5 Habits of Successful People

Note: This post was originally published on jackcanfield.com

The most successful people in the world did not arrive there by accident. Truly successful people, whether they are millionaires or have just found their true life purpose and get to enjoy living it every day, are in that position for a specific reason: their habits.

You can work, and work, and work at becoming successful until you are completely burned out. But if you don’t develop the specific daily habits of successful people, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get there.

I’m going to share 5 of these successful habits, and I hope you’ll consider integrating them into your life.

1) Successful People Believe in Themselves

If you’re going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. Believing in yourself is a choice.

Of the hundreds of super successful people I have interviewed throughout my career, almost every one of them told me, “I was not the most gifted or talented person in my field, but I chose to believe anything was possible. I studied, practiced, and worked harder than the others, and that’s how I got to where I am.”

Successful people assume in favor of themselves and act as if achieving their goals is completely possible.

2) They Set Goals

Experts on the science of success have revealed that the brain is a goal-setting organism. And successful people know that if they give a goal to their subconscious mind, it will work night and day to achieve it. They set high goals that are both realistic and measurable, and they make an effort to work towards those goals every day.

3) They Go the Extra Mile

Successful people know that if they want to really excel in business, school, and life, they have to go the extra mile. They give the people around them -- their customers, team, family -- more than is expected and, in return, they’re handsomely rewarded with loyalty, referrals, opportunity, and money.

They don’t focus on the “What’s In It For Me” policy. They don’t put stock in whether something is fair or whether they’ll be compensated or recognized for more effort. Instead, they focus on exceeding expectation, paying extra attention to detail, and providing quality work above all else.

4) They Take Action

Successful people know that the world doesn’t pay you for what you know; it pays you for what you do. They make a point to create a vision, set goals, break them down into small steps, visualize and affirm their success, believe in themselves, and then get out there and go for it. They are keenly aware of the fact that nothing happens until they take action.

When you take action, you trigger all kinds of things that will inevitably carry you to success. You begin to learn things from your experiences that cannot be learned from listening to others or from reading books. And you begin to attract others who will support and encourage you.

5) They Practice Appreciation

Successful people know that when they show appreciation to the people in their lives -- such as their employees, loved ones, or colleagues -- they not only make those people feel better, but they themselves feel better and more successful.

The fact is, people are more likely to help you achieve your goals if they believe that you appreciate their efforts. There is no downside to this. Appreciation costs nothing, and no one has ever complained about being over-appreciated.

Keeping these 5 habits in mind, I want to leave you with a bit of homework to complete. Write down 2 of the habits that I listed above that you feel you can -- and should -- incorporate into your day-to-day life.

To hold yourself accountable, leave a comment below with the habits you plan on adopting. I’ll follow up with you to make sure you’re staying on track!

Download my Big Book of Ideas: Inspirational Quotes to Inspire Your Success to get a powerful dose of inspiration that will fuel your mind to take action and create the life you want.