To be more amazing 8 habits will energize you.

Lance Armstrong was an America icon.

He won the Tour de France 7 times and finished first in 22 stages over his career.

In 1997 he fought and overcame testicular cancer. This man was a hero and celebrated by many.

Unfortunately, his legacy was permanently damaged.

In 2012 it was revealed that Lance had been “doping”, using drugs to enhance his athletic performance. 

Sponsors defected. His charity organization dumped him, and Nike let him go. He even broke up with his famous girlfriend Sheryl Crow. 

Lance ended up in a bad place.

The message. Be careful about the choices we make and embrace the pain of personal excellence. There are no short cuts and good habits make all the difference when creating "sustainable energy" to support massive dreams.

Good habits are worth being fanatical about. -John Irving

Here are 8 habits that I believe can help on our path to success:

Firm boundaries. 

Negative people are a drain on our enthusiasm.

Recent research demonstrates the negative impact unhealthy people have on our brain and its ability to manage stress. Toxic people drive our brain into a defensive posture that creates undesirable side effects. Negative people need to be avoided at all cost.

All the evidence supports the idea that the top five people we strongly associate with constitutes the majority of what we believe.

Our ability to regulate emotions and maintain focus impacts performance. One recent study verifies that 90% of top performers are well versed in the art of managing stress. Staying calm and in control is the key. 

Rumor mongers. Overly sensitive poor me personalities. Self-consumed haters. Manipulators and conceited jerks need to be avoided. These people consume our energy and interfere with success.

It is bedtime. 

Our exposure to blue light impacts our sleeping patterns.

In the morning sunlight contains high levels of blue light, which suspends production of melatonin and makes you feel alert.

In the afternoon, the sun loses its blue light and we start to feel sleepy as melatonin production begins again.

In a perfect world, this trend of melatonin production continues until we fall asleep.

Unfortunately, many of us jump on electronic devices before bed which interrupts our natural sleep cycle. Rest suffers as a result.

Best advice. Avoid devices before bed. Quality sleep keeps us energized.

Be present. 

Many of us are getting back in touch with gratitude, and that's a good thing.

Believing fancy cars, big houses and lots of money is the key to success is a false promise.

Being grateful and enjoying the journey is a far better strategy for achieving happiness than chasing material rewards.

The best thing about success, we get to define what it is. That's what Anatomy of Success is all about. It starts with being present and planning a magnificent future on your terms. That keeps us energized!

Perception is not reality. 

Envy strangles plenty of people’s dreams.

Envy and scarcity are a sure sign that somebody that is losing.

The appearance of success is every place on social media, even on this platform. 

Plenty of people are selling somebody else’s advice. The problem, they haven't created a remarkable life worth emulating.

Be careful about the people we follow. When their story is incomplete, we can only relate to the process, not the valuable insight acquired from measurable results.

I prefer taking advice from people that have done what I aspire to do. Period. Truly successful people keep us inspired and energized, because they've done what we aspire to accomplish.  

Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. -Abraham Lincoln

Begin. 

I know plenty of people that dream about writing a book. Starting a business. Launching a social media strategy and getting in shape.

Perfection often destroys good intentions and prevents people from getting things done.

The journey always looks ominous from the begging. However, we never get to enjoy the journey if we don't get started. Getting started will keep you motivated and energized!

Plan. 

I find it ironic that people who complain about never having enough time have plenty when it comes to unnecessary distractions. The problem, they are not spending time wisely.

Covid19 forced many of us to work from home. It should have been an excellent opportunity to focus on personal growth. Unfortunately, pornography, Netflix, alcohol, and drug consumption shot up.

If we don't have a plan our efforts to improve never materialize. Discipline and action are the key to getting things done and getting things done keeps us energized.

The answer is no. 

At the University of California in San Francisco studies have shown people that have a hard time saying no experience more stress, burnout, fatigue, and depression.

When you say yes, you are saying no to something else, it's that simple. Saying “yes” to social media might mean saying no to your health or family. Research performed at the University of California, San Francisco, indicated that saying yes creates more stress, burnout, and depression. Saying no is not always easy, but it's often the gateway for improving our quality of life. Get good at saying no and stay energized!

Realistic expectations. 

Resolutions seldom work. Big projects seldom get done on time. The reason why? Our goal is too large and the process too overwhelming.

When we start to stumble it's easy to give up.

When preparing a presentation break it down into manageable steps. Write a section each day for several weeks before the presentation is due. Start early but start small. This provides a sense of daily accomplishment that culminates in a sense of satisfaction and increased energy!

There is no elevator to success, you must take the stairs. -Zig Ziglar

Sum it up

Happiness is a choice. We get to decide what success and happiness are to us, and we should be instrumental in defining it. What other habits make you successful?

Share your thoughts in the comments section and please like and share this article. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.  Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming. Steve is an author and host of the podcast program Anatomy of Success. Reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn!