10 Practical Habits Of Successful People : The Secret Mantra

So, you want to be successful? You have a dream and are you ready to do whatever it takes to achieve it?

The good news is it can be done, but it will require some changing of your habits.We bring to you the 10 best habits of successful people which would make a huge difference in your lifestyle if exerted on one’s self, because the habits of successful people are usually patterns some of us would consider difficult, weird or even straight-up-impossible to do.

Wisdom Times presents to you 10 Habits of Successful People, habits which are the foundation of greatness and success. And you did say you’re ready to do whatever it takes to achieve success, remember?

10 Habits Of Successful People

So what do the most successful people in the world do differently than the rest to achieve greatness? What makes them tick? Here are some of the traits which you can imbibe in your life too and achieve success. Let’s begin!

1. Successful people get enough sleep

And usually, they get it between 10 pm and 6 am. True, there are some night-owls out there who like to stay up late and are more productive after sunset, but unless you stay up working towards your goals, then it doesn’t really count. Partying with friends or watching movies till the small hours isn’t what success is made of. It is made of hard work and creative inspiration, which usually comes when you’re well rested, and often comes in the early morning.

As a writer, there’s nothing I love more than working on my novel between 7 am – 9 am. Those are the moments when I feel I have direct access to my subconscious and the words are just bubbling up.

How to get used to getting enough sleep and waking up early in the morning:

First, define when it’s your top productive time. And if it’s early morning, like it is for most people, go ahead and admit it! Then, unless you’re one of the very few night owls out there, start going to bed at 10pm (11pm tops)… every night. And start getting up at 6am (7am tops)… every morning. It will be hard the first few days, but it will only get easier!

Do it for 21 days straight (yes, even on the weekends) and your body will catch up.

2. Successful people play sports

Yes, they play sports even if their career has absolutely nothing to do with their physique. Sports are extremely beneficial when it comes to success.

And if you have any queries with what sports should you be playing for a healthy body apart from your favourites, take our ‘What Sport Should I Play QUIZ’ to clear any confusions in the air. Just put on your sports shoes and start off your journey towards a healthy living.

First of all, the way you push your body through intense exercise makes you more confident and more prepared to handle challenges of any kind. In fact, Tony Robbins says that, because fear and courage are both physical, the chemistry that happens in your body during intense exercise also helps you face and conquer your deepest fears.

Second, your body is where your mind lives, so if your body isn’t in good shape, how could you expect your mind to achieve greatness? So keeping a healthy mind, healthy body is probably the best of the habits of successful people.

And third, playing sports unlocks creativity, brings inner balance and helps you focus on what truly matters.

How to start exercising regularly:

Do it in time that works for you. For example, I prefer doing my yoga at sunset and I usually spend my hour on the cross trainer in the afternoon. You could do it in the morning or before you go to bed.

Then make sure you do what you love to do. I don’t like running, for example. Or hiking. I do my own things: yoga, swimming, cross training. I love dancing too. Find what you like.

When you do something you like and you do it in time of the day when it feels good, then you don’t see it as an unwanted must-do routine anymore.

3. Successful people eat healthy

Eat healthy and take care of your body because that’s the only place you have to live in.  (Tweet this)

As we all know health is wealth, one of the most important habits of successful people is their healthy diet.

Did you know that the second-most grueling function of your body after having sex is digesting? That’s right, you may not realize it, but if you’re eating things that your body struggles with, your subconscious is constantly on digesting mode. As a result, you can’t sleep well, you can’t focus, you’re not your most creative self and you’re constantly tired and moody. Doesn’t sound like someone successful, does it?

Successful people know just what to eat and when to eat it so that they’re always at their best, so that their body gets everything it needs and their mind can focus and stay focused on anything.

Of course, there’s also the added benefit of looking great and the habits of successful people usually make them look great.

How to get used to eating healthy:

There’s no need to go all vegan. While this way of eating has certain benefits, it also carries certain risks. But what I would suggest is definitely watch how much meat and diary you’re eating and try not to mix protein and heavy carbs in one meal. Eat more raw fruit and vegetables, and more fish.

Think of this one meal at a time. If you focus on how you shouldn’t have a steak, you’ll only want a steak. There’s no need for this. You can have anything, anytime. But just for this next meal, try to eat healthier.

Then see if you can do it for the next one, too. Maybe even for the next… If you decide to have a huge pizza, all right, but don’t throw away all the work you’ve done. The next morning, have an apple with some raw almonds.

4. Successful people contribute

It’s difficult to succeed in anything. It takes a lot of hard work and time, it takes sacrificing hobbies and personal relationships. So what gets all those successful people on the other side of the tunnel? What inspires them to get back up and move on even when life fails them? It’s their “why.”

The “why” of successful people is usually very different from the “why” of people who spend their whole lives only dreaming they could make it, but never do. While the latter focus on the money, the personal freedom, the power and the social status, successful people focus on contribution.

They care about moving this world forward. Sometimes it’s by giant leaps—like Elon Musk and Richard Branson trying to move us to Mars; and sometimes it’s by baby steps like your local gym owner trying to promote health and fitness.

Whatever it is that you do, you can do it with the idea of changing the world for the better. Or changing your community for the better. They give back to the society with a keen interest in its development and for their happiness and generosity too see happiness in others. And that’s exactly why a successful person would do it.

How to start thinking more about contribution:

It’s like with anything: the more aware you are of the amazing feeling that comes from contributing, the more you want to do it. So, in order to build a career or a business that contributes, starts small. Volunteer somewhere. Give more for charity. Tell people around you how great they are and how much you believe in them. Plant a tree. Appetite comes with eating.

5. Successful people think big

Big dreams inspire us. If your ultimate vision is to create the next Virgin, to come up with a scientific discovery that will change the world or to show millions of people how to live a better life, then chances are your ultimate vision fires you up. It keeps you awake at night, it wakes you up early in the morning, it gets you going and just doesn’t let you waste too much time lying on the couch watching TV.

But if your ultimate vision is to make a thousand more dollars a month so that you can afford to go out with friends more often or buy more shoes, well… I’m not sure this will peel you off the couch.

If you ask some of the most successful people about how to start thinking big, the first thing they would suggest is to stop wasting your attention on what others think of you and concentrate on your path, trust your instincts and start giving your attention towards the bigger picture.

How to start thinking big:

If you’ve never been the type of person that dares to dream big, it’s time to become that person. Start by writing down your craziest dream ever. Yes, exactly the one you don’t even believe can come true. Then dare to make it bigger. Then dare to make it bigger again.

For example, if your dream is to play in a movie with Leonardo Di Caprio, how about if you win Oscar for that movie? How about if this movie has a HUGE impact on society and actually inspires people to make some changes?

How about if this movie inspires you to direct, or write a script and produce an even bigger success that ends up being sent to space on one of those shuttles so that aliens see it? And maybe the money you make will be more than enough to finally clean up all the oceans? Who knows?

6. Successful people are specific

Thinking big doesn’t equal thinking vague. Do you see the dream I gave example with above? It wasn’t “I want to be a successful actress.” It was “I want to play in a movie with Leo Di Caprio.” Obviously, playing in a movie with Leo makes you a successful actress.

When you’re specific, it makes mapping your way to success and following the plan much easier. You don’t want to make “more” money, you want to increase your income by 20%. You don’t want to live in a “better” place, you want a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in the best neighborhood in the city.

Being specific is what makes a distant dream an attainable goal which is probably the most important habits of successful people for one to look out for.

How to become more specific:

Putting a number in a dream usually makes it specific. You can also insert a place, time, people or person. And if you insert everything—when you want something to happen, where, with whom and a number of something, well, now you’re almost there.

7. Successful people act

Thinking and planning is all very good, but it won’t get you anywhere if you don’t act. Successful people act, even when they’re not sure if they’ll make it. In fact, that’s exactly when they act. When things are risky, that’s when they thrive. Because they know that everything that’s worth it, is risky.

But what does it mean to “act”? It’s not always a matter of pushing too hard. It’s just a matter of creating the right conditions so that what you want has the chance to happen. If I don’t write a book and don’t send it to literary agents, the chance of me becoming a published author are pretty slim.

How to get into the habit of taking action:

If you’re used to sitting on the fence, taking action will be really difficult at first. You will be afraid of what people will think, of what will or won’t happen; you won’t know exactly where to start or whom to ask for help.

But here’s something funny: no one was ever born knowing all this. Steve Jobs also had to try and learn, and ask, and fail, and if he did it, so can you. Just start somewhere—anywhere—do something. Then do the next thing. Solve one problem, then solve the next.

8. Successful people support others

Unfortunately, bringing others down to make ourselves feel better comes naturally to most of us. Maybe it’s because of our mothers, who, in their struggle to motivate us, said to most of us things like “Look at Jamie, he studies all day and gets straight A’s.” Now you’re pissed at Jamie because you feel like he’s taken away your mother’s love and, to make things even, you need to make someone else feel like he’s unworthy.

We bring that behavior with us as we grow older. We over-complain about a colleague to make ourselves look better; we undermine the other boys or girls who are fighting for the heart of the one we desire. And when someone’s being too weird for us to understand, we declare him or her an idiot.

Successful people don’t do that. They’re tolerant and try to support others, or at least not get them down. Supporting specifically may not be professional, but successful people also support the society and its upbringing by giving a part of what they earn back to the society.  That’s how they end up being liked by everyone (or most), which helps them on their way to success.

How to be more supportive and positive:

Usually, people who aren’t supportive are the people who have the scarcity mentality. They think there’s only so much to go around and if Jamie has too much, there won’t be enough for them. There won’t be enough money, enough recognition from the boss, enough of mother’s love.

The truth is, there will be. There’s enough of everything in the world. There’s enough money, enough recognition, enough love, enough people to always find someone who loves you and loves what you do. Unless for whatever reason you need diamonds in order to be happy, there’s enough of everything to go around. 🙂

Start thinking this way and you’ll become much more supportive and positive.

9. Successful people choose their environment wisely

Your environment is stronger than you and is often one of the most difficult things to change, especially after a certain age. But successful people don’t care how difficult something is, they just find a way to do it. And choosing the apt environment is one of the important habits of successful people.

Successful people would rather spend their time alone than communicate with just anyone. Mostly, however, they won’t spend their time alone but go out and find the type of people they want to communicate with. Successful people communicate with a limited number of people, but they’re all as successful—or at least as motivated and as smart.

Successful people know that you are the average of the expectations of the people you hang out with, so they hang out with people with high expectations.

How to choose a better environment:

Cut (or bring to a minimum) communication with negative people, people who complain a lot, who gossip a lot, who are all talk and no action. Try to hang out with people that have your interests, that follow their dreams (even if they’re not successful yet) and that inspire you. People you can really look up to.

Where to find them? It’s the age of networking events and Facebook groups, I’m sure you can figure it out.

10. Successful people take their time

I have this friend who’s very smart, very ambitious, overall a positive person and she has achieved a lot in life. And yet, I kind’a feel she’s not entirely happy with what she has achieved and I would always wonder why.

One day, it all became clear. She told me she thinks there’s no time, that everything has to be done as fast as possible. At 25, she was already married, had a child and a business with four employees. I know there are different ways to look at this, some might say “Well, she did quite good, that’s impressive.” Is it, though?

With all the Mark Zuckerberg’s and Justin Bieber’s out there, we’re a generation of people who are in a great hurry to have it all. To have it all right now! So we forget to stop and enjoy life. We forget to allow ourselves to make mistakes. We forget to explore. To do things just because.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Give yourself some time just to be with your own self. (Tweet this)

Being successful could be great fun, but it’s also a great responsibility. And while it’s good to spend your twenties really figuring out what you want from life and going after it, it’s not that good to push yourself to the maximum and forget to gather experiences.

Because it’s exactly those experiences that will make you truly successful. That will teach you not just how to “get there,” but how to stay there—which, according to every prosperous person on the planet, is much more difficult.

How to learn to take your time:

Before making a decision, always give yourself time to think. When you’re feeling stressed, always take some time for yourself. When you’re worried about money, take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Take a few minutes each day to meditate, to just focus on your breath, to visualize your ideal future. And when there are problems, give yourself time to truly understand where they are coming from and how you can turn them around rather than reacting while you’re in fight-or-flight mode.

Do you think there’s another habit that makes people successful? How many of these 10 Habits of Highly Successful People are your habits too? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.