Having Success Habits – Part 3

The state and quality of our lives is a direct reflection of our daily habits. Those habits that are an integral part of each one personality, are either helping him/her to develop and move forward in life or vice versa. In part 1 of this series of articles, I have emphasized the importance of having good habits and presented some tips for getting rid of our old bad habits and replace them with new good ones. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/having-success-habits-part-1-tarek-soliman/

We have categorized habits in two main categories and presented in part 2 of this series what I grouped as “Developing Character Habits”.

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/having-success-habits-part-2-tarek-soliman/

In this article, part 3, we will explore the “Daily routine Habits”, as I do believe that establishing a solid routine is one of the keys for your success. Not only do routines help reduce mental fatigue, https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/decision-taking-fatigue-tarek-soliman/ , but they also make you happier and more productive. Unfortunately, setting a routine can be hard to do, especially when no one is pressuring you to do so. It needs a lot of persistence and consistency to be developed, but finally it will pay off. It has been scientifically proven that the physiology of our bodies dictates the psychology of our minds. Herein some of these habits:

1.    Begin with a healthy breakfast: Having a good healthy Breakfast is so important for having a good day. Though it is, without any doubt, the most important meal of the day, many of us skip it for no good reasons. Believe me, if you are serious about success and having a productive day, eat a healthy breakfast every single morning. It will not take much effort, just some simple planning is required. consider waking up 15 or 30 minutes earlier than usual to ensure adding this indispensable habit to your life.

2.    Drink water: Another good habit that has a direct positive impact on your health is drinking sufficient amount of water every day. You can start with a large glass of water every morning to flush toxins on the morning when you arise. Adding lemon to your morning water, which is a natural source of Vitamin C, is a good idea. Lemon also possess other health benefits such as helping with your digestion, boosting your immune system, along with cleaning and rehydrating your body. Some studies add some other benefits like weight loss and having a boast in your overall energy.

3.    Exercise regularly: One of the assured best habits to have in life is to exercise on a regular basis. Most of us believe that they do not have the time and/or energy to do so due to a lot of work and family commitments, but actually this is not true. You should stop reciting such alibies and commit to start exercising. This is not about heavy weightlifting, spending many hours a day at the gym or running a marathon. This is about doing whatever you can and whatever you love, enjoy, and suits your physical fitness, availability of time and space. Even if it ends up doing light activities such as walking for 30 minutes a day. I think most of us have heard about the benefits of walking at least 10,000 steps in a day. Such simple activity oxygenates your blood and boosts the endorphins in your body. You will also feel more motivated, have more mental clarity and stress relieved. Richard Branson once said: “To be successful, take the stairs”. He believes that taking the stairs whenever you can, is a great way to exercise, especially if you’re busy working all day.

4.    Walk up early enough: The early morning hours are a good time for planning, clear thinking of your long-term goals, and/or focusing on complex tasks that need some sort of concentration without the normal daily distractions. Anyone who is serious about success, should consider waking up early enough to start his day smoothly, and make these golden hours work for his/her benefits.

You may have noticed that I used the term “early enough” and did not mention a specific hour for getting up. I know that not all of us are morning people. I believe that we shouldn't force ourselves to be something we're not. Simple math tells us that going to bed at midnight and waking up at 7 a.m. gives you as many hours of sleep as going to bed at 10 p.m. and waking up at 5 a.m. Either way, you're getting seven hours of sleep. So, choose the routine that fits with your life style, commitments and culture. Just do not overcome the concept of getting us early enough to taking your coffee peacefully, stretching, having your morning praying, paying some attention to the good things in your life, planning your day, writing your important emails, and/or doing whatever you feel good for stating your day energized and happy.

5.    Sleep well: Although it is important to wake up early enough as previously elaborated, it is also imperative for both your physical and mental health to get enough rest. You should master the art of finding that delicate balance, especially if you are a busy man/woman and have a lot of obligations like most of us. However, if you care enough about your physical, mental and emotional well-being, you should have a minimum of six to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. Many articles and studies talked about cutting coffee and smoking before going to bed with a certain number of hours. Others advise to switch off your notifications and stop exploring social networks after 8.00 pm. I believe that you are the only one who knows how to reach your goal as it differs from one to another.

6.    Seek inspiration: It is not easy to stay motivated for a long time. Every day, we are encountered with many events and impediments that lead us to get discouraged, deviate us from our goals and make us feel off track. So, it is important to train yourself to sweep these obstacles from your mind to stay motivated. One of the best ways to do so is to inspire yourself daily. There is a lot of ways to help yourself such as reading about the biography of successful people and/or watching inspiration videos. Fortunately, there are several pages and applications that can send you motivation quotes and/or a two to four minutes reading articles and you can make reading them a daily morning habit. I recommend “Shine” as an example and there are a lot of other applications that can help too. Inspiration is the pathway to achievement because what the mind can conceive, it can achieve.

7.    Network and deepen your relationships: I wrote a separate article about the importance of this subject before, as I do believe that your “Network” which is your “Relationship Capital”, is immensely valuable part of your success both on the personal life and career. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/deepen-your-relationships-tarek-soliman/

The people who you know and truly trust and like you “are your army of personal walking ambassadors” as Bob Burg named them in his wonderful book “The Go-Giver”. In our recent world, it is not enough to be skilled, well-trained and knowledgeable, but you need to reach the hearts and minds of others to proceed successfully in life.

8.    Be a Giver: The best networkers, who are some of the most successful individuals too, have the giving mentally. They do not focus entirely on themselves, and they look for ways that they could help others as well. They are always willing to helping others without thinking about receiving something in return. They are also good listeners and practice intuitively effective communication which is crucial when it comes to cultivating personal and professional relationships.

My advice is always nourishing your relationships. There are countless ways to do so such as giving a telephone call to an old friend from time to time, helping others whenever in need, giving the advice if needed, giving complements, and many other ways that can be discovered and that can be customized to suite different kinds of people.

There are still some other important habits that should be mentioned and adopted. I will present them in my next article of this series as I do believe that forming good habits is an integral part of the personality of successful people and is imperative for having a fulfilled life.