🌼3 Habits I Stole From People More Successful Than Me (MUST READ)

🌼3 Habits I Stole From People More Successful Than Me (MUST READ)

Take them, adapt them, and apply them to your life.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle.

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A lot of self improvement advice is overrated.

Internet gurus will tell you to wake up early, take cold showers, and hustle 24/7. But that’s unrealistic. Most people don’t have enough time to try 100 new habits because a random dude on the internet says it’s a good idea.

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Thankfully, I’m not like most people. I have a lot of spare time in my schedule. So, I searched the internet for better habits. My goal was to find ones that successful people swear by — but are realistic and easy to implement.

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Read also: This is the best business book I’ve read and the lessons you can learn from it (must read)

Here are several habits I enjoyed:

Write About Your Successes And Failures

Benjamin Franklin was a highly productive person. He woke up every morning and asked himself, “What good will I do today?” And during the evening, he reflected on his goals by asking another question: “What good did I do today?”

For Benjamin Franklin, this was a sacred practice. It was also something he did without fail. Reflecting on his day helped Benjamin to examine whether he had done the good deeds he planned on doing.

I write in a journal. It’s in the notes app on my phone. And every day, I’ve written about my successes and failures. It’s a rewarding habit that’s helped me to be more successful.

The reason? When I fail at something, I write down my mistakes and explain why I didn’t succeed. I also think of ways to prevent those mistakes from occurring in the future. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules,” said Richard Branson. “You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

He’s right. Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. But reflecting on our daily successes and failures can help us to be better people. Quoting an article published by Harvard Business Review:

“Reflection gives the brain an opportunity to pause amidst the chaos, untangle and sort through observations and experiences, consider multiple possible interpretations, and create meaning. This meaning becomes learning, which can inform future mindsets and actions.”

Identify several questions to ask yourself each day. You could copy Benjamin Franklin and ask what positive impact you’ll make on the world. Or, you could journal about anything else that you believe is important.

“Self-reflection entails asking yourself questions about your values, assessing your strengths and failures, thinking about your perceptions and interactions with others, and imagining where you want to take your life in the future.” — Robert L. Rosen

Go On Long Walks

Albert Einstein was an influential physicist. He enjoyed going on long walks as they were opportunities to listen to whatever was on his mind.

“Einstein’s daily walk was sacred to him,” writes Zaria Gorvett in the BBC. “While he was working at Princeton University, New Jersey, he’d walk the mile and a half journey there and back. He followed in the footsteps of other diligent walkers, including Darwin, who went for three 45-minute walks every day.”

Einstein isn’t alone. Many people attribute long walks to their success. Virginia Woolf described nighttime walks through London as an escape from the self. Beethoven believed walking helped him to be more creative when writing new music. Even the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, used walking as a way to process, teach, and learn.

I go on long walks for an hour or two each day (unless it’s raining). Walking helps me to feel relaxed and gives me time to think about things on my mind. And since I started implementing this habit, I’ve noticed myself feeling much happier.

According to NBC News, “A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that those who adhered to a walking program showed significant improvements in blood pressure, slowing of resting heart rate, reduction of body fat and body weight, reduced cholesterol, improved depression scores with better quality of life, and increased measures of endurance.”

Go outside and explore nature. Walk around your neighborhood, to the grocery store, or a local park. Even if it’s for a short period of time, going on a walk can improve your fitness, mental health, and many other things.

Read also: How to be a high achiever/ 8 traits to become massively successful

“Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation, a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind. Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.” — Gary Snyder

Keep Work And Home Separate

Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, author, and poet. Her memoir became the first nonfiction bestseller written by an African American woman. By anyone’s standards, she lived an incredibly impressive life.

One of Maya Angelou’s secrets to success was separating her home and work lives. She reportedly rented a hotel room and wrote for several hours. She only allowed a Bible, a deck of cards, and a bottle of sherry in the room. Nothing else. Quoting an interview with Maya Angelou in The Paris Review:

“I insist that all things are taken off the walls. I don’t want anything in there. I go into the room, and I feel as if all my beliefs are suspended. Nothing holds me to anything. No milkmaids, no flowers, nothing. I just want to feel, and then when I start to work, I’ll remember. I’ll read something, maybe the Psalms, maybe, again, something from Mr Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson. And I’ll remember how beautiful, how pliable the language is, how it will lend itself. If you pull it, it says, OK. I remember that, and I start to write.”

Separating our work and home environments is easier said than done. Many of us can’t afford to rent a hotel room. They’re often expensive and cost several hundred dollars per night. So, it’s difficult to follow in the footsteps of Maya Angelou and copy her formula for success. However, we can adapt her strategy to fit our own circumstances.

Let me give you an example.

I work remotely via my laptop. But I try to separate work and home whenever possible. That’s why I’m writing this article in the State Library of New South Wales. It’s peaceful. I’m surrounded by books. And best of all, there’s free high-speed wifi.

Working in local libraries is a habit that improved my productivity. I’m unable to watch TV. Nor do I want to watch YouTube videos because dozens of people can see my laptop screen. So, it’s harder to get distracted while writing new articles.

“A separate office and a defined clocking-out time give you the hard target you need to get things done,” per WeWork. “Whether it’s a desk behind a door in a quiet corner of the house or a dedicated co-working space near home, having a physical location that you associate with doing work helps you focus more easily.”

Visit a local library, cafe, or another quiet location. Alternatively, set aside a corner of the home for work — instead of a location where you normally relax.

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”―Paul J. Meyer

CONTRIBUTED BY Matt Lillywhite

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