Check out These 9 Daily Habits of Successful People

While sitting in a plush conference room, staring out at a
beautiful lake, and sipping the green tea that was automatically
dispensed for me at the push of a button, I found myself eager to
get to know the gentleman responsible for building this empire.
He was a handsome man in his late forties, wearing a
sharp-looking suit, and walked with an air of confidence almost
expected with such success.


I found myself wondering if he understood just how intimidating
his demeanor and words could come across. “Yes, I’ve gotten that
feedback several times throughout my career,” he said. By the end
of the meeting, I learned that nearly every relationship that was
not strictly business related had disappeared, and he was
struggling with loneliness and isolation in a profound and
disturbing way.


Success has very little to do with the dollar amount in your bank
account, and everything to do with the way you spend your
resources—time, money, etc. A joyful experience of life, most
days, has become my barometer of success. The more often one
feels and shares joy, the more successful they are.


From this context, the following are the top 9 habits successful
people practice every day:


Gratitude 


By choosing to focus on what there is to be grateful for,
successful people naturally look for and attract more of the
same. 


Try this: Before a meal, share one thing you’re
grateful for that happened in that day. If you’re eating with
someone, consider sharing one attribute you’re grateful for in
them—it’s a great way to strengthen relationships and focuses
your attention on the goodness in others.  


Give – time and resources


The act of giving is in itself a gift to oneself. Giving is
receiving—helping others is helping yourself.


Try this: Focus on giving (time and resources)
every day, without the expectation of receiving something in
return.  


Appreciate others


By appreciating and acknowledging others, successful people get
to feel both connected and appreciated. 


Try this: Intentionally look for reasons to
appreciate others, and point out the specific
act/behavior/attitude you appreciate in them. Focus on this every
day for six weeks and notice how you feel at the end of the six
weeks.   


Provoke (challenge) themselves and others


By focusing on challenging themselves, being vulnerable and going
for greatness, successful people naturally inspire others to do
the same.


Try this: Identify a specific outcome important
to you, gain clarity about why it’s important, share it with your
team and then go make it happen. Authentically share your
struggles (fears) and your triumphs, ask for their support and
encourage (challenge) them to do the same. 


Reflect


Successful people figure out what’s working (and not working) by
consistently carving out time to reflect.


Try this: at the end of each day, grab a
notebook and write about what went well and what didn’t go so
well. What would you do differently, and why? Your surroundings
are consistently providing feedback—the challenge is in stopping
long enough to benefit from the wisdom you receive.


Self-Affirmation


It is natural to want to hear how great you are. When you learn
to validate yourself, freedom is the outcome. Being able to
experience external kindness as so-nice-to-have, but not critical
to your joy in work or life, is liberating.


Try this: At the end of each day, write down
three good qualities you demonstrated. In a couple of weeks, go
back over and read what you’ve written about yourself. If you see
the same qualities repeated, challenge yourself to look for new
ones, while appreciating the ones you’ve noted.


Exercise


Whether you go for a brisk walk, lift weights, swim or play a
game of tennis, the key is to elevate your heart rate, connect
with your body and release joy-inducing hormones.


Try this: Block time every day for exercise and
treat it like one of the most important meetings of your day.
Doing a little bit (20-30 minutes) every day is a great way to
begin building the foundation for your fitness.


Learn


Whether in the mind or body, stagnation leads to stench.
Successful people keep their mind/brain vibrant by carving out
time every day for learning. 


Try this: Grab that handy notebook and take note
of what you learn each day. Consider writing a list of all the
thought-provoking activities you engage in each week. These two
exercises will help you see the truth about the time you spend
learning and they’ll keep you on your toes, learning and growing.


Contribute


Finding ways to contribute to the career and life of those around
them makes perfect sense to successful people. Beyond recognizing
that giving is receiving, they understand that your success is
their success.


Try this: Make it a habit to take note of at
least one way you contributed to someone else’s career/life at
the end of every day.


The key to each of these habits is to do them every day.


As you slowly add in new habits, you may notice you don’t have
enough time to do everything you’ve been doing and your new
habits. This tension is a natural part of change. Slowly, over
time, you will weed out the activities that provide less benefit
so that you can focus on the ones that bring joy to your
life. 


Here’s to your greatness,


Misti Burmeister


NEW! Gain clarity on what’s preventing your growth, along with
what will inspire it – get your Gearing for Greatness session
Today: http://mistiburmeister.com/gearingforgreatness/