4 Habits You Must Develop to Achieve Success

Success is not an accident. It is a choice. It is a conscious decision that you make every single day. The things you do regularly form your habits. Your habits define your character. And your character determines your success. So the only way to achieve success is by changing the things you do everyday. Here are 4 habits that you must develop in order to achieve success.

When you pursue a goal, there must be a solid reason behind it. If your end goal does not mean anything to you, you are not likely to work towards it. So be clear on why you are pursuing this dream.

The Exercise

Visualize it everyday. Close your eyes and imagine that you have already achieved. Contrary to popular belief, daydreaming can be really productive. Think of how you would feel. Think of how your loved ones would react. If imagination itself can feel so good, think of how it would feel to actually accomplish it. Create those feelings of joy, happiness and excitement.

Emotion is the greatest form of motivation. This exercise helps you develop a strong emotional connection with your dream. You will fall in love with your dream. So you will be willing to do whatever it takes to get there.

Problem

A lot of people have a problem where they know what to do. They have read numerous self help books. They have an extensive knowledge base. But the quality of their life does not change. They remain the same. I was exactly like this. I knew all the benefits of waking up early, yet I never woke up.

Solution

Sharing your knowledge is the best way to overcome this. When someone has a similar problem, give them advice. They will implement it and get back to you with their results. This will motivate you to start working on your life too. You will also feel a little guilty for not taking action even though you had the knowledge.

Personal Example

Once I started writing articles on self help, I realized that I already had the solution to every problem in my life. All I had to do was apply the knowledge. Often, we all know the solution to our problems. The execution is where we struggle.

We often look at problems and obstacles from a negative perspective. But the fact is that they are just indicators of our own shortcomings. They are tests of our ability. They help us learn and grow. If you never faced obstacles, you would never learn. Additionally, the achievement would mean nothing to you. The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. Never ask for an easy life. Ask for the strength to endure a challenging one. Be thankful to God for all the obstacles that he has placed on your way.

The 3 types of people

We can classify people into 3 categories based on their attitude towards obstacles.

1. The people who are scared of hurdles. These people don't even start doing something if they feel that there are going to be problems.
2. The ones who give up when it gets difficult. These people are slightly better. They get started but eventually give up when they hit a major roadblock.
3. The people who never give up. These people love challenges. They overcome them with a positive attitude.

All the successful people in the world belong to the third category. If you want to be one of them, you need to develop that attitude too.

We all have a need to share our thoughts. We tend to focus more on what we want to say. We often forget that the conversation has another important element, listening. It is said that people rarely listen in a conversation. Instead they are just waiting for their turn to speak. This kind of behavior is self centered.

Develop a genuine interest in the other person's life. Don't fake it. Pay full attention and get to know their perspective. Focus more on the questions you want to ask the person. Be a person whom everyone loves talking to. This has two benefits -

Knowledge

If you are a good listener, people will be comfortable sharing things with you. They will open up much faster. This way you will learn so many new things. You will gain different perspectives. You will get amazing ideas and suggestions from the people around you. This knowledge will definitely come in handy.

Relationships

Successful people know that it is not possible to achieve great things alone. You need to have a good support system. The personal and professional relationships you build will serve as a pillar of support. When you are a good listener, your relationships drastically improve. People love talking to you and spending time with you. So they will be willing to work with you or help you out in any way possible. This dramatically improves your odds of success.