Implement These 8 Habits to Ensure Your Success

You won’t become successful. No matter what you do or how hard you try, it’ll never happen.

… Harsh words, huh? Yet, it’s what we tell ourselves in moments of doubt. In our pain. In our fear. Habits get formed by the images we think and the words we tell ourselves.

“Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

-- Frank Outlaw, Late President of the Bi-Lo Stores

If you want to achieve success, it starts with some basic triggers and routines.

1. Visualize Like an Athlete

As a young competitive athlete, visualizing my future reality came naturally to me. Not only would I do it for the outcome of my training and games, I did it in life too. This habit stuck with me through the years, and feels like an eerie superpower at times.

If you want a simple practice to support your goals, talents, and ambitions, start here.

Much like meditation, there’s not really a wrong or right way to do the practice. For me, I enjoy visualizing while calming down for bed. Going to sleep never came easy as a kid, so I used this technique to calm my life and prepare for whatever I was focusing on at the time.

It worked back then when I wanted to win the county soccer championship, and it works today with my business or fitness goals.

2. Reframe Your Goals as Reality

This is a more tactical practice of visualization. Instead of just thinking about what you want to achieve, take it a step further and write it down every morning. It will only take 5 minutes, and rehearsing your goals each day is a proven practice of successful people.

When you sit down to write, write down your goals in the present tense. So, you’d say,

“I have 50 happy, satisfied clients ordering an average of $2,500 in services a month.”

… instead of,

“I want 50 happy, satisfied clients ordering an average of $2,500 in services a month.”

This simple exercise reframes our reality. We often focus on what we lack, and by focusing on our lack the mind manifests scarcity. But when you reframe into a mindset of gratitude and abundance, your whole world can shift.

It’s not about “manifesting” something remarkable by saying it every day. It’s about saying something to yourself so much that you believe it; and that if you really believe it, you’ll do the work to make it possible. This isn’t about the universe, it’s about you.

Reframe your reality, transform your thoughts.

4. Enjoy the ‘No’

Every successful leader built their empire on a foundation of rejection. For many, they attribute their ability to cope with this bad feeling as the reason for their success.

It’s certainly a key element,

“You must learn how to handle rejection. To succeed, you must learn how to cope with a little word ‘no’, learn how to strip that rejection of all its power. The best salesmen are those who are rejected most. They are the ones who can take any ‘no’ and use it as a prod to go onto the next ‘yes’.”

-- Tony Robbins

But rejection isn’t a habit… or is it? If you aren’t putting yourself out there, you’ll find growth an unsustainable ambition. Embrace the ‘no’. Enjoy the ‘no’. Remember that it makes you one more rejection away from success.

You can do this. Rejection doesn’t hurt. It helps.

Make a habit of pushing your limits, taking calculated risks, and getting outside your comfort zone. That’s where all the success -- and rejection -- live.

5. Find Your Tribe

When I was 13 years old, I read the Jim Rohn quote, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” I remember it deeply impacted me back then, and has stuck with me through the years. (Though, regrettably, haven’t always heeded its wisdom.)

If you have an ambition, it’s vitally important to audit the people with whom you spend the most time. Want to become a loser? Hang around with loser friends.

I like hanging around winners, how about you?

This tribe of supportive people will make everything easier. When this group wants the best for you and will cheer you on, even better.

You may have to make social sacrifices, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

And make sure to understand, this isn’t about income level. This means making sure your inner circle is full of positive, grateful, good-natured humans. Find the ones who lift you up when you need it, and knock you back a few steps on the occasion you need that.

It’ll make all the difference.

5. Take Action

The biggest difference between winners and losers?

Winners take action.

They don’t sit around and strategize how to become successful. They wake up in the morning and decide what they’re going to do to become successful. And then they achieve it all.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

-- Dale Carnegie

I’m not just talking about quantifiable growth like revenue. This applies to the “small” things too, like learning a new skill or exercising more. (These are not small things, by the way. But when you live a life of inaction, even vital habits like moving your body become burdensome.)

Fear will paralyze you as an entrepreneur. It will keep you from taking a calculated risk, which is a key characteristic among the successful. And, most importantly, it’s just miserable.

Conclusion

The right mindset, support, and action will lead you down the path of success. When we lack in one of these areas, it hinders our potential success. You can’t achieve your highest ambition through faulty habit loops and unhealthy routines.

For those who want to explore these concepts more, I’d advise reading Think and Grow Rich, The 5-Minute Rule and The Power of Habit.