I’ve always been fascinated by the mindset of the high achievers: their discipline, their failures, the determination in their eyes in the face of difficulties, their focus, and the profoundness of their priorities.
These are all things we can replicate if we study how they live their lives.
However, in order to reach our goals the way they did, we must first develop the habits of successful people.
How can I become highly successful?
If you want to be successful, you’ll need to be willing to make a few changes.
Face it: if you had the recipe for success, your life would play out like an award-winning film.
In order to become successful across every spectrum of life, you’ll need to implement some of these habits of highly successful individuals.
What are the habits of a successful person?
Success is an individual pursuit because everyone defines success in a different way.
But there are a few surefire habits that can help you reach your goals, no matter what they are.
Here are seven habits of successful people you need to adopt:
1. Be purpose-oriented
A purpose gives direction to life. Without it, you end up living by somebody else’s standards, or just following the crowd and never living up to your full potential.
But, hey! You’re an individual.
What’s more, you have powers within you waiting to be unlocked. Any vision you create in your mind’s eye today can be the life you live. To get there, though, you should have a clearly defined purpose — one that you follow day after day.
If you haven’t done this yet, now is the time. In fact, you’ll need to be purpose-oriented in order to be able to develop all the other habits of successful people.
Describe your life purpose, including details about every aspect of your life. Be sure you want these things and aren’t just doing what others expect you to do.
2. Do what successful people do first thing in the morning
How you begin your day is crucial.
If you fill your morning with successful habits, you’ll see progress every single day.
To begin, wake up a bit earlier than you have to. This can improve your whole day if you also dedicate this extra time to some healthy, productive, and positive behaviors.
One of the main habits of successful people is having a powerful morning routine. They plan their mornings the night before, then wake up with determination, ready to kick-start another great day that will get them closer to their goals.
What they do at that time, however, is equally important.
They first make their beds and welcome the day with a few positive affirmations. Some include their daily workout now, as they don’t usually find time for it later on in the day. Plus, they eat a healthy breakfast to keep them energetic until the evening.
It‘s also important to set some time aside for your spiritual and mental well-being. The health benefits of meditation are tremendous.
Then, perhaps read from an inspirational book to feed your mind with positive thoughts. Make sure you breathe deeply, too— just let go of any tension before you continue with your day.
3. Embrace failure and try again every time
To change your habits, you’ll need to change your mindset.
Something you’ll need to accept early on (in order to form the habits of successful people), is that failure is not just part of the process, it’s a stepping stone. You need it to form the mental patterns of a winner and continue trying until you finally reach all your goals.
Most people avoid trying new things, as there’s always a chance of failure.
However, that’s exactly why they don’t make any changes and continue living the same life that makes them miserable. Instead— know that failure is powerful and that you can benefit from it.
Learn from it every time you make a mistake. Analyze exactly why that happened. Then, make a plan on what to do next time to perform better.
4. Create the ideal daily routine
If you start your mornings energetically, great! Keep it energetic until the evening. Don’t worry, you can do so with the right daily schedule.
Your successful habits should be combined in a certain way, and it’s best if you have fixed time slots for everything.
However, don’t be in a hurry to create the ideal day just yet.
Test a few versions first. See when you’re most productive in the day and save your most important work for then.
Take breaks and use them to stretch, take a daily walk, drink water, talk to a loved one, or check your to-do list. That’s the healthy type of multitasking.
Your whole day can be an example of success if you manage to structure it effectively. Plan what time you’ll start your wind-down process in the evening. Use the time before bed to declutter, prepare for tomorrow, let go of the stress that followed you at work, and smile for doing your best.
If that sometimes feels a bit overwhelming, remind yourself that it’s what successful people do.
5. Take risks
Wanna build successful habits? Well, you’ll need to become a risk-taker.
All high-achievers learned how to take risks, accept uncertainty, embrace change, go out of their comfort zones, and do something (even when the situation looked hopeless).
Often, you might hear from others that your goals are impossible. Remember though, you are your best motivator and shouldn’t let others interfere with your vision.
Impossible is just a limitation you set for yourself— you can easily remove it and be unstoppable.
Change your habits by taking risks often.
6. Build confidence in your abilities
You won’t make it without confidence.
Confidence is one of the top qualities of winners in any field. The truth is, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities long before you’re successful. That’s why you should let go of the doubts and fears and just keep telling yourself you can do it until you actually start making things happen.
Confidence is not just one of the habits of successful people, it’s an attitude of life that should support everything you do. In fact, it’s proven to be a bigger success trait than talent itself.
7. Let go of the past
Last but not least, if you want to do what successful people do, you need a clear mind.
A clear mind will help you make good decisions, focus on work, build discipline, and keep your vision in mind. To make that happen, you need to leave the past and anything connected to it behind.
Why?
It’s harmful to your mindset and behavior in the present. You can’t build the habits of successful people if you’re constantly comparing your current life to your past, or reminding yourself of painful situations from back when you were less confident and less responsible.
By looking at the past, you’re basically reliving it all over again, and taking a step back in your personal development.
Once you let go, you make room for so much more. You can finally change your habits more easily and let positive transformation into your life. You can breathe freely, enjoy life, take action to reach your goals, and form a better mindset.
Successful habits are the foundation of a well-lived life. Start doing these seven things TODAY.
What are the habits of successful students?
A successful student is an organized, efficient, game-changing team player.
If you’re looking to amp up your study habits, take a leaf out of the playbook for successful students:
- Plan ahead
- Stay organized
- Take good notes
- Use active recall
- Ask for help
- Make friends
- Set small, daily goals
- Follow a routine
With these habits of success in mind, you’ll be at the top of your game in no time.
Success starts with what you do daily
The world’s most successful people don’t leave growth to chance—they build it into their daily routines. They sharpen their focus, master their mindset, and take consistent action toward what matters most.
But no one figures it out alone. The right guidance makes all the difference. That’s why Mindvalley brings together the best teachers in the world to help you level up in every area of life.
Create your free Mindvalley account and explore game-changing programs like Becoming Focused and Indistractable with Nir Eyal to master deep work, The Habit of Ferocity with Steven Kotler to develop unshakable grit, or Uncompromised Life with Marisa Peer to rewire the beliefs that hold you back.
And there’s plenty more guidance from where these programs come from.
Once you’ve taken the leap, you’ll see the common theme among these experts’ ethos: that success isn’t about luck. No—it’s all about how you show up, every single day.
Welcome in.
