We all have our own definitions of success: to me, it is to be able to do what you love every single day and feel fulfilled; to others, success could mean having a lot of money or being famous. It could even mean having the freedom to live on a tropical island, knowing that you’re spending your days on your own terms.
Whatever your definition of success, these 3 steps will help you become more successful in life, because they’re all about developing your mindset. And your mindset is pretty much the key to everything else.
In this blog post, we’re going to explore what sets successful people apart from others and what you can start doing today to become one of them.
If you’re in a hurry, here’s an audio version of this article:
1. Develop Healthy Habits
Success depends on two things:
✔ Working hard: how much time you spend actively pursuing what you want;
✔ Playing hard: unwinding, connecting with your inner wisdom, and taking good care of yourself.
Once again, everyone has their own understanding of what a “healthy” habit is. To me, it’s all about eating healthy food, having enough sleep every night, moving your body, and having a self-care ritual, such as journaling or meditating.
All of these things call for a separate blog post but I want to pay some special attention to meditation because it is one of the pillars of being in control of your thoughts by letting them pass and not getting caught up on chasing them on daily basis.
Let me be frank with you:
I know everybody’s talking about the magic of meditation… But you’re probably still not doing it, right? What if I tell you that a huge percent of the most successful people in the world do it every day… Will that change your mind?
Now, let me tell you why meditation is so effective. When you fill your mind with unnecessary noise every single day, you need some time to unplug.
Sleep is necessary, but not enough, because when you sleep your subconscious mind is the one that pulls the strings, and when you wake up it all depends on your consciousness.
Every morning, you wake up with an empty, clean mind. If you fill it with unnecessary information as you reach for your phone and get flooded by all those social media posts and emails you “missed out on” while you were asleep, it’s difficult to go after your goals.
So, what can you change to kick off your day on a different note? You guessed it right — meditate. Here’s a blog post on the 3 techniques I believe work the best.
2. Become Mindful of Your Thought Patterns
Ahh, we all have those sneaky negative thoughts that try to sabotage us on daily basis… They are the things you repeatedly say to yourself over the course of the day.
The moment you start doing something, your mind tells you a story. Have you experienced the same situation but from a different angle and wondered what happened that you perceived it differently?
Well, it’s because somewhere along the line, you changed your thought pattern. Sometimes it happens unconsciously, but I want to show you how to do it consciously.
Let’s say you have a negative thought pattern on success. Every day you go to work, you look at your to-do list and it seems like all these thoughts go through your head: “My boss hates me”, “Person X, Y, Z, has better chances of getting that promotion because I’m not good at my job”, “Am I an impostor for wanting so much money?”, etc.
No matter what the situation is,
Your success depends on your perception of reality. Click To TweetIf you have negative thought patterns all the time, you need to learn how to reframe them.
For example, let’s break down the first sentence and see how you can change your thinking:
“My boss hates me” – Well, let’s see, are you sure about that? Has he or she told you that, or do you perceive their behavior as harmful? Have you done something wrong in particular and your boss got angry about it, or do they treat you poorly all the time? Does your boss seem like he hates all of your colleagues, or just you?
When you try to answer these questions objectively, here’s what happens. First, you start to see yourself from a different perspective. Second, you make a distinction between what’s a fact and what’s actually a part of your imagination. And third, you realize that nothing is personal, once you let it go.
So, how can you reframe this thought pattern? By saying to yourself something like “My boss doesn’t hate me, they just have their own stuff going on”, “My boss is angry with me about Project X, but we didn’t have a chance to talk about it; maybe we should clear the air”, “My boss and I may not be on the best terms right now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like working here”, etc.
There are many ways to approach any situation in life, so if you want further help, book a free coaching session, and we’ll come up with a plan to solve your
3. Set Clear Goals and Follow Through
All successful people have this one in common: they may not all meditate or reframe all of their thoughts, but they most certainly have big goals and just as much resilience.
So, how can you become more consistent with achieving your goals, and stop giving up when it gets hard?
A good place to start is to have a clear vision.
For example, where do you see yourself in 5 years? What do you want to accomplish? Who do you want to become as a person? Do you live alone or do you have a family? Do you want to work for a big corporation or become an entrepreneur?
It’s okay if you don’t know the answers
Now, that you have a vision, set a long-term goal for yourself. It has to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. It’s that goal you want to achieve in 3, 5 or 10 years; the one you’re going to be going after for the next few years.
Mid-term goals can be achieved in a few months or it can take up to a year or two, it depends on the complexity and accessibility of the goal. For example, if you’re a single mother and have a 1-year old at home, it may take you a few months longer, because caring for your child will almost certainly take up most of your free time.
And the last type, the short term-goals, are easier: they are the little steps you take towards the big picture. Don’t get me wrong, they still require a lot of work, but they are way more bit-sized and easier to envision that the other two types.
So, how do you follow through? By taking deliberate action every single day.
✔ You want to win that dance competition? You practice every day.
✔ You want to have that slim body? You exercise or at least walk every day.
✔ You want to have more money? You work better, work smarter, manage your finances right, and up your skill set every day.
It’s easier said than done but there’s a reason why not everybody is successful. It’s because they don’t want to do the work and make all these excuses to postpone their own success.
The question is: are you ready to stop thinking about success and start doing something about it?
Love,
