The Habits of Happiness & Success
The world's most successful people share many of the same habits and rituals. It's not a coincidence that world champion athletes, successful serial entrepreneurs, and artists leverage the same techniques to reach their goals. Here are the practices that you can adopt to be happier and more successful in your own life.
Wake up early
Successful people start their day earlier than everyone else. Remember the Army tagline, "We get more done before 9:00 AM than most people do all day." Obviously, having more time is helpful, but it's much more than extra hours. When we first wake up in the morning, we are at our best mentally. You can solve challenging problems more naturally in the morning. This time is also free of interruptions from phone calls and emails, allowing you to stay focused on your task. Early bird= Worm. Think about it.
Physical Health & Diet
Staying in good physical shape is essential to overall well-being and maintaining mental fortitude. So much of what we do physically impacts us mentally. Managing stress, getting enough sleep, staying active, and eating healthy improve your overall health and wellness. The quality of the food you eat will also impact your overall physical and mental health.
Mindfulness
The most consistent habit found among high-performers is meditation. Phil Jackson, Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Howard Stern practice meditation daily, and all attribute this as one of the critical factors in their success. Oprah famously had group mediation with her staff where they would all meditate as a collectively twice a day. Phil Jackson would lead his team in mediations during practice and to prepare before games. It awakens the body and benefits all aspects of the conscious and subconscious layers of the mind. Meditation promotes emotional health and well being. Studies have shown that meditation improves self-image and self-worth. When we meditate, we become aware of the thoughts that drive our emotions and actions.
Thirst for Knowledge
Try and have a beginner's mindset (shoshin). The daily consuming books is an enormous advantage. 'Mark Cuban spends 4-5 hours a day reading. Think about that for a moment; Cuban spends the first half of everyday learning. Bill Gates takes a 'Think Week" twice a year in a secluded cabin reading research papers for up to 18 hours a day. I try and read for two blocks a day; the first is part of my 10/10/10 morning ritual and again for an hour in the evening. Schedule time to read into your daily calendar to ensure you have time for your reading, and in a short time, you will see tremendous benefits.
Determination
The willpower to show up day after day is all you need to surpass 95% of the people on this planet. Just showing up on-time, with a positive attitude to tackle whatever challenges you face will make the difference. If you don't succeed today, tomorrow it will be easier, and eventually, you will accomplish that which you set out to do. Achieving great things takes hard work to accomplish. If knowledge equaled results, everyone would have six-pack abs.
Clarity of Vision
How can some people push themselves more than others? They have a personal why that gets then out of bed in the morning every day. That clarity drives them forward and inspires them. It is the reason to get out of bed at 4:00 AM to practice your craft, workout, or write. Knowing you're personal why is powerful and worth the hard work to determine what it is. Those with clarity can accomplish the impossible because of their focus, determination, and vision.
These are the most common habits found when researching those individuals that break world records, summit mountain peaks, and start businesses that disrupt the status quo. You have the knowledge and tools inside you not only to change your life but to change the world.
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. ... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. ... They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs
