Habits for Success

As you begin strategizing and planning your New Year, one of the things you may want to take a look at is your habits?  If you have met your goals for this year and are killing it, chances are, you may have pretty good habits around your success.  But, if you didn’t quite meet your goals this year and haven’t been able to get where you want to go, you may just want to check out what habits you have created.

Do you procrastinate, wait until you feel like doing that most important task, find yourself putting everyone else first, and are your appointments the first to go when someone else needs something?  These are habits we can create for ourselves that not only don’t support our success, but also get in the way of our success.

One of the most important elements of success I have found through researching successful people and through my own journey of success and failure, is to create Success Habits.

Habits = Achieving Goals

Here are Seven Success Habits that will benefit you greatly in achieving your goals in the New Year:

1. Practice a morning routine.  Almost every successful person I have talked to has a consistent morning routine.  They vary, but some things they all consist of include: exercise, reading or meditation, journaling, and eating a healthy breakfast.  I know that when you are consistent with a morning routine, your day will be more intentional, calm, and you’ll get more done.
2. Focus on one thing. What is your “most important task”?  That one task that is going to have the biggest impact in your business.  Successful people spend one to two hours first thing in their day to work on this task. I call this hour my “hour of power”.  You never know what might blow up in your day, but if you have the most important things done first, your covered.
3. Follow the 80/20 rule. This rule is known as the Pareto Principle: Eighty percent of your results come from only twenty percent of your activity.  You want to get clear around what twenty percent of your activity will give you the greatest results. Hint: Usually this twenty percent of activity is sitting on the edge of your comfort zone.  
4. Calendar everything. Ditch the to-do list.  Instead of using a to-do list, skip a step and put everything in your calendar.  Then live by your calendar.  Make sure everything you value most is in your calendar.  The more disciplined you can get around this, the more freedom you will ultimately have.  Money can be lost and made again but time, once it’s gone, it’s gone.  Your most valuable resource is your time – protect it and use it wisely.  For fifteen must- do tips on making your calendar your ally, go to https://stepintogreat.com for a free download.
5. Use a notebook.  Richard Branson and Aristotle Onassis both have said “Take a notebook with you everywhere you go and write everything down in it.”  I personally have done this for years and it works beautifully.  You’ll be amazed at the amount of time it saves you from looking for things.  
6. Make time for You and the other things that you value most.  Success is not just about building a great business and making money.  It’s about creating a life you love.  I know from my experience in coaching women, that you tend to put everyone else before yourself.  I am constantly telling my clients to put themselves first so that they will have the vitality and the energy to take care of their families and have a powerful impact in their businesses.
7. Don’t try to do it alone.  Find a supportive group, an accountability buddy, or a team.  It’s so much easier to procrastinate, avoid, or find something else to do then to power through task and activities that sit on the edge of our comfort zone. Like calling prospective new customers and clients and having a conversation.  This is one of the reasons I created a group called “Dial for Success”.  We all get on video conferencing and I mute everyone out and we call for an hour – together.  I’m on the chat coaching the group through their phone calls when they need it most.  It’s so much fun and it makes it much easier to make those phone calls.  If you would love the support of a group building businesses and getting on the phone I invite you to check it out at http://dialforsuccess.com/go.

Ultimately creating these seven success habits may be just what you need to stop feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and out of balance. You can make this New Year your best year yet!