Habits of Successful People

The habits of successful people are key to their success. Being successful is a result of a way of thinking that you have maintained. Successful people have a habit of focusing more on the things that are gong well than the things that do not go well.  Successful people are possibility conscious.

So lets see what makes them tick.

1  They are disciplined

People who are disciplined are usually confident people.  Others may not warm to someone who comes across as strict and/or disciplined.  But one thing I can tell you, discipline earns the respect of those who are.

When one is disciplined, one does not tend to make emotional decisions.  One does not tend to quit easily either.  Because there is that driving force which is discipline!  And that is why disciplined people are usually self motivated.

Discipline shows you are consistent.  It shows you are reliable.  It shows you get things done.  And what ingredients does one need for success and productivity?

Enough said…

2 They start their day early

Now, before I go further, sleep is important.   There are numerous health benefits of a good sleep including a better immune system.  So do not skimp on sleep, don’t live a life of just cat naps, or sleeping one day and then not sleeping the next. NO! NO! NO!  Think of your emotional and mental health too.  Lack of good quality sleep makes one ratty and so on.  

Plan your day, so that you can have a consistent sleep pattern and get good rest.

The rich and successful people of this world…I am not talking about those that won the lottery, or those who got an inheritance, but those that became rich or were groomed rich, have learnt one thing…and that is to start their day early.  This is one thing many of them have in common.  

Don’t believe me…ask the CEO of your company what time they wake up.  And if you are a CEO, you are probably nodding at this point.

Benjamin Franklin was coined for saying Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!

Here are some famous early risers:

• Margaret Thatcher (the Iron lady)
• Barack Obama
• Richard Branson

It seems while the world is sleeping, they use their ‘quiet time’ to get ahead.  They usually do activities like meditation, prayer and or exercise.  

They probably find they are more alert and plan better than those who wake up later and then have to make a dash for everything afterwards.

3  They are careful with their words

Successful people know the value of words.  They know the weight of their words in gold.

4 They are thankful

True successful people are thankful.  They are those content people who appreciate even the small things in life.  Forget about the arrogant ones.  They are the ‘new money’ people.  This post is about ‘good success’ folks!  

5  They thank others

They have learnt to appreciate the efforts of others.  They know what it takes to get things done.  They know the value of 2 simple words ‘Thank you’.  It can make the difference in actually getting things done.

And check this one out…they are thankful of their critics!  Not only have they learnt to handle criticism by not allowing that to affect them,  they use criticism to their benefit.  

One entrepreneur I met said he liked telling one of his prophet of doom friends his plans.  He said because his doom friend would give him all the reason why a particular idea would not work.  He could then use this ‘free advice and consultation’ to refine his idea, and indeed make it work.  He was truly grateful for this friend.

6  They understand different levels of relationships

They understand the different levels of relationships and use the levels to their advantage.  They have learnt that different levels mean different perspectives.  It means different people bringing different things to the table.    They are not the ones that say it is my way or no way.  They have learnt that they can learn even from children or even nature!

7  They refuse to give up

They are possibility conscious.  Of course, they are faced with limitations, but they refuse to recognize them.  

8  They admit when they are wrong (and others in their team)

I always used to wonder why a CEO of some international company would resign when some bloke thousands of miles away had made a blunder that had cost the company money or nearly got the company bankrupt!  

These guys just say they are sorry, shoulder the blame and responsibility, and leave…maybe with some reasonable package..before they are sacked.  Hey!! Way to go.  But that is how the big boys and girls roll.  They say they are sorry and don’t get into squabbles, learn from their mistakes and make sure it is not repeated again.    

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome PhD says Excuses make you weak.  That’s it.  It is the rule of thumb.  

9 They don’t criticize other (successful) people

And let me just slip in this one here under this heading … they are not one to complain.  Complaining is an energy draining exercise.  And successful people are too busy planning their next event or scheduling a meeting to be focused on small stuff.

Successful people are happy with the successes of others.  Others that succeed motivates them even more.  That is why they cannot see another successful person and criticize them.

They don’t belittle others even those that seem to be ‘failing’.  They can see there are lessons to be learnt in everything and thus use every experience to their advantage.  And this makes successful people compassionate.  Most successful people are givers because they are quick to see the other side of life, and quick to extend a helping hand.  And the good Lord just keeps blessing them as a result!

10 They have learnt to be humble

Truly successful people are humble.  And the good book says, God gives grace (i.e. ability) to the humble while resisting the proud.  No wonder successful people just seem to go, go, go all the time.  Because they have learnt humility.

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