In my career, I’ve worked with thousands of successful business owners and entrepreneurs. And in this experience, I see a commonality in the daily habits of successful people. Of course, each of us is unique, as are our entrepreneurial journeys, but these habits are intrinsically linked to your success in all areas of your life, not just business. And don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to get up at 5am each day. Actually, I need to stop here for just a second. The truth is I wrote the script for this article/video at 5am this morning and during my career, I got up early. But as I’m about to explain, that’s absolutely not necessary.
Each of us will have habits. Some good, some bad. It’s often said that bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with. the other rule is that good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. I live in the real world. None of us is perfect and we never will be.
The number one habit that successful people have is goal setting. Some entrepreneurs focus on daily goals and others have long-term plans, but the process of goal setting and consistently working towards this over the short and long term is the primary habit of successful people. Not every day will be a winner, and not every month will be successful, but over time, the majority of their actions take them closer to their goal, not away.
Secondly, let’s talk about ownership. The most successful people I know take full ownership of their goals. This habit is critical because this is your journey, your path to success and no one will work as hard as you to achieve your goals. Things will challenge you, and there will always be something new to learn, but by instilling this habit of taking ownership and committing to figuring it out, you will grow as a person, your business will scale and success will come naturally.
Successful people don’t fear failure. They acknowledge it and make plans to mitigate it at all costs. But they don’t fear it. I can tell you that in my career I’ve failed more times than I can remember. Each time there has been a cost to myself and our business. But failing is only a negative if you don’t learn from it. Otherwise, it’s experience. And that’s why it’s easy to work with a business like Move at Pace. It’s easier and cheaper to learn from our mistakes/experiences than it is your own. When we consider failure as an opportunity to learn, this habit contributes to both our personal and professional growth.
A habit that I see in every entrepreneur is ambition. No founder is speaking to me has any ambition for their company to fail. Quite the opposite. Ambition is a critical habit to form because it drives entrepreneurs to:
1. Set bold goals and push boundaries
2. Persist through inevitable challenges and setbacks
3. Continuously innovate and improve their products/services
4. Attract top talent and investors who share their vision
5. Take calculated risks necessary for growth
6. Stay motivated during long hours and high-stress periods
7. Inspire and lead their teams effectively
Your ambition is infectious in the groups and with the people you surround yourself with. The habit of unwavering ambition is often challenging in the face of setbacks, but a focus on maintaining this is a key driver of long-term success.
One habit successful people have is a growth mindset. When I left university, I thought I knew everything. I was done learning. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Today I read extensively and there’s often an audiobook or podcast in my ear. The truth is that every day is a school day and the knowledge we need to be successful changes daily. You don’t know what you don’t know and this is a limiting factor in your ambition to become successful. Educating yourself and becoming a life-long learner in all aspects of your life is key. The most successful people I know understand this and embrace it fully.
And this leads me to your network. Successful people regularly surround themselves with other successful people. Jim Rohn says “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” And this couldn’t be truer. Spend your days with entrepreneurs, athletes and people at the top of their game and the conversation will be different from those who aren’t. Just being in the room with the right type of people opens your mind to the possibilities you’ve not yet considered.
One of the most important habits and my final one for this video is commitment. Look, we all have good days and we have bad days. But those of us who can instil a habit of commitment to our long-term goals and ambitions are those who will achieve them. Today more than ever, we are programmed to think short term. Instant gratification is the sole focus of many, but by delaying gratification and being able to keep yourself motivated and committed you’ll be miles ahead of your competition.
Let me know in the comments on YouTube if you have any other suggestions for habits of successful people and what habit would make the biggest impact in your life. Whatever it is, the time to start building this habit every day starts now.