“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit” ~ Conrad Hilton.
You may have asked yourself these questions as you’ve got older. Why are other people more successful than others? Why do some people make more money, have more friends, and enjoy a better life than others? Why do other people derive more satisfaction from life than others?
Studies have been done, and lots of money has been spent, to answer these questions. I have been doing my own personal study of successful men and women. The revelations have been phenomenal and interesting.
I know that the subject of success is very wide. I also know there is no formula for success, and it is difficult to measure.
However, after my brief study, I realised that all successful men and women share about 5 major habits, or rather principles.
They practice these differently and apply them in different ways, but you can rest assured that no matter how they apply them, these 5 principles or habits will appear in their daily activities.
Therefore, as we strive to succeed, you and I must incorporate these five principles into our daily lives.
Thank God we do not have to reinvent the wheel; studies and documentation show how others have succeeded in their lives.
Remember that there is no defined formula for success. What works for someone may not necessarily produce the same desired results for you.
So please note that you are not competing with anyone. Success is a personal journey.
Don’t measure or compare your achievements with anyone else’s. In my quest to help change the world for the better, I don’t see ‘competition’ as a threat; I treat it as complementary.
For me, if anyone is doing what I think will help change the world, they are most welcome; they are not competition, but complements. I have presented these 5 principles in no particular order.
The Habit of Saving
The number one principle is the habit of saving. The saying “Rome was not built in one day” holds a lot of water.
If you want to build up riches, it is common sense that you must learn to save from your current income. Learn the art of spending within what you have. Avoid spending from your future income.
The discipline of saving is unmatched. You must be like the ant; it knows when to store food for the future.
You must know that you will not always be healthy, and that one day the energy you have now will be a thing of the past. Therefore, it is important to start saving and investing your money wisely.
Invest your money in investments you understand and that are long-term. Do not invest your money in something you do not understand unless you have professional advice.
Most financially successful people will tell you that the habit, or rather the principle, of saving is very important. You should learn to live not for now but for tomorrow unless you have no tomorrow.
Can you imagine how much you would have saved after 20 years if you saved only 10% of your paycheck each month?
You can cut the time it takes to raise a million in half if you can defer gratification. This does not mean, however, that you should not enjoy your wealth.
The principle of saving is probably the number one factor in how far you will succeed. Be it financially or in any other field you are engaged in.
Remember, saving isn’t just about finances; it can take many forms. I have learned to save, especially with my finances.
The best way to get started is to save in small amounts. If you work, you could open a savings account and ask your employer to split your salary.
Saving requires the discipline to cut down on unnecessary spending.
Consider how much you spend on talk time, entertainment, deferring a new car and buying a second-hand one instead, transportation, and other things you know are not necessary.
Time Management
If God has given us all one thing in equal measure, it is time. We all have 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and so forth and so on. No one on planet Earth can claim to have less time than anyone else.
Yet with the same amount of time, some people seem to succeed more than others. One of the magic wands to success is the principle of time management.
If you want to succeed at whatever you do, you must learn to manage your time efficiently.
Most successful men and women have mastered time management. They say time is money. I say time is more than money; once lost, it cannot be recovered. This is how precious the commodity of time is.
I have learned from Brian Tracy’s “How to master your time“ the technique of writing down my daily goals. This simple principle of daily goal setting is a life changer.
In this technique, you write down and plan your day. Organise it in such a way that you start with what is more important, moving down to what is less important.
Set your daily goals the day before and review them at the end of the day before you set goals for the next day. Stick to your daily goal-setting principle religiously for better results. It surely is a wonderful tool to use.
In everything that we do, time is of the essence. Most successful people have realised that they must manage time well.
You will agree with me that time is a precious commodity, especially during school examinations. The difference between passing and failing an exam can come down to how you manage your time.
If you have to take a giant step towards success, you must be time-conscious. If you are in business marketing, then you know how important it is to manage your time very well.
You can learn more about time management by purchasing Brian Tracy’s “How to master your time” CDs from this store.
Hard Work, Perseverance & Persistence
“Hard work pays off” ~ unknown. There is no substitute for hard work. Successful people work hard smartly.
There is no point in working hard for the wrong results. If you have to achieve above-average results, you need to start working hard and doing it smartly.
Every successful person will tell you how hard-working they are. The difference between more successful people and less successful people is the level of hard work and perseverance.
Most of us give up just as we’re about to break through. The most successful people work hard even when they fail; they get up and keep going.
With perseverance, hard work and persistence comes success. There is no sweet without sweat.
You will be amazed at how much time successful people spend working. Most of them will tell you that they wake up very early in the morning and they are the last ones to go to bed.
I have noticed that most of us want to have it easy. We let our bodies dictate how we live.
Brain capacity doesn’t differ between those who are successful and those who are not. The only difference is that those who make it are disciplined.
They have trained themselves to do what matters first, even when it feels awkward.
They have the discipline to follow their daily goal settings. If the goal says to wake up at 05:00hrs and exercise before anything else, they do just that, even when their body still wants to sleep. This kind of discipline makes the difference.
Most people fail because they lack discipline, hard work, perseverance, and persistence.
Vince Lombardi says “the price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
I can therefore conclude that the price of success is working hard and smartly.
If you have a habit of stopping a project at the first challenge, today should be an eye-opener. You must learn to develop a culture of hard work, perseverance, and persistence.
Clear Life’s Purpose
If I had to rearrange these principles by importance, I would put this (Clear life’s purpose) at number one.
What is success without a clear life’s purpose? How do you even start on your journey of success without a target?
If you have not yet formulated your life’s intended purpose, please stop wasting your time and devise one.
Having no life’s purpose is living by the wind. God gave each one of us a life’s purpose. Every successful person lives for a purpose.
You may be wondering why there’s such a fuss about having a life’s purpose. Your intended life’s purpose defines who you want to be; what you want to achieve; how you will achieve it is not your business. God has already figured that one out for you.
In other words, your life’s intended purpose is the reason why you exist. It is what makes you fit in the bigger body of life. We are all part of one big family, each with a different role to play.
I encourage you to formulate one before you start on your success journey.
The best way to do it is by writing your life’s purpose in a notebook. Read it very often, possibly every day, so that your mind absorbs it.
It becomes easier to tailor your business or whatever activity around your life’s intended purpose.
You will notice that what you have written down as your intended life’s purpose flows very easily from within you. This makes even running a business easier and more fun, because you will be working with something you enjoy and that flows naturally from within.
Believe me, we all have something to give to this world, and I mean something unique. No two people have the same DNA.
It doesn’t matter if you look like someone else; you’re unique and have your own signature. Even identical twins who share the same parents are unique.
Successful people have a clear life’s purpose, and that is their driving force. Living life with a purpose is much more exciting. Every morning you wake up, you are looking forward to getting started with your life.
Ever since I wrote down my life’s intended purpose, I’ve looked forward to the next challenge coming my way. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been fun. I still have a long way to go, but I’m slowly getting there one step at a time.
Knowledge
The final common principle is acquiring knowledge. “My people perish for lack of knowledge” ~ the Bible.
“If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability” ~ Henry Ford.
This is perhaps one key to success. To be more, you need to have more.
Successful people are more knowledgeable than ordinary people. They spend time reading and expanding their knowledge base.
I always encourage people to read and read and read. If there is anything you will take with you when you die, it is knowledge. The world is full of reading material, and one of the best ways to expand your knowledge base is to read.
If you are not in the habit of reading, please develop one quickly; even thirty minutes a day can make a difference in your knowledge base.
Knowledge will help increase your skill set. If you have to be successful, you must acquire knowledge at all costs.
I have a modest target of reading one motivational book every month on top of my other materials. I have realised that even one book a month is not enough, but I have to strike a balance.
The good thing with reading is that it is one of the best ways to keep my mind from mischief.
Ever since I set this target, I have noticed an increase in my knowledge. I hope to increase it even further so that one day I can write my own books on personal development and self-growth.
If you have to join the successful elite, you cannot afford to lag behind in knowledge.
Conclusion
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” ~ Robert Collier.
As I said before, there is no written-down formula for success. What works for someone else may not produce the desired results for you.
However, you must take action and begin on your wonderful journey of success.
“He who has health has hope and he who has hope has everything” ~ Unknown.
You were created to contribute to the healing of the world and to help make it a better place for all humanity.