Why Bother Studying The Top Amazing Habits of Successful People?
Why is it so important for potential entrepreneurs and individuals to identify the background, characteristics, skills, habits, and qualities of successful people?
Well… purely, because:
Fundamentally we are what our habits are.
It is often said, that our ‘thoughts‘, daily ‘habits‘, and ‘actions’ determine our level of success and true happiness.
These daily habits can either make or break us.
Ultimately, there are strong habits, traits, and actions that directly or indirectly affect each one of us for better or worse.
- Whether we are students at university, college or a school
- Whether we are athletes, great sportsmen or sportswomen
- Whether we are politicians or state-men or state-women
- Whether we are regular employees
- Whether we are parents or spouses
- Whether we are employers or
- Whether we are just budding entrepreneurs
It really does not matter who we are…
As a matter of fact, often you will find many of us go through life, like a robot.
Day in, day out without taking time to reflect where we have been, what we are doing right now or where we would like to go in the future.
We just exist whatever comes our way and react to it with no proper thoughts or plan, just dabbling along and hoping things will eventually work out in our best interests.
But the reality is, in all honesty, it’s very rarely does.
In order to succeed in anything we want, be it studies, careers, relationships or business ventures.
We need to be intentional, purposeful and have a solid plan to follow with.
This will, in turn, help support our aspirations, of ensuring our dreams, hopes, visions, and ambitions stand a good chance of becoming a reality by actually succeeding.
Otherwise, without having any thought-out plan to follow, it becomes a hit and miss.
We might make it or we might not.
It really just depends…
This article attempts to list the following 14 Habits of Highly Successful People, to see if you can adopt at least a few of them to assist in your journey of becoming successful in your:
- Personal life
- Studies
- Career or
- Business ventures
A way bit quicker than you will normally expect.
The Amazing Top Habits of Successful People and Special Individuals are:
#1: Successful People are Problem Solvers
Successful people are great at spotting opportunities where problems exist.
They strive to figure out a way on how they can solve problems for other people.
They are not afraid to get their hands dirty and are willing to do what others might not be prepared to do at any given time.
This success habit alone allows them to create opportunities that favor them personally but equally, give them the extra edge to serve others in their space of expertise and experiences.
#2: Successful People Don’t Live In Their Comfort Zones
Successful people are not afraid to come out of their comfort zones, even if the task at hand seems to be daunting and impossible.
They know their success is dependent on how far they’re willing to go the extra mile to achieve what they want.
They face their fears, confront their inner demons, negative thoughts and mental barriers that are constantly holding them back from moving forward.
They know, if they don’t come out of their comfort zones, they will not grow or learn to achieve anything of value and substance.
7 Steps To Overcome The Fear of Failure In Life & Business
#3: Succesful People Avoid Procrastination
Successful people are intentionally ‘proactive‘.
They plan and prioritize their work, making sure each task is done and completed as expected.
They know the only way to achieve their goals is by just getting on with the actual work, not finding excuses by delaying it more than necessary.
Execution is key.
Once they know what needs to been done. They are proactive in executing it.
It is not the quantity of smart work they do, but rather the quality of work they do daily on a consistent basis…
If even if it is a small amount, which ends up contributing towards achieving goals for whatever they set out to accomplish in the first place.
I, my self have been a victim of ‘procrastination‘ for a number of years.
I did not even know what it really meant until when I was trying to achieve goals for my life such as:
When trying to pass my driving test or creating a successful business that I became aware that I had a procrastination problem that urgently needed addressing.
It is therefore vital that you do your best to recognize and acknowledge that either you do or don’t have this problem.
If you do, then it is a must, you seek appropriate remedy or get educational advice on how you can address the issue once and for all.
Otherwise, I fear it could hinder your ‘progress‘ to achieve goals for whatever you set out to accomplish for your work, studies, business or personal life.
#4. Successful People are Clear of Their Visions
They are crystal ‘clear’ about what they want to achieve.
They know exactly what the end goal is.
Each and every piece of work they do is geared towards achieving goals that will ensure their vision is delivered.
They continuously review their work to ensure their goals and main objectives are met in a timely manner.
How To Set Your Vision For a Brighter Fulfilling Future
#5: Successful People Contribute To Good Causes
Successful people are very generous for the many resources and opportunities they have been blessed with.
They are by nature charitable and helpful.
They contribute to many worthy causes in their communities and the greater world.
Whether this involves:
- Donating a portion of their wealth
- Sharing their gifts, talents, valuable time & resources
- Dedicating their lives in the greater service of others or by
- Mentoring other people in their fields of expertise, experience, and knowledge
They understand/understood the value of paying it forward, and that by giving they receive much more abundance in return.
They seek/sought to build lasting legacies and contribute towards making the world a better place for the betterment of humanity as a whole.
Examples of great personalities of our time, past and present who have been instrumental in supporting awesome causes that shaped/are shaping our world include:
| Philanthropist(s) | Foundation/Site |
| Maya Angelou | Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation |
| Bill & Melinda Gates | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Warren Buffet | Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation |
| Dame Janet de Botton | Wolfson Foundation |
| Mother Theresa | Charitable Work |
| Azim Premji | Azim Premji Foundation |
| Nelson Mandela | Nelson Foundation |
| Malcom X | Malcolm X Foundation |
| Dr. Martin Luther King | The King Center |
| TY Danjuma | TY Danjuma Foundation |
| Mahtma Gandhi | Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation |
| George Soros | George Soros Foundation |
| Tony Robbins | Tony Robbins Foundation |
| Oprah Winfrey | Oprah Winfrey Foundation |
| Richard Branson | Virgin Money Foundation |
| DAKIE International | DAKIE International Foundation |
| Omid | Omid Foundation |
There are tons of other good examples of amazing people from all walks of life, organizations, non-profits, and philanthropists, big or small, known and unknown who do impressive ‘impactful’ work around the globe.
You and I should also do our level best to follow in their footsteps, so we too can ‘collectively’ ensure…
“We actively contribute towards building: just, healthier, fairest, safest, ethical, responsible, prosperous, compassionate, spiritual, peaceful, inclusive, innovative, progressive, purpose-driven, solution-oriented, forward-thinking, collaborative communities that best: serve and empower our generation “. ~~Rabia Haji
The challenges we are all facing now in our world are too many, complex and diverse.
Its, therefore necessary for each one of us to do our bit in help finding meaningful ‘solutions’ that contribute towards building a ‘better world’ .
Not only for our selves, our communities and other creations around us…
But also for the future generations as achieved by those who came before us.
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#6: Successful People are Good Listeners
Successful people are good listeners and know that listening is one of the most important characteristics of being a good leader.
They understand the value of listening and appreciating other people’s views and opinions above their own.
This trait alone helps them towards making the best possible decisions that have the best interest in their work, the issues/causes they are involved in and the people they are serving or leading.
#7: Successful People Invest In Their Continual Personal Growth
Successful people continuously invest in themselves and their personal development.
They invest in their:
- Self-education including much needed ‘financial mastery’
- Excellent health
- Happiness
- Prosperity
- Good diet
- Meaningful relationships
- Spirituality and
- Overall well being
Successful individuals invest in their continuous education to keep themselves up to date with the latest emerging trends, innovations, knowledge, and all things relevant to their fields of work, careers, specialities, studies and, interests.
They know in order to perform at their best, they must strive to have optimum excellent health.
They work hard towards having a well balanced mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health.
They invest in their families, trusted friends, and extended networks, who believe in their visions and those who support them through good and bad times.
They give themselves some ‘Me’ time and much needed ‘TLC‘ (Tender Loving Care) to help them re-fuel, re-fresh and re-charge their batteries.
#8: Successful People are Self-Aware
Successful people know exactly who they are and what they want to accomplish for their lives.
They are very much aware of their unique talents and strengths.
They leverage their skill-sets and natural talents to help build their successes from their knowledge and expertise.
They equally acknowledge their weaknesses and do not hesitate to leverage other resources and tools.
Including enlisting the help of other people to ensure their goals are met and causes supported.
Successful people do their best to nature their talents and continuously seek to improve their work and personal lives.
#9: Successful People Value & Guard Their Time
Successful people value and carefully guard their time.
They do not waste their time on unnecessary things or time-wasters who don’t bring value to them or their work.
They know their success is solely dependent on how effectively and efficiently they ‘best manage‘ their time and available resources.
#10: Successful People are Great Readers
Successful people are avid readers of inspirational books and great works.
They seek to expand their knowledge and expertise, enhance their thinking, develop new ideas and theories by reading a variety of inspirational books for their chosen fields, from a variety of established authors and mentors.
It is said on average, the top CEOs and successful individuals read about 50 to 60 books a year to be on top of their game.
For the most part, learning is a desire and not a necessity for these exceptional individuals.
They understand that ‘continuous learning‘ is one of the major keys to any success.
Everybody learns things differently.
Figure out what your best option is.
A good question to ask your self is:
How best do you consume content?
Are you better with video, written words or audio?
Whichever medium suits you best… is what you should be using.
Alternatively, you could use a combination of all of the three methods, based on your time availability and how best and easily you consume and absorb information.
For example, if you happen to be driving or working out in the gym or whilst running, you could listen to your favourite audio or a podcast at the same time.
The same goes when relaxing, having lunch or whilst commuting by bus or train, you could read a good book or watch an inspiring video of your choice.
Just make sure to, later on, put into practice what you have learned so you can benefit from it.
#11. Successful People Think Long Term
Successful people think long term as opposed to short term gains.
They understand that to achieve anything of great value and substance, they must exercise patience and apply long term commitment to their work.
They look at the bigger picture and work hard towards achieving their goals and visions.
They do not compare their level of success with others.
They understand that everyone is different and has their own journey to travel through, which is relevant and right to their unique circumstances and situation.
They don’t let minor or major setbacks, and challenges distract them from achieving their aims.
#12. Successful People are Confident & Positive
Successful people are very optimistic about the successful outcome of their work and missions.
Even though they are confident and are hopeful of their future successes, they are practical and realistic that things may not work out as planned.
They are not deluded by false promises of overnight success.
They accept that there is a price they must be willing to pay to achieve their dreams and goals.
They surround themselves with people who exodus positive vibes and energy that is contagious and beneficial for their personal growth and life’s accomplishments.
They equally avoid the pessimistic naysayers, the doubters, the haters, the unbelievers and cynics who do not benefit them or their work.
#13: Successful People are Grateful & Appreciative
Successful people are grateful for the many opportunities and blessings afforded to them.
They are grateful for their health, resources, happiness, loved ones, teams, friends, mentors, teachers, and communities who have been their main support pillars.
They understand that without the assistance, patience, nurturing, support and positive encouragement of other people around them, they would most likely not be where they are today.
You probably heard the phrase, behind every successful man, there is a woman who has been supporting him at each stage of his journey and throughout his struggles to success.
The same can be said for successful women and other successful individuals.
The right support structure is instrumental for the overall accomplishments of your success.
This support could come in the form of:
- Reassuring words and encouragement that you have all that you need to make it happen
- Financial assistance / essential resources
- Much-needed advice, guidance and clear direction on how you should pursue a particular task or project
- Right mentorship
or
- Kindness and empathy
- Peace & harmony
- Being lent an attentive ear to be heard or listened to
- Being given alone time to reflect and figure things out
- Being allowed to grow and prosper
- Being given the freedom and resources to think and try stuff out
On a personal level, I appreciate the patience and continued support of my family and close friends.
Who strongly believe in my dreams and inner vision that God willing, I have got what it takes to achieve my life’s aspirations and missions.
Fortunately or unfortunately to the detrimental of my children, who some times think I am crazy and overly obsessed with the entrepreneurship thing!
Simply because a million ideas come into my head and I always want to try them out.
It is important to surround your self with the right people who will uplift you and not put your down when you need it most.
Don’t forget that, the journey to the top can be treacherous, lonely and hard.
It is, therefore, vital to make sure that you get all the support you need from wherever it’s been made accessible for you.
#14: Successful People Prioritize Their Sleep
Now, this is an extremely important habit to have.
In general, most successful entrepreneurs and individuals invest in their sleep by making sure they regularly clock in 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.
One that I continue to struggle with, in finding the right balance for most days.
I don’t have a problem falling asleep or having good quality sleep as such…
I just don’t get enough sleep as much as I would like to, due to having many commitments including juggling full-time work, business and family life.
The following video from the Health Nerd channel, list the top health benefits and tips on sleep you may not already know :
I am not proud to say, that on fewer occasions when I have important work to complete, I have been found to fall asleep till the early hours with my head on the keyboard.
I try my best not to indulge in this bad practice, as I know it is not good for my health and general well being.
More importantly, it is not setting a good example for my children.
However, when I am able to invest in a good night’s sleep…
I find my self to be much happier, have improved mood, tend to be highly productive and achieve a great level of clarity for my work and overall thinking.
I become more like myself!
I recommend you do your level best in making sure no matter what you set out to do, you always prioritize having a good night’s sleep and getting sufficient rest.
Believe me, when I say sleep is very important for your success, health and, sanity.
Take Home Message
The traits and habits of successful people mentioned above will hopefully help you on your journey of becoming successful in whatever you set out to accomplish for your life.
Pick a few that you like and see if you can incorporate them into your daily regime.
You can certainly start with the sleeping habit.
This will definitely get you started in the right way in no time.
If your sleeping is sorted, you will find the rest of the habits will eventually fall into place naturally.
You may also like to read and explore:
- 10 Strategies Applied By Entrepreneurs To Make Business Successful
- How To Set Your Vision for an Ideal Blissful Life In 6 Ways
- 7 Steps To Getting Over The Fear of Failure As an Entrepreneur
- Essential Startup Tools & Resources
- 15 Great Habits of Highly Successful Individuals
- 15 Characteristics and Traits of Exceptional Entrepreneurs
- 4 Outstanding Rewarding Ways To Build & Leave a Lasting Legacy
What good Habits do you follow?
Do you know of any other habits of successful people, sportsmen, sportswomen, millionaires or any other special individuals we can add to the list?
Share your comments below.
Don’t forget to share the article with your friends. Thank you.
Rabia, this is an excellent article and summary of these great habits of successful people. There are several on the list that I’m really working on and doing fairly well with, but some others I have many problems accomplishing. I tend to procrastinate which is a success killer and I’m working on that. I too, tend to not get enough sleep – I have a real sleep deficit most days. I definitely need to work on that. Your article has provided some very specific information, lots of great links for additional study and I want to thank you for the excellent information you have provided here. -shirley
Thank you so much, Shirley!
I am pleased to hear that you are already working on most of these habits. Looks like you and I share similar struggles with our sleeping deficit.
As for procrastination, it is a hard one to tackle but all I can advise you is to continue fighting it. It is the battle of the mind which then directs the body to obey and say, you are too tired, it can wait, I will do it tomorrow, let me have a cup of tea first and so on.
There will always be something or some excuses that will prevent you from being proactive. It’s not a coincidence, that just under 2 years ago I wrote a brief article elsewhere, on ‘How To Avoid Procrastination’ when I just started out blogging. What led me to write that article was because I realized I was procrastinating a lot. I wanted to achieve so much yet I did not always do things in the right way and found 100 other reasons to be diverted to something else that did not help me in achieving my goals.
Fortunately, I was able to turn things around for my self by adopting the following actions:
1. Make a conscious decision to start doing the work right now. No excuses are accepted.
2) Create a to-do list – Write what you need to do in terms of goals/tasks and the outcome you expect to achieve before you start the work.
3) Choose a particular time when you will do the work – make it part of your daily ritual and habit, so you know at a specific time you are expected to do this work.
4) Beware of your behavioral patterns- to prevent yourself from falling into bad habits and excuses again.
5) Prioritize your work – do the most important things first. I find tackling the most difficult tasks helps a lot followed by easy tasks.
Don’t lose hope, you will get better, you just need to be disciplined.
Try my recommendations as stated above, however, if you really want to fix procrastination once and for all, then
I highly recommend you click on this Link to get more professional advice where you will learn how you can transform your procrastination and other bad habits for good.
I very much appreciate and value your feedback Shirley.
It gives me an insight into the kind of issues my audience is having so I know how to best help them next time.
Much love and respect to you my dear friend. Best wishes.
I really enjoyed reading through this, just a heart warming piece of writing.
Please don’t stop creating such thoughtful content.
I’m always curious reading about successful people and the habits they exercise to lead them to such a position in life.
My current newly adopted habit is to wake up super early in the morning because apparently thats what the super successful do, makes sense right? Get more out of the day.
Look forward to returning to your website some time in the future to consume the next great thing you write.
Your friend
-Will
Hi Will
Yes, I can confer with what you have observed that I have also heard of many successful individuals who have an early routine. Some wake up at 5 am, do a bit of personal grooming and self-care including meditation, prayer, exercise, reflection, affirmation, gratitude, and many other things. After that, they start their day and crack on with their work. We can also try to pick and follow some if not all of these habits, so long as they are beneficial for us. If they work for them, most likely they will work for us.
Thank you for your valuable comments and looking forward to your return. Please help spread the word with your friends.
Great post!
There is tons of helpful information here. I agree with all of these habits and I like how you broke down the information in this post.
Making sleep a big priority is going to give you much more energy to get work completed.
If you don’t give yourself time to rest and recover properly, you simply won’t have the energy to function at your highest level.
I look forward to coming back to this site and learning more helpful tips.
Thanks for all the useful information!
Awesome!
Hi Jesse… I am pleased to hear that you recognize that sleep and rest are very important.
Hopefully, now that we know more about them, we will focus on these issues to help us develop new habits that will work in our best interests.
Thank you for stopping by my friend. Take care…
Hi Rabia!
I love the topic as every one of us is looking to be successful in some aspect of our lives and reading through this post is very inspiring to me.
There is one key that I had always struggled with understanding as a Christian. Its key number 5: “Successful People Contribute to Good Causes” because it assumes that you have to become successful first before you share with others. I am not sure if it is the same within your religion but Christianity had always taught me that you must serve others before you serve yourself. This always was contradictory for me because if you don’t have any resources to help your self, how can you share with others? Eventually, I just came to the conclusion that I have to be able to help myself before I can help others while that is, somehow, not selfish lol. What do you think about that aspect? is it the same for you in your religion (assuming that you’re not Christian or even religious at all).
Secondly, I found your last point, “successful people prioritize their sleep” interesting because you would always hear people say quite the opposite. What was the absolute persuader for you when it came to researching whether successful people should sleep or not?
Hi Tyranique
Great to have you on board. I Love your feedback and contribution to the article. To be honest, I don’t think there is the right way or the wrong way to help people or contribute to good causes, and it certainly does not mean you can only help people once you become wealthy or successful. It is true, the concept of being charitable exist in all faiths including the 3 Abrahamic religions and other none-faith entities.
It is just a human trait within our natural disposition that naturally guides us to want to help other people around us or other creations like animals, plants, etc. In addition to that, helping other people does not always have to be of monetary value. I know of exceptional human beings who are very poor yet they are so generous with whatever they have, it could be a genuine smile they give, a kind word they express to a broken heart, giving hope to someone who is desperate and lost, sharing valuable time & knowledge and sharing a meal and so on… What I am trying to emphasize here, is that at the end of the day it is a personal choice.
Also, it is important to note that not all successful or wealthy people are generous and contribute to good causes, a good selection of them are and many are probably not. Each to their own. In this article, I am referring to those people who are exceptional, that they are humble enough and grateful for their gifts, yet they do not hesitate to share their successes with others. I don’t think you are selfish for wanting to help your self first before you help other people. I am sure you have heard of the phrase charity begins at home.
Having said that, I think it is important to develop what we call an ‘Abundance Mindset’ versus a ‘Scarcity Mindset’. Meaning, don’t be afraid of poverty or worrying that you will have less because you have helped someone else. I live and breath, the concept of “when we give we receive much more in return”, obviously according to your ability and personal situation. It is just the way how things are, the universal law dictates that when you give you shall have much more abundance. It is not the quantity but rather the intention behind it, however small or big it may be.
As for your second point “successful people prioritize their sleep”, it started with me personally. The biggest challenge I have is managing my time and getting adequate sleep. Unfortunately many times, I end up sacrificing sleep to allow me to get much-needed work done as I build my business whilst maintaining a full-time job.
So yes, when researching for this article I came across many videos and articles that talk about how entrepreneurs should prioritize sleep over hustling. You can only get the best of you when both your body and mind operate at their optimum health. What is the point of having all the success you can get but don’t have your health? I found this article from Forbes that could be of interest to you: More Sleep, Not Less, Is The Secret.
I really enjoyed replying to your questions. You raised excellent points that are very important for us to consider. Wishing you breakthroughs in all your endeavors. Best wishes.
Ah, what a nice post. Thanks for sharing it. Inspiring is the correct term to use. Thanks again.
Thank you so much, Yama. Much appreciated it. Best wishes.
This is very inspiring, mentoring and guidance are crucial for every entrepreneur. the information out layed is very insightful and helpful. thanx a lot for this valuable post I really enjoyed my time reading it and I already feel i accomplished a lot doing so. I would very much like to get more of your experience.
So so pleased to hear this Sasha! You guessed it, one of my life’s missions is to educate and mentor other people so they benefit from receiving the right guidance especially at the initial stage of their entrepreneurship journey.
The digital world is full of misguided info by the so-called gurus who don’t always have the best interest for the newbie. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could lose a lot of hard-earned money and time quickly. Having been misguided and left to be totally confused in my own journey, I strongly felt I had to do my bit in offering the right guidance/inspiration to support the new and struggling entrepreneurs.
I love to teach and share what I know, the more I do it, the more I myself grow and learn. It’s a 2-way thing. Please help spread the word by sharing my content with your friends. Thank you for your insights and valuable feedback. Best wishes.
Hi Rabia – this post is wonderful – but reading this, prompted me to look through other posts on your sight – you are inspirational – and the information you have, and continue to share is amazing – you obviously offer so much from your personal experience – and I’ll be excited to follow you and your suggestions – kindest regards!
Sandra! Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me and I am very grateful that you think my content is somewhat worthy and inspirational.
I always try to put myself in the shoes of my audience and readers. I write specifically for them. I strive hard to educate and share what I know or have learned from my own journey.
My struggles, failures, and wins, in the hope, they too can be inspired and empowered to be even better than me, so that they can succeed with their businesses, careers and personal goals and at the same time also help other folks along the way.
I encourage you to keep visiting the site frequently, and when you can please spread the word with your audience. Much love and respect for you. I wish you all the best in all of your endeavors.
I truly appreciate the tips here. There are some that I follow and many that I am going to start remembering to do, such as not procrastinating and getting out of my comfort zone. I like what you are doing here and know that you will help others succeed. Thank you for sharing!
You hit the nail, Tracy! It reminds me when I used to take my driving lessons, a long time ago, my driving instructor would often say to me, don’t procrastinate. Procrastination is the thief of time.
So yes, do your very best to avoid these 2 bad habits as really nothing grows when you are inside your comfort zone and when you keep putting things off. It’s a big mental shift.. but once you train your mind, it becomes a little bit easier to deal with it, however you have to be intentional that you will not succumb to the pitfalls. I am very confident you’ve got this girl, you can do it and will be checking on you to make sure you are moving forward. Wishing you all the best in everything. Thank you for your lovely comments.
Really inspiring post. Enjoyed it from beginning untill end. To me, the best habit is keep it going no matter what. Successful people never quit and they always try to find new solutions to possible difficulties on their way to success.
I will bookmark your website because it really offers great insights.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the article Strahinja. I totally agree with you, commitment, patience and not quitting the game is key. Thank you so much for your valuable comments.
What a fun and encouraging article! I’m afraid I meet very few of those requirements, so I need to get working on them. I know when I’m working on my Chromebook I sometimes lay my head back on the chair to rest my neck. But, wouldn’t you know, my eyes shut, my mind wanders, and then I decide I’m too tired to carry on. Thank you for this excellent advice!
Hey Cathy
You are too modest! I am sure your habits are not as bad as you make them out to be. I can just imagine you feeling drowsy and finally dropping off to sleep on your chair.
Many of us fall in the same trap, so don’t feel bad about it. I guess it’s a way to acknowledge that our bodies are tired and we need to rest. We can’t get the best work from ourselves when we are very tired. Where possible, our best option would be to take a nap or have a proper sleep then resume working. Work on improving each habit at a time, before you know it, your actions will become part of your daily routine. Happy napping! Thank you so much for your valuable comments.