than not. Both types of lists are great and also not exclusive — make them both! But the science behind daily list allows you to not only stay on track but to also be rewarded with the feeling of success by crossing off multiple things daily. Which in turn will keep you motivated and excited.
Let’s start: Grab a pen, a pad of paper, and write in the header, “GOALS.” Now skip a few lines and put “1. Make a goal list.”
Congratulations! Now mark it off and keep up the momentum. Before you know it, you’ll be knocking on the door of success with that same pen and paper in hand.
4. Routine
Routines are important for daily life in general. But it’s a crucial habit when attempting to be successful in something.
“We are what we repeatedly do.” – Aristotle
There are obvious health benefits to maintaining a schedule in your life. Studies show that having a routine in place can boost creativity and dampen stress. But there’s also benefits on your road to success.
Here’s a few ways creating a steady routine can help you become successful:
- Turns challenging tasks into your “new normal”
- Relieves stress knowing what’s ahead
- Allows you to prepare in advance for difficulty
- Promotes the potential to a healthier lifestyle
- Prevents burnout
5. Humbleness
Staying humble is difficult in a lot of cases. Especially for top performers. Even if it’s not international, sometimes arrogance creeps up when we least expect it to.
Allowing humbleness to become a habit while you work towards success will keep you on your toes when you need to be the most. Getting an ego check from moments of failure can be damaging for your mental health and overall drive. If you maintain levels of humbleness, failure doesn’t have to be a negative. Instead, it can be turned into a learning opportunity and a spotlight to show you exactly what you need to work on more. Remaining humble in trying times helps you grow. Which should never be a bad thing! Lean into these learning opportunities to come out of the other side stronger and better. Your future will thank you.