Fifty Habits of Highly Successful People

So I thought that I might write a quick review of every self-help book ever written all right here in this one little article. Simple enough. I love the easy jobs. Surely it couldn’t be that hard, could it? I figured that maybe I could take the important lessons from every self-help book I’ve read and every life experience I’ve endured, condense all that into fifty key points and save everybody a whole bunch of reading time. Sure, global book sales in the self-help field might take a down-turn for a decade or so, but I’m willing to take that chance and put in a solid sixty minutes (or so) work for the good of humanity; my gift to mankind.

Selfless I know.

I thought that perhaps I could follow Stephen Covey’s lead (the Seven Habits) and come up with my own list of say… Fifty Habits (in truth, some of them are more qualities, than habits). It couldn’t be too difficult to distill all those millions of words, tens of thousands of books and that vast well of information, inspiration, wisdom and insight which has been collated over the centuries into one teensy-weensy article by the ex-fat kid (me). Who else could be better qualified?

Don’t answer that.

Habits of successful people….

1. They look for and find opportunities where others see nothing.

2. They find a lesson while others only see a problem.

3. They are solution focused.

4. They consciously and methodically create their own success, while others hope success will find them.

5. They are fearful like everyone else, but they are not controlled or limited by fear.

6. They ask the right questions – the ones which put them in a productive, creative, positive mindset and emotional state.

7. They rarely complain (waste of energy). All complaining does is put the complainer in a negative and unproductive state.

8. They don’t blame (what’s the point?). They take complete responsibility for their actions and outcomes (or lack thereof).

9. While they are not necessarily more talented than the majority, they always find a way to maximise their potential. They get more out of themselves. They use what they have more effectively.

10. They are busy, productive and proactive. While most are laying on the couch, planning, over-thinking, sitting on their hands and generally going around in circles, they are out there getting the job done.

11. They align themselves with like-minded people. They understand the importance of being part of a team. They create win-win relationships.

12. They are ambitious; they want amazing – and why shouldn’t they? They consciously choose to live their best life rather than spending it on auto-pilot.

13. They have clarity and certainty about what they want (and don’t want) for their life. They actually visualise and plan their best reality while others are merely spectators of life.

14. They innovate rather than imitate.

15. They don’t procrastinate and they don’t spend their life waiting for the ‘right time’.

16. They are life-long learners. They constantly work at educating themselves, either formally (academically), informally (watching, listening, asking, reading, student of life) or experientially (doing, trying)… or all three.

17. They are glass half full people – while still being practical and down-to-earth. They have an ability to find the good.

18. They consistently do what they need to do, irrespective of how they are feeling on a given day. They don’t spend their life stopping and starting.

19. They take calculated risks – financial, emotional, professional, psychological.

20. They deal with problems and challenges quickly and effectively, they don’t put their head in the sand. They face their challenges and use them to improve themselves.

21. They don’t believe in, or wait for fate, destiny, chance or luck to determine or shape their future. They believe in, and are committed to actively and consciously creating their own best life.

22. While many people are reactive, they are proactive. They take action before they have to.

23. They are more effective than most at managing their emotions. They feel like we all do but they are not slaves to their emotions.

24. They are good communicators and they consciously work at it.



25. They have a plan for their life and they work methodically at turning that plan into a reality. Their life is not a clumsy series of unplanned events and outcomes.

26. Their desire to be exceptional means that they typically do things that most won’t. They become exceptional by choice. We’re all faced with live-shaping decisions almost daily. Successful people make the decisions that most won’t and don’t.

27. While many people are pleasure junkies and avoid pain and discomfort at all costs, successful people understand the value and benefits of working through the tough stuff that most would avoid.

28. They have identified their core values (what is important to them) and they do their best to live a life which is reflective of those values.

29. They have balance. While they may be financially successful, they know that the terms money and success are not interchangeable. They understand that people who are successful on a financial level only, are not successful at all. Unfortunately we live in a society which teaches that money equals success. Like many other things, money is a tool. It’s certainly not a bad thing but ultimately, it’s just another resource. Unfortunately, too many people worship it.

30. They understand the importance of discipline and self-control. They are strong. They are happy to take the road less travelled.

31. They are secure. They do not derive their sense of worth of self from what they own, who they know, where they live or what they look like.

32. They are generous and kind. They take pleasure in helping others achieve.

33. They are humble and they are happy to admit mistakes and to apologise. They are confident in their ability, but not arrogant. They are happy to learn from others. They are happy to make others look good rather than seek their own personal glory.

34. They are adaptable and embrace change, while the majority are creatures of comfort and habit. They are comfortable with, and embrace, the new and the unfamiliar.

35. They keep themselves in shape physically, not to be mistaken with training for the Olympics or being obsessed with their body. They understand the importance of being physically well. They are not all about looks, they are more concerned with function and health. Their body is not who they are, it’s where they live.

36. They have a big engine. They work hard and are not lazy.

37. They are resilient. When most would throw in the towel, they’re just warming up.

38. They are open to, and more likely to act upon, feedback.

39. They don’t hang out with toxic people.

40. They don’t invest time or emotional energy into things which they have no control of.



41. They are happy to swim against the tide, to do what most won’t. They are not people pleasers and they don’t need constant approval.

42. They are more comfortable with their own company than most.

43. They set higher standards for themselves (a choice we can all make), which in turn produces greater commitment, more momentum, a better work ethic and of course, better results.

44. They don’t rationalise failure. While many are talking about their age, their sore back, their lack of time, their poor genetics, their ‘bad luck’, their nasty boss and their lack of opportunities (all good reasons to fail), they are finding a way to succeed despite all their challenges.

45. They have an off switch. They know how to relax, enjoy what they have in their life and to have fun.

46. Their career is not their identity, it’s their job. It’s not who they are, it’s what they do.

47. They are more interested in effective than they are in easy. While the majority look for the quickest, easiest way (the shortcut), they look for the course of action which will produce the best results over the long term.

48. They finish what they start. While so many spend their life starting things that they never finish, successful people get the job done – even when the excitement and the novelty have worn off. Even when it ain’t fun.

49. They are multi-dimensional, amazing, wonderful complex creatures (as we all are). They realise that not only are they physical and psychological beings, but emotional and spiritual creatures as well. They consciously work at being healthy and productive on all levels.

50. They practice what they preach. They don’t talk about the theory, they live the reality.

So there you have it, your days of reading self-help books are done!

Okay, maybe not. I may have missed a few. Feel free to add a habit or two of your own to the list.

~Review By Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host, motivational speaker and university lecturer. For the past 25 years he has been a leading presenter, educator, motivator and commentator in the areas of personal and professional development.~

Is Your Purpose as Strong as a Mosquito’s?

How could one small mosquito create such a huge stir? It’s simple. It decided what it wanted: your blood. It took action: bit you. In that moment when the mosquito bites you, sucks your blood and then withdraws, it is fulfilling one of the primary functions of its’ short life. The mosquito needs protein from the blood of a mammal, so it can lay eggs. Without it, the eggs cannot be laid. The only other purpose a mosquito has in life is to mate.

Are you fulfilling your primary function, your purpose in this life? Do you know what it is? Many of us cringe when we hear these questions. “I have a purpose in life? I can’t figure it out. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me what it is? It’s not on my birth certificate.”

Maybe our purpose isn’t blatantly obvious to us, and maybe it doesn’t become clear to us until many years into our lives, so we struggle with questions of direction and meaning. What is important to remember is that no matter what we do or what we don’t do - in each moment of each day we are making a difference whether we are aware of it or not - whether we intend to or not.

Our actions and words set examples for everyone around us; our children, coworkers, family, friends - everyone around us is affected by what we decide to do or not to do. Spending even a single dollar at the grocery store can affect the economy of many countries and the people in them. Throwing one soda can into a stream can affect the ecology for miles around. Planting trees on a hillside can affect the air around our whole planet. A smile to the gas station attendant can make his whole day!

Here are a few single individuals who have made a BIG difference in this world: Helen Keller, The little boy with his finger in the dike, Erma Bombeck, Your Parents (you’re here, aren’t you?), Oprah, Sadam Hussein, Mother Teresa, Your neighbor, Martha Stewart, Gloria Steinem, Anthony Robbins, Mary Kay Ash, T. Harv Eker, Elanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, Debbie Fields, Rosa Parks, Wayne Dyer, Susan G. Komen, Walt Disney, Princess Diana, Mrs. Barrett (my 8th grade teacher who told me that I should keep writing).

What did these people possess that transformed them from someone ordinary to someone extraordinary? They started with a dream. They honed their purpose. They created a clear vision and added the desire from their heart and soul. And then, perhaps the most important part - they took action. They believed in the beauty and importance of their dreams so much that they took action. They were conscious and aware that what they chose could make a difference, and they moved forward. They did something.

Never underestimate the effects of your actions in one moment of time. What can you do this week? What WILL you do? Now, that’s Powerful!


Sue Urda is a guest blogger on The Bod, She is a Co-Founder of Powerful You! Women’s Network and a two-time Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies honoree. Her vision is to contribute to a global consciousness of women helping women succeed in business and in life and to expand Powerful You! by creating chapters around the US and beyond. Sue’s mission is to create venues for women to grow their businesses and nurture relationships, and to foster empowerment, gratitude and self-development. http://powerfulyou.com/

Business Ethics And Profit

Every time you open the newspaper you find reports about controversies on business ethics of large corporate houses and even government organizations. Today, ethics seems less important than making profit, which is the ultimate goal all over the world. In this scenario a question raises its head with timidity: ‘is it not possible to make profit ethically?’

Ethics and profit – complementary or opposites

In certain countries ethics comes on a poor second when it comes to doing business successfully. “Successfully” here means generating large amounts of surplus. For this purpose the business houses need to expand their territory, coverage and products to capture large chunks of the market.

Creating a base for such activities can be done in two ways:

(1) go the hard way – advertise, consolidate, build brand and image in the national and international market segment you prefer. This involves money, effort and tremendous perseverance
(2) go the easy way – bribe your way through government and other corridors which would help you create a niche market almost overnight. Often the amount of money and efforts spent on bribes is less than

Which would be the best way, in your opinion? You would say, ‘the ethical way’, of course. But you would be amazed at how many would still go the other way. Why? Because, the keyword today is “results” and here “results” means profit. Corporate houses feel that their stakeholders would appreciate the fact that they generate wealth for them – by whichever means.

While it is true that the public does like a hike in the profits, the ‘by whichever means’ acceptability is debatable. If you go down to the grassroots, ethics is still an important threshold in the values of the common human being.

The general public still values basic business ethics more than profit, though globally the consumerism movement makes it seem otherwise. Ethics to most is synonymous with trust and truth without which no real value addition can be expected or enjoyed.


I hope this helps


Placida Acheru
Personal/Business Coach
http://www.thebusinessonlinedirectory.biz/

The 5 Pillars Of Success

The 5 Pillars are really just applying some basic common sense to the evaluation process but nowadays we are confronted with so many opportunities that we need to have a sensible strategy for deciding whether or not to become involved in something, the 5 Pillars are an attempt to help you make the correct decision.

1. Choose a Company with an Established Track Record

Instead of starting from scratch and developing your own company which means you are leading with a completely unknown brand, far better to buy into an existing company which allows you to brand yourself with excellence immediately, by doing this the chances of being successful are increased massively.
An example of this could be buying a franchise with Mcdonalds, the thing with Mcdonalds is the Brand is known worldwide, people know exactly what to expect whenever they walk into any branch of Mcdonalds.


2. Timing in the Marketplace

Timing is crucial and one should look for a product or service that has not yet been launched in a particular country or is still fairly new which means in a very small space of time you can become an expert and market leader in the country of choice which again will increase your chances of success.
The pioneers in any market or industry, assuming they have a good product will always be successful so long as they have the right marketing strategy.


3. A Remarkable Product or Service

The product or service that is offered is everything and it has to be truly remarkable in every shape or form whilst giving people a massive benefit that they absolutely cant do without, that way they will be repeat customers for life or for a very long time and happy customers means constant referrals to buy the product.


4. A Serious Income Potential

It almost goes without saying that one needs to be able to make money but the process needs to be very very simple and should result in you getting paid on a repetitive basis when the original work has already been done.
The classic example of this is in producing a website that sells a digital product that people can download instantly, All the necessary work has been done and yet every time someone appears on the website and buys you will get paid every time, if this can be achieved in the simplest possible way then the likelihood for success will be greatly increased.


5. A System that is easily Duplicatable

Whatever product or service is on offer needs to be delivered in a systematic way that is both easy and practical for the consumer. You could have the best product in the market place but if you cant get it in front of your customers in the appropriate way then your competitors who figure this out will do better than you with an inferior product.
The classic example of this is the PC over the Apple Mac, most people who understand computers will admit that the Apple is by far the superior machine and yet the PC is in many many more homes across the globe than the Mac. Its not rocket science to figure out why, it all comes down to marketing, the message about the PC was delivered in a far more effective way so that is what people bought.

Written by Michael Young