You had two friends in school… Barry was the straight-A student who seemed bound for glory and Mary was the battler who flunked first-year Economics.
Ten years later you discover that Mary is a multi-millionaire. She runs her own company and travels the world.
Meanwhile Barry is stuck in the same boring job he got at graduation.
You ask, “How come Mary blossomed – and not Barry-the-Brain?”
Because Mary does things that successful people do – that matter MORE than IQ.So what are these
5 Things Successful People Do
that you can do too?
#5. Start Small
Successful people start anywhere they can.
Most tycoons start washing cars or building websites at about ten years of age. They develop a “success pattern”. They sharpen their skills. Then they aim higher.
Surgeons practice on tonsils before they do brain surgery.
Ed Sheeran spent years singing on street corners before he filled stadiums.
What’s so important about a success pattern? It’s what gets you to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
When you know in your heart that:
- “I’ve prepared for this”
- “I can do it!”, and
- “I deserve it”
you are on your way.
Wherever you are headed, start small if you have to – and make success a habit.
#4. Break Your Goals into Small Steps
Whether you are aiming to be an architect, training for a marathon or cleaning out your garage, break your journey into bite-size pieces.
You are much more likely to finish jobs that can be completed in 15 minutes.
Divide big tasks into manageable chunks. Make to-do lists. Tick off each task. Celebrate small steps of progress.
#3. Ask For Help
People who GET WHAT THEY WANT in life know how to ASK for what they want.
Kids know how to ask – and when grown-ups say, “NO!”, kids don’t take it personally. Learn from kids!
YOUR success and happiness depend on you ASKING for things. For small things …
- “May I have a refund?”
- “Can you reschedule my appointment?”
- “Can we go on a date?”
And for big things …
- “Can I WORK for you?”
- “Will you MARRY me?”
Other people aren’t mind readers. Often, they will happily grant your request if they just KNOW what you want.
Asking for what you want keeps you happier and healthier. Ask more often and more good things will happen for you.
#2. Love What You Do
Successful chefs, managers, pilots, programmers love their work. When you love your work you have that special energy – you are enthusiastic and caring. You become a magnet for opportunity, so you flourish.
Whatever you do for a living, you are competing against people who love what they do. If you dislike your work, you are dead in the water – and you have two choices – change your attitude or change your job.
And of the 5 Things That Successful People Do, which is crtical?
#1. Picture Your Success
People like Richard Branson, Serena Williams and Taylor Swift visualize their success. They play movies in their minds.
Why? Because we become what we think about.
Whether you want to be an inspiring leader, a great teacher or the next Roger Federer, you must picture your own success, over and over.
Children picture success quite naturally. It is why kids learn so fast.
Do you want to be more confident, hit better golf balls or sell more real estate? See it in your mind. Anytime you have a spare moment, play your mental movie.
No one is born with special permission to achieve. We succeed by adopting the habits of successful people.
I expand on these principles in my latest book How Life Works.
Did you find 5 Things Successful People Do Useful?
