Success doesn’t happen by chance. Most successful people will admit that before they reached wherever they are today, they had to overcome several obstacles and challenges.
In my motivational workshops, I often hear from people that getting out of one’s comfort zone is not only ‘uncomfortable’, it seems downright impossible at times. ‘I have no time’, or ‘I’ll do it later’ or ‘I’m too tired’ are the most common reasons people give when asked why they’re not following their dreams. As Zig Ziglar once said: ‘Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24-hour days.’ Yet another of my favourite quotes: ‘There are only 2 times in life: Now and Too Late.’
If we live an entire life filled with just excuses, chances are most of our dreams will remain unfulfilled. Successful people aren’t necessarily born with a silver spoon. Neither do they have more than 24 hours in their day. Many of them juggle multiple responsibilities and yet manage to pursue larger-than-life goals.
So, what separates the go-getters from those who start believing their own excuses of why they can’t accomplish their dreams? Here are the top 3 habits of highly successful people:
1) They are not shocked when they fail at first I promise you….if you pay serious attention to this one trait of successful people, you’ll be in a stronger position to start following your own goals and dreams. Successful people know that failure is part and parcel of the journey. They already know that before they can knock on the doors of success, they’ll encounter lots of roadblocks. That’s why when they fail in their initial attempts, they bounce back just as quickly, dust themselves off and look around for the next best route to take them towards their goal. The ones who fall by the wayside are those who let failure defeat them. At the first obstacle or hurdle, they give up because it all starts seeming just too tough.
2) They keep the right company It is practically impossible to scale great heights if you’re surrounded by people who keep trying to pull you down. Successful people realise early on how important it is to be in the company of like-minded friends. They surround themselves with positivity, with people who – like them – want to tap into their true potential. We are, after all, the company we keep. Check to see that you’re not surrounded by ‘toxic’ acquaintances or friends who only see the worst in everyone and everything. Their negativity will eventually rub off on you, preventing you from moving in the new direction your heart is pointing towards.
3) They say ‘YES’ first and figure out ‘How’ later Many of us are reluctant to take on new projects or challenges because we think we’re not talented enough or clever enough or good enough. Sometimes we may think we are not yet ready to take on a new role or responsibility. Truly successful people don’t let these worries stop them. Whenever a new and exciting opportunity presents itself, they raise their hands and say ‘Yes, I’ll take it.’ Quite often, they have no clue how they’re going to make it happen. All they know with certainty is that they’ll figure it out sooner or later. Saying ‘Yes’ and committing to something is the biggest motivation needed to then go about figuring out how to bring the project to fruition. Once you’ve committed, and you know there’s no way out, you just have to find the answers. And the answers eventually present themselves.
So, these then are the top 3 habits of successful people. As they say, the biggest difference between successful people and others is how much time they spend feeling sorry for themselves.’