3 Hard But Useful Attributes to Help You Succeed

Sometimes we have to do hard things to become great. If we do easy things, our lives become hard in the future. If we do hard things our lives become easy in the future. Doesn't this remind you of the John F Kennedy quote about going to the moon in 1962, " We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things (accomplishments and aspirations), not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that challenge is one that we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win". 

To progress in life we have to constantly do things that we perceive as hard. I would like to share with you three hard things for you to do that I wish you commit to in order for you to improve your level of effectiveness and productivity.

These three things will help you as you work towards reaching your goals - whatever your goals are, whether you have career goals, business goals or a personal goal to exercise or become healthier.

(I) Getting up early at 5am

A study done by Texas University in 2008 showed that students who identified themselves as morning people achieved better grades than those who were the "night owls". Further research has shown that early risers are more productive, are better planners and better goal achievers. 

Getting up early has immense advantages. Imagine being able to exercise early consistently every day and meet your fitness goals, meet all your deadlines at work and be able to take on a new hobby. This is what you can be able to achieve if you make a firm resolution to identify yourself as an early riser and get up early at 5am.

(II) Working long hours

Gone are the 60s where there were no mobile phones, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the internet. We are more distracted these days than we ever were. It is easy to lose focus because our focus has shifted due to the ever changing technologically advanced world.

Working long hours can help you shift your focus from distractions and turn your dreams to reality. How many people dream of writing a book, how many dream of achieving fitness and look like health magazine models, how many people do you know that would like to start a serious business or obtain a qualification? All of these things require focused work that will take long hours.

Unfortunately few people these days have the ability to switch off from the world and do four to six hours of focused work. Harness your ability to grind for long hours and possess a rare attribute that most people lack in today's world. This will set you apart and enable you to achieve all your goals.

(III) Thinking in the long term

Live in the present but think in the future. Too many of us get caught to pleasures of the moment and forget the future that we want to create. Human beings are the most intellectually capable of all species in the world but remain limited by the inability to think beyond the present.

I encourage you to develop a 5 year plan for your ideal self in all key areas of your life i.e. career, spirituality, health, finances and relationships. Take a moment every day to remind yourself of what you want to achieve in the long term. This will help you not only live in the present but psychologically and subconsciously prepare yourself for the future you want to create.

Living this way will help you create a meaningful life and not get caught in day to day activities that do not help you create the change that you want to see in your life. If you do this you will thank yourself many years later and you won't have to look back in regret and wonder what you did with your life.

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The Power of Habit - One of the most Motivational Talks Ever

I Am a Habit!

H-A-B-I-T...When 95% of people hear this word, a negative thought pops up in their minds. Typically, most people think of a habit being negative. The secret to your future lies in your daily habits so ask yourself right now, "Are my habits today going to help me achieve my WHY in life?" This is a life-empowering question if you truly ask it and listen for the answer.

I received the following excerpt from a very dear friend of mine and felt that it is definitely the best explanation of a habit that I have ever heard:

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me,
and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few
lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men.
And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine.
Plus, the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am a HABIT!

One of my daily habits that is the foundation of my life is spending 1-2 hours each and every morning feeding my body physically by exercising and feeding my mental spirit by reading or listening to a motivational message. This habit warms me up for the day ahead.

Everyone washes their physical body and feeds their body every morning, but 95% of people will find an excuse about why they can not find the "TIME" to invest in a habit of feeding their MINDS! This parallels the statistic that 95% of people are dead or dead broke by the age 65. I consider this particular daily habit of mine to be the driving force behind my ability to consistently maintain my intense focus on the journey of success and living a dream life.

Is it easy all the time? Of course not, but when it becomes a habit -you will do it! If you commit today to begin each morning warming yourself up for the day ahead by feeding your mental spirit, your entire life will change in a positive fashion very quickly. It is like driving a race car with the emergency brake on and you try to go ahead, but you can't move. You stay in the same location with your wheels spinning, burning up, making a lot of noise, but not going anywhere! All it takes is to release the brake and you will fly towards toward your WHY in life!! You need to review what your habits are and ask yourself..."Would I recommend MY habits to someone I truly love and care about?" Your entire future lies in your daily habits-positive or negative. You have the most powerful force right now in your hands, the ability to decide what your habits will begin to be.

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7 Goal Oriented Habits of Successful People

Many people wonder how they can become highly successful, not realizing that they hold within them everything they need to achieve all of the success they desire.

Successful people are where they are today because of their habits.  Habits determine 95% of a person’s behavior.

Everything that you are today, and everything that you will ever accomplish, is determined by the quality of the habits that you form.

By creating good habits and adopting a positive behavior, you too can become successful and live a prosperous life.

Successful People Maintain 7 Good Habits

For thousands of years, success in human life has been studied by great thinkers and philosophers.  I have personally studied the subject for more than 30 years.  What I have found is that the very best people have developed good habits. 

I have identified seven valuable habits that you need to develop if you want to perform at your very maximum in everything you do.

1) They are Goal Oriented

The first habit is to become goal oriented.

You need to be a habitual goal setter, and dedicate yourself to working from clear, written goals every day of your life, forming daily habits.  All highly successful people are intensely goal oriented. They know exactly what they want, they have it written down, they have written plans to accomplish it, and they both review and work on their plans as a daily routine.

I suggest you learn how to use the 80 20 rule to efficiently work toward achieving your goals.

2) They are Results Driven

The second habit of highly successful people is being results driven.

This is made up of two practices.

1. The first is the practice of continuously learning so that you become better at what you do.
2. The second practice is that of time management. This means setting very clear priorities on what you do and then concentrating single-mindedly on the most valuable use of your time.

All really successful people are intensely result-oriented.

3) They are Action Oriented

The third major habit you need to develop is that of continually taking action.

This is really the most important habit for material success.  It is the ability to get on with the job and get it done fast.  It is your ability to develop and maintain a sense of urgency, and a bias for action.  Fast tempo in whatever you do is essential to your success.

You need to overcome procrastination, push aside your fears and launch 100% toward the achievement of your most important goals.  The combination of goal orientation, result orientation and action orientation, in themselves, will virtually assure great success.

I highly suggest you learn to use SMART goals to list achievable targets that you can measure and track.

4) They are People Oriented

The fourth habit you need is people orientation.

This is where you put relationships in the center of your life.  This is your decision to cultivate within yourself the habits of patience, kindness, compassion, and understanding.  Virtually all of your happiness in life will come from your ability to get along well with other people.

The good news is that you can become a wonderful human being in your relationships with others when you decide to.

As Aristotle said, the only way that you can learn any habit is by practicing it on a regular basis.  The more you practice being a truly excellent person in your relationships with others, the more you will internalize those qualities and actually become that person.

Focusing on being more pleasant with the people in your life is a great technique to promote a positive thinking lifestyle. 

5) They are Health Conscious

The fifth habit that highly successful people develop is health consciousness.

This means that you must fastidiously watch your diet, and always eat the right foods in the right portions.  You must exercise on a regular basis, continually using every muscle and joint of your body to keep it limber and fit.  And finally, you must have good habits of rest and recreation that will enable you, in combination with diet and exercise, to live out your years in a healthy state.

Remember, your health is the most important single thing you have, and it is completely subject to the habits that you develop with regard to the way you live.

6) They are Honest

The sixth habit is that of honesty and integrity.

In the final analysis, the character you develop as you go through life is more important than virtually anything else.

Honesty means that you practice the “reality principle” in everything you do.  You are completely objective with yourself and with the world around you.  You set very clear values for yourself and you organize yourself around your values.  You develop a vision for yourself and then you live your life consistent with your highest ideals.  You never compromise your integrity or peace of mind for anyone or anything.

This attitude of honesty is critical to your enjoying all of the other good habits that you are developing.

7) They are Self-Disciplined

The seventh habit, and the one habit that guarantees all the others, is that of self-discipline.

Your ability to discipline yourself, to master yourself, to control yourself, is the most important single quality that you can develop as a person.  The habit of self-discipline goes hand in hand with success in every area of life.

If you would like some help staying motivated during your journey to the life of your dreams then checkout these inspirational success quotes. 

Every one of these habits, being goal oriented, results driven, action orientated, people orientated, health conscious, honest and self-disciplined can be developed.  You are where you are and what you are today because of your habits.  Your habits have been developing, mostly accidentally, from the time you were an infant.

Today you can take complete control over the shaping of your character and personality, and everything that happens to you in the future, by making the decision, right now, to find the definition of the habits that will lead you to great success.

And when you develop the same good habits possessed by other successful people,  you will enjoy having success in common.

Your future will become unlimited.

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