Making Success a Habit

Many books over the years have been written on the power of setting goals; perhaps you have attended a training course or motivational seminar in which ‘setting goals’ was a big part of the programme?

Even though goals are a key piece of the puzzle when creating success, many people end up setting goals of being successful as opposed to simply ‘making success a habit.’

Make your own success

The difference between a goal and a habit

A goal is something we set in the future to be achieved, which in itself is a great motivator! The only problem here is exactly this; it can remain as ‘something in the future but not in the present.’

Habits on the other hand, are something you have access to right now, you don’t need to wait another moment. At the end of reading this article you can make a decision to take on a successful habit that helps you and continue practicing that habit day in and day out.

At this stage, which one would you prefer, successful goals or successful habits?

Successful people have successful habits, unsuccessful people don’t
 – The Power of Focus, Jack Canfield

More and more books are being published on the power of habits. The one already mentioned (The Power of Focus) is a wonderful read which allows you to take control of much of your life right now wherever it’s personally or professionally.

What two habits could you start from today that could help you achieve more in the future either personally or professionally?

Another great thing about taking on successful habits is that you don’t need to start with too many and even three or four ‘daily’ successful habits can help you to start achieving some of those goals you may until this point been procrastinating about.

Let’s take a look at some successful habits now:

• Taking the first 10 minutes of each day at work to plan how you are going to have a great day. This replaces simply opening emails as soon as you sit at your desk and therefore being in ‘reaction’ to your day.

• Upskilling for 10 to 30 minutes per day in your desired career path. Amazingly, very few people actually do this on a consistent basis yet there are numerous studies which show the power of just a few minutes per day can accelerate your career prospects at an incredible rate. 

• Staying on top of keeping your desk clean and even your home, don’t allow your ‘environment’ to become a mess. 

• Consciously spending time with motivated people who you find to be an inspiration. It is estimated that we are the perfect reflection of the 5 people we spend the most time with. If you want to achieve more then find people who are already achieving and start to naturally mirror some of their ‘successful habits.’ 

The question is ‘are any of the above habits difficult or even impossible to do?’ The answer is time and time again ‘no’, anybody who wishes to achieve their goals strongly enough will take on the habits that will help them to get there.

When you walk away from wherever you are sitting right now, think about which habits you are going to follow. Are you going to get an afternoon coffee? Is this a habit? Are you going to head to the gym? Is this is also a habit?

The estimation is that up to 50% of our daily routine is habitual. Some of our habits help us (successful habits), some keep us neutral and some, if not many, keep us stuck.

Your goals can be achieved when you have the right habits in place.

Written by Pete Scott
Learning Consultant, Capita Learning & Development