Feeling like your life is on a downward slope? It’s time to make changes. Here are 10 ways you could start to achieve success from the comfort of your own home.
How do you define success?
Here’s what Americans said when asked that question:
- 90% feel that success is based on happiness more than money or fame.
- 67% define success by the achievement of personal goals.
- 60% feel that success means doing what you love for a living.
- Only 20% of Americans feel that financial wealth defines success.
What about you? Do you think that becoming successful depends mostly on money, love, happiness–or yourself?
If you’re seeking new or better ways to be successful in life, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll discuss 10 proven ways to achieve success.
1.Focus on the Positive
Think about the most successful person you personally know. It might be a friend, family member, or work colleague.
What is that individual’s overall demeanor like? Chances are, they’re positive, happy, balanced, and enthusiastic. They have problems just like everybody else, of course–but they choose not to focus on them.
Successful people make a choice every day to see the good in others and the world around them. They also make a conscious choice to see the good in themselves.
The most successful people are the ones who have learned to make the best of any situation–even a bad one. They constantly strive to better themselves and make a daily habit of self-improvement.
Think again of that successful person you know. You probably enjoy their company because of how positive and balanced they are.
Can you strive to emulate some of those qualities yourself?
2.Eliminate the Negative
While you’re focusing on the positive, it’s equally important to eliminate the negative.
Of course, it’s not possible to close your eyes to every single problem in your life (or the world). But you can make a conscious choice whether you want to dwell on those problems.
Every time you turn on the TV or scroll through the internet, you’re bombarded with bad or worrisome news. How much time do you spend filling your mind with sad stories and images?
The most successful people limit their exposure to this nonstop assault of bad news. Instead, they choose to fill their minds with positive thoughts from books, nature, and their own reflections.
3.Start a Habit of Saving
Did you know that 65% of Americans save little or no money?
Considering that wages are going up and unemployment rates are going down, that number may come as a shock. A full 20% of us don’t save anything at all, while another 40% only put away 5-10% of their annual income.
How is saving tied with success? Didn’t we already establish that there’s more to success than achieving wealth?
That may be true. But a successful person understands that there’s a balance between enjoying life now and also preparing for the future.
Even if right now you can only save a few dollars a week, do it. Make that investment in your future. As saving money becomes a habit, you can look for ways to increase and invest your savings.
4.Learn to Live Within Your Means
While we’re on the subject of balance, let’s talk about living within your means.
Interestingly, a bigger paycheck doesn’t automatically mean a happier (or more successful life). In fact, people who earn $50,000-$75,000 a year are often happier than those who earn more than $75,000 a year.
People who are in control of their lives are in control of their spending. Financial success means learning to spend only what you earn–regardless of what that figure is.
Are you living paycheck to paycheck or drowning in debt? If so, it’s time to take a hard look at your spending habits. Learn to differentiate between you (and your family’s) wants and needs.
Remember, your life isn’t measured by what you own or how many luxury vacations you take. True success comes from being happy in your own skin.
5.Go Above and Beyond (Just Because)
Have you fallen into the habit of always doing the bare minimum? Do you always do exactly what’s required of you–but no more?
One of the best ways to be successful in life is to make a habit of doing more than the minimum. You do this, not to impress your boss or your clients, but to feel good about yourself.
When’s the last time you did something that wasn’t in your job description? When’s the last time you volunteered for a project at work or in the community? If it’s been a while, make it a point to change.
You can also bring this habit down to an everyday level. If your wife asks you to wash the dishes, why not dry them and put them away too?
The extra effort will make you feel better about yourself while earning the respect of those around you.
6.Determine Your “Why”
Want a surefire way to lose your motivation, give up, and feel like a failure?
This can happen to you if you lose sight of why you’re doing something. Even worse, you may never have known “why” you were doing that thing in the first place.
Feelings of success are closely tied with feelings of accomplishment. You need to know that you have a purpose to everything you do–and you need to know what that purpose is.
Whether it’s working overtime to put your son through college or exercising to live a longer, healthier life, figure out your “why.” Otherwise, you’ll just end up wondering “why” you even bother.
7.Stop Being So Easy on Yourself
With all the talk about self-care out there, doesn’t this seem like contradictory advice?
Not at all. Of course, it’s important to eat well, get enough rest, and find ways to de-stress. But there is such a thing as being too kind to yourself–and that’s where the danger lies.
Being motivated means taking action. Taking action produces results. But when we spend too much time in our comfort zone, we never get around to taking action in the first place.
Let’s say you have the goal of going to the gym, but you’re just too comfortable on the couch. Or you really meant to take that night class at the local college, but it conflicts with your favorite television show.
Do you see the problem? There will always be a reason to procrastinate or–even worse–never do something at all.
Stop letting yourself off the hook. Success isn’t going to come and find you in your lazy chair–you have to go out and get it!
8.Set Long-Term Goals
Another reason many people feel underwhelmed by their personal success is their failure to set long-term goals.
To achieve any goal in life (big or small), you’ve got to get SMART. This means your goals must be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Results-focused
- Time-bound
It’s not enough to say you want to lose weight. Attach a number to it, break it into increments, and give yourself a deadline. (“I’m going to drop 20 pounds by losing 5 pounds a month for the next 4 months.”)
Having long-term goals also helps you to stay focused on your short-term interim goals.
Before you can climb Mount Kilimanjaro, you have to be fit enough to run a 5K.
9.Take up a New Hobby
When’s the last time you joined a club, took a class, or learned a new skill? If your answer is the Honor Society back in high school, it’s time to do some soul-searching.
We all spend enough time on electronic devices. Unplug from the digital world and pick a hobby that forces you to use your body and your mind.
Think back to something you always wanted to try. Was it painting, scuba diving, riding a horse, speaking a second language?
Whatever interests you, don’t put it off. Learning new skills fire new neurons in your brain, which will keep it healthier as you age.
10.Don’t Wait for the Perfect Time
Our final piece of advice for becoming successful–now and always?
Accept the fact that there are no shortcuts. Overnight success (true success) doesn’t happen–it’s a long, continuous, conscious process.
Successful people understand that success takes a lot of time and effort every day. They also know that they–like everyone else–will never have perfect circumstances.
True, some people seem to have better “luck” than others. But for the vast majority of us, success is no mere accident. It’s the result of positive thinking and positive action over the course of a lifetime.
How to Achieve Success: Now You Know
It’s true that we all have a different definition of what success means. But there are also certain traits and habits that nearly all successful people share.
Would you like to be one of them? Start using these tips today, stick with them, and you’ll achieve success before you know it.
Now that you’re on the path to becoming successful, your next step is to find the perfect place to call home. Click here for our recent post on finding the perfect location for you.
