Top 5 Things That Every Successful Person Does
Habits that will boost your boss-mentality and fast-track your growth
I used to think that successful people were destined to be rich, happy, and famous. But that simply is not true.
Most of them actually started off extremely ordinary. Elon Musk was not born a visionary. Barack Obama was not born a leader. Albert Einstein was not born a genius. These skills were developed through habit and repetition.
The main thing that differentiates these people from the average person working a 9-to-5 job is that they make their own success. They believe in their ideas enough to push past what is considered “normal,” and they are not defeated by failure. They are reflective in themselves and consistently ask themselves “why?”
Now, this article was not made to deny the fact that some people can be more likely to be successful than others. It is true that some people can be naturally more creative, charismatic, or curious, but you can also develop these skills through active learning and practice.
How you train is how you perform. Here are 5 habits that every successful person preaches.
1. Set specific goals
To become successful, you have to first figure out what success means to you. It sounds cliché, but there really is no way around it. Trying to achieve your dreams without having identified them first is like trying to outrun a cheetah. It is near impossible and you would be wasting precious time and resources trying.
The next time you find yourself scrolling on your phone or watching TikTok videos, spend 5 minutes thinking about where you want to be in the future. Imagine your future self going about their day in detail. What are they thinking? What are they wearing? Who are they seeing?
Next, once you have identified where the finish line is, you need to look for a path to get there. After all, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Start backwards from your desired outcome and think about how you are going to get there. Set specific, attainable goals that lead to what you are looking for.
If you are having trouble with this step, just hold yourself to high standards. Recognize what “good” looks like, then start copying that. When I say good, I don’t mean decent, okay, or mediocre. I mean good. Look for the right places to act as your training ground and surround yourself with the right people.
If I wanted to become a world-class public speaker, I would act like every presentation is a Ted Talk. If I wanted to become the best diver in the world, I would treat every practice like the Olympic games. If I wanted to be the best chef, I would think of my kitchen as the Masterchef arena.
Be reflective and self-aware. As Gandhi said:
Watch your thoughts for they become your words. Watch your words for they become your actions. Watch your actions for they become your habits. And finally, watch your habits for they become your character.
Question, learn, and repeat. If you achieve 1% growth every day for just one year, you would be 37X what you are now.
2. Challenge themselves
My math teacher said something interesting to me the other day
“A good problem is one that we don’t immediately know how to solve. If we know what to do straight away, it’s an exercise, not a problem”
If you want to achieve growth, you have to challenge yourself. You can’t expect to always do what is normal and comfortable, and suddenly become the next Elon Musk. Sorry to break it to you, but it just doesn’t work like that.
This is something that I’ve been trying: whenever I feel scared, nervous, or worried about doing something, I do it. If you are reading this right now, you are experiencing the product of me pushing past my fear of judgement. I would encourage you to do the same. Keep doing the things that make you uncomfortable until they become second nature. Only then will you improve yourself and eliminate your weaknesses.
Remember: failure and success go hand in hand. Don’t be scared to fail. If you try your very best and end up failing, you should be happy. You learn nothing by succeeding.
Just remember that after every fail, you need to get back up. Pick yourself up, understand why you failed, and make sure to adjust your plan. Always do what’s best to reach your final goal. If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. The most important thing is that you keep on moving forward.
3. Build their network
Now that I have made you comfortable with the idea of failing, let’s talk about how you can speed up your success process. Where can you find the right people who can give you advice and help you see your blindspots? The answer is networking. I feel like this word is repeated to every college student and regurgitated in every self-help book, but it is crucial to fast-tracking your growth.
Think about networking as simply making lifelong companions that will help create new paths for you to take on your road to success. The right people will open doors for you. For example, if you were the CEO of Walmart, and you were trying to hire your newest Chief Marketing Officer, who do you think you are going to choose? A lifelong friend who is legit, trustworthy, and understands you or a stranger you met today on LinkedIn?
Beyond job opportunities, building good relationships with other people can bring happiness in your life and teach you valuable lessons, especially if you socialize with people who are strong where you are weak.
“Well Kim, that’s good and all but, how do you find these people? How do you network properly?”
Thank you for asking that question. I have an article coming out on this soon, but in summary, being likeable is being Kim. See what I did there? In all seriousness, if you follow the acronym KIM you will be much more likeable.
Keen 🤓
Firstly, you need to be willing to get to know people. Show interest in what other people are doing and genuinely smile. As human beings, we are naturally selfish and we want to talk about our achievements. If you make the other person feel valued, confident, and excited in a conversation, they will like talking with you.
When meeting people, don’t go on and on about yourself. Actively listen to what the other person has to say, and if you disagree with their opinions, do not interrupt them mid-sentence. Let them finish their thought and respectfully express yours. Make sure to be a decent person and think about other people’s feelings.
For more information about this topic, Dale Carnegie goes in detail about this in his book: How to Make Friends and Influence People
Interesting 🤔
Next, learn how to be interesting and hold a compelling conversation. No one likes sitting in unbearable awkward silence. Don’t make the other person feel bored and uncomfortable.
Personally, I used to and still do have trouble with this one. As an introvert and overthinker, sometimes I often notice myself thinking, “What should I say now?” If this is you, I would suggest talking about something that interests you and gets you excited. When you show that you are passionate and happy in a conversation, the other person will often match you. They will feel encouraged to add to what you are saying and bring in their perspective, especially if what you are saying is thoughtful. If you are curious (see thing 5) and actively seek knowledge, there are a million things that you can discuss with another person.
Motivating 🙌
The next time you have a conversation with someone, pay attention to how much you complain. Most people do not want to talk with someone who is always pessimistic and cynical because the negativity from that one conversation can drag onto the rest of their day. Make the other person feel motivated whenever you speak to them. Inspire them by being your lovable, authentic self.
4. Do things that make sense
Imagine trying to find a diamond by digging into your mom’s vegetable garden. That doesn’t seem too plausible does it? That’s because you’re looking in the wrong place.
If you continue doing this on a daily basis, you would waste vast amounts of time (and get your poor mom riled up about her dead tomatoes).
In life, you can do and have virtually anything that you want but not everything that you want. You should only be spending your time and energy doing things that bring you happiness and align with your goals to success.
For example, if your definition of success is to be the best nephrologist in the world, it would probably not be smart to spend 6 hours on Instagram liking your friends’ pictures instead of studying for your MCAT exams. Although your brain might tell you that you enjoy scrolling on Instagram more by releasing dopamine, you are not benefiting or reaching your goals.
Instead, use your time effectively and try to spend the most time only doing things that make sense. If you need motivation to start cutting down on your time spent on social media, either go cold turkey and delete the apps off your phone or set time limits.
Your time is valuable. If we guarded our time as much as we do with our money, we would be much considerably more productive. Imagine burning $1000 every 10 minutes you spend passively watching TV or Netflix. That should get you motivated.
The same concept also applies to limiting any negative thoughts like shame or embarrassment. I used to overanalyze every little social interaction that I had and I found myself wasting so much time thinking about things that didn’t matter. If this sounds like you, ask yourself, “Why do I feel embarrassed?” and keep asking “why ______?” until you get to the root cause of the problem. Remember the 5/5 rule: If it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes dwelling on it.
5. Practice being curious
Be annoyingly curious. Seriously, in your daily life, try to purposely pick your own brain with interesting and thought-provoking questions. Curiosity is what helps us improve the world and find meaning in our own lives.
Albert Einstein, one of the world’s most renowned scientists, said:
“The most important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day”
Ask your friends, parents, and grandparents about their thoughts on a random topic. You’ll not only gain a great conversation but you will also acquire a new perspective on the world. Referencing ‘thing 3,’ use your networking skills and talk to people who are experts in the fields that you are interested in.
In your free time, google things that excite and fascinate you. Actively read books and take notes on what you learn. Some of the most famous people are avid readers:
Bill Gates reads 50 books a year (1 per week). Mark Cuban reads more than 3 hours a day. Elon Musk says he learned how to build rockets by reading.
The knowledge gained from just being curious will take you far. Be consistently curious. Like I said before, aim for 1% growth everyday. Within one year, you will be 37 times what you are now.
And finally, do not procrastinate. These things sound very simple and straightforward, but actually putting them in practice takes patience and dedication. Remember, it is either Day One or One Day.
TL;DR
To sum it all up, if you want to be successful:
- Have specific goals. Find your own definition of success and
- Challenge yourself
- Build your network
- Do things that make sense
- Practice being curious
If you take one thing from this article, it should be this: what you do today will determine your future.
Hey there! Thanks for making it to the end of the article. Let’s not be strangers anymore! Connect with me on LinkedIn (don’t worry I don’t bite). Until next time👋
