11 Daily Habits Of Successful People
We all aspire to be successful, in some way, and what that success looks like is different for each person. But what we do know is that there are daily habits of successful people that stand out from those that don’t identify themselves as being ‘successful’.
What do most successful people have in common?
They have routines and they have habits they carry out each and every day that help them achieve their goals, stay focused on their tasks and simply get on with it.
These aren’t daily habits like ‘answer all your emails before 9am’ or ‘get up at 5am every single morning’.
These are daily habits that make you more confident, make you feel better about yourself and in turn, make you more successful.
You should also know, it’s entirely up to you to decide what successful means for you.
Does it mean a high paying job? Perhaps owning your own home…? Running your own business…? Maybe successful is having a happy and healthy family? Or perhaps it is just as simple as being happy when you lay your head on your pillow at night…
Whether you’re looking for daily habits to improve your life, or new habits to focus on to help you to be and feel more successful, these are some of the daily habits of successful people that you can copy, adapt for yourself, and add to your own day.
Keep in mind, regardless of how amazingly successful someone is, they don’t do all of these perfectly, every single day.
These daily habits of successful people are more of a practice – the most important part is that if you miss them for a day, or feel like you fall a little short, that’s totally fine!
Pick yourself back up, and keep on going. Keep working towards these habits, and enjoy all the success you feel too.
1 – Put Yourself First
The most important person in your life is you.
Successful people understand that while it is important to serve others, they absolutely must serve themselves first.
You cannot possibly take care of anyone else, or be successful in anyway, if you don’t first fill your own cup.
This isn’t about being selfish, this is about understanding your value, understanding your boundaries, and ensuring you protect your own space.
Putting yourself first can look different depending on who you are, what stage you’re at in life, and what is important to you.
It may be as simple as ensuring you have time each day for yourself, making sure you are working towards your own goals, or making sure you’re well rested, well fed, and move your body often.
Just remember, putting yourself first is not selfish, it’s essential. It is 100% your responsibility to ensure your needs are met.
2 – Take Risks
Growth doesn’t come from comfort zones, and you can’t leave your comfort zone without a little risk.
I challenge you to find someone successful who hasn’t at some point taken some form of risk. It’s just not possible.
I’m not talking about the kind of risk where you jump out of an aeroplane or jump motorbikes over sand dunes (regardless of how much fun that sounds). These are risks that lead to growth.
It could be quitting your job to pursue your dream career.
Starting a side hustle while still working your day job.
Putting an offer in on a house with a single income.
Saying yes to opportunities and figuring it out as you go…
We’ve been conditioned to believe that we should avoid risk at all costs – however successful people are aware that a little risk, each day (heck that risk could be as simple as pushing towards a big scary goal), leads to big change and big success.
3 – Learn More, Every Day
There’s this amazing (not so) secret skill (aka daily habit) most successful people have and that is their ability to always be learning.
It’s quite incredible to see, and once you notice it, you’ll always notice it.
You can easily pick the successful person because they’re the ones who turn what would be a frustrating moment, or crappy day, into a learning moment. They always look for the lesson in everything.
On top of this, they are always seeking out new ways to learn.
Whether it’s through podcasts, reading books, watching documentaries, or how to videos on YouTube, or even if they are having intense conversations with others just wanting to hear what they have to say, a successful person is always learning.
4 – Don’t Hide From Their Emotions
I’d be lying if I didn’t include guilt somewhere in this article. Some sources go so far to suggest, 96% of women feel ashamed at least once a day.
It’s fairly safe to say we have all experienced guilt at some point, and for many of us it’s on a daily basis.
We feel guilty if we go to work, we feel guilty if we stay at home, we feel guilty if we say no to going out with friends and then we feel guilty if we haven’t given ourselves enough alone time.
While overcoming guilt takes a lot of hard work, what we can do on a daily basis is acknowledge our guilt and move through it.
Sometimes, even saying things out loud reduces their impact.
If you were to say ‘Today I am feeling guilty for going to work and leaving my son at daycare’ you might be able to combat the inner dialogue a little.
However, if you add to that your positive outcome with ‘Although I feel guilty for going to work and leaving my son at daycare, I am earning money to provide for my family and be able to live a lifestyle we love’.
It’s all about understanding why you feel guilty, adding perspective, and moving on.
5 – Add Healthy Practices – Not Just Going To The Gym
We are all learning more and more that ‘being healthy’ doesn’t just mean going to the gym or eating a strict diet of kale and paleo dishes.
Healthy is a mindset, it is about our whole life. It encompasses everything we do, everyday.
What healthy practices do you include in your day and what could you add?
It doesn’t have to be anything major on day one, just start. One thing, just add one thing in and focus on that. Then, once it has become part of your ‘normal’, add another.
It could be so simple as switching to healthy snacks for a few weeks. Then adding in a daily walk. Then making sure you have at least one healthy meal each day.
Small steps, taken consistently, make the biggest impact.
6 – Be Financially Savvy
It is vitally important to know the ins and outs of your finances, to be on top of your financial situation. You cannot possibly expect to be successful if you don’t even know where you stand financially.
There’s a lot of poor financial habits we fall into, and it takes time to work out what works best for us.
But your finances are such a massive part of your life. They shouldn’t be something you fear or something that causes you anxiety. They should be something that you are excited about and feel empowered by.
Get to know your own financial situation and if you need help, find it. Read great finance books, get your money mindset in order and take the time to understand and leverage your finances.
7 – Smile
Do you realize how different you feel if you smile? And what about when you smile at someone else?
I challenge you to smile at a complete stranger today. Chances are they will smile back.
That means your smile just made someone else smile. That’s pretty darn powerful.
Smiling has been shown to increase our serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for our happiness. Even if you fake your smile, there is still an increase in serotonin. Winner.
So smile, even if you have to fake it. Watch funny cat videos on YouTube and embrace the power of a smile.
8 – Step Away From Work
It’s easy to fall into the ‘work your butt off day and night and you’ll be successful’ mindset.
After all, we think that the more we work the more success we will have. But it’s not that simple.
It’s not always about how much you work but how effective you are when you are working. One of the ways to improve your quality of work and effectiveness? Take a break. Step away.
Work isn’t everything – what’ the point in being ‘successful’ if you don’t actually like your life? Is that truly successful at all?
Step away from your work. If that means you have to give yourself work hours and work within them, then do it.
If you have to schedule downtime, then do it. Step away and enjoy yourself. I guarantee things will be okay.
9 – Set Yourself Goals And Keep Track of Them
‘A goal without a plan is just a wish.’
Do you dive deep into your goals or do you just make grand sweeping declarations that you never really follow up on (sometimes I do these too..).
How will you ever know if you have achieved your goals if you don’t have a way of measuring and tracking them?
Set goals with timeframes and action plans that detail how you’re going to achieve them. Be strategic and intentional.
Then measure your success, re-evaluate your situation and set more goals.
10 – Celebrate The Wins, Both Big And Small
Celebrate your wins, you deserve it! Don’t just reserve celebrations for big wins and big changes, celebrating the little achievements along the way can be just as important.
Some days this may be as simple as celebrating ticking off the items off your to do list and rewarding yourself with some extra downtime, hiring a movie you’ve wanted to see for a while or buying a slightly fancier bottle of wine to celebrate.
Others, it could be a full blown ‘heck yeah I’m awesome’ kind of celebration for a big goal you’ve been working on. Whatever it is, celebrating your goals helps keep you motivated, driven and balanced.
11 – Help Others
The old idea of needing to be ruthless in order to succeed is long gone and tearing others down to build yourself up never works. However, giving to others and helping them always pays off in some way.
Whether you volunteer your time with local charities, teach others how to achieve a certain skill or simply listen when someone wants to talk, being able to help others each and every day, in some way, will make you a happier and more wholesome person.
Some days it may be that you focus on helping your kids (because we all know that takes up a lot of time!!) others it could be helping a friend move, helping a family member or even helping a complete stranger. Helping others shows kindness, compassion and makes you feel good.
How many of these daily habits do you have already? And which ones do you want to add to your day?
