What Everyone Misunderstands About the Habits of Highly Successful People
What are the habits of highly successful people?
Let’s take a look:
- Benjamin Franklin used to take cold air baths (stand bare-naked in the freezing wind) to get a creative edge.
- Nikola Tesla used to curl his toes — 100 times each foot — before going to bed every night.
- Michael Jordan used to wear his old college basketball shorts underneath is Chicago Bulls shorts, every game.
That being said, it’s very clear to me that if you want to be highly successful, you need to find a weird habit and do it on a consistent basis.
Right now, I’m wearing my clothes inside out. That’s my new thing. Even when I’m in public, I have some article of clothing on inside out.
Look — don’t judge me. I want to be highly successful one day. I want to prove to the world that I can make an impact — that I can make a difference.
And if having some super weird habit is the answer, well, count me in.
I haven’t worn my clothes inside out long enough to make a judgement on whether it’s working or not just yet. I did find $5 on the ground yesterday though, so that’s promising. I’ll have to get back to you all in a couple of months with an update.
If you see me wearing my clothes the wrong way, well, you now know why.
In all seriousness, I could sit here all day and give you my opinion on habits of highly successful people.
I could tell you that successful people wake up at 5A.M. every morning and go for a run.
I could tell you that highly successful people read mystery novels in their free time. I could say that successful people make their bed every morning. But to be honest, none of that holds any real value.
Sure, some of those are great habits, but those habits don’t equate to success — not by a long shot.
Maybe you do your best work from 1 to 4A.M., and waking up at 5A.M. for a run is counterintuitive. Maybe you’re not the best reader, so you like to listen to audio books instead. Maybe you’re more comfortable with your bed unmade — Einstein thrived in a messy environment, after all.
The point I’m trying to make is this:
Everyone is different. There is no ‘golden list’ of habits that, if followed, automatically mean success. Just because you follow the habits of highly successful people doesn’t mean you’re going to be highly successful.
What matters, is consistency and self-discipline.
Above all else, highly successful people are extremely self-disciplined and consistent in everything they do — their habits.
They hold themselves accountable and claim responsibility for both their successes and their failures. They keep their word, stick to their plans and stay on track with their goals. And they are extremely consistent.
Every single one of those people I mentioned above was consistent and self-disciplined when it came to their habits. Could there be commonalties between some of their habits? Sure. But that is more coincidence than anything else.
Above all else, consistency and self-discipline is what made them so successful.
If you want to be highly successful, find habits that best work for you and practice religiously.
Just remember: it’s not the habits themselves that bring success — it’s your dedication to stay consistent and self-disciplined in all that you do.
Thanks for reading.
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