‘We first make our habits then our habits make us’ – John Dryden
What do successful people do that sets them apart from others? Here are 35 successful secrets from 35 successful people:
1. Write out your goals in the form of a list and read that list everyday: Vince Stead, Founder of www.Fun2ReadBooks.com.
2. Wake up early each morning and write down your task list for the day before the day runs away with you: Yenlik Baimukhanbetova (www.moomkin.com).
3. Delegate and divide up tasks every morning: Beth Bell, Founder of Green Product Placement.
4. For maximum productivity, set aside specific time limits for each task: Dawn Martin, Founder of www.beadsbydawn.etsy.com.
5. Embrace bad news as the opportunity for change and innovation: Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft.
6. Prioritise your task list according to urgent and important: Kimberly Crossland, Founder of www.thesavvycopywriter.com.
7. You have to be watchful for opportunities that combine the right place and right time: Ellen Metcalf, writer and blogger.
8. Always be who you are; don’t duplicate or copy other personalities: Bruce Lee.
9. Courage can see you through rough patches and lows; the level of courage that you have determines your endurance in business: Henry Ford.
10. Try and finish off smaller and simpler tasks as they come in; this will prevent bottle necks later during the day: Aneela Kumar, Digital Producer and Entrepreneur.
11. Never, never, never, ever give up. Believe in yourself: Winston Churchill.
12. Avoid distractions and time-wasters when you are working: Maisha Hoye, Founder of Customer 1st Marketing.
13. Once you decide on something, be prepared to take massive, strong, determined action to make it happen: Anthony Robbins, Life-coach, Motivational Speaker and Author.
14. People who stay in the middle of the road get run over. This means indecision and weakness of conviction leads to failure: Aneurin Beavan, Labour Party Politician and Author.
15. Learn to accept responsibility for your life and your decisions: Les Brown, Radio DJ, Author and Motivational speaker.
16. It’s important to be committed to who you are and what you want to be: LeBron James, American Professional basketball player.
17. It’s not enough to only dream about success, you have to work for it: Estee Lauder, Founder of Estee Lauder Cosmetics and Skincare products.
18. One should be committed to practice and preparation: Will Smith, Hollywood Actor and Star.
19. You should always believe in yourself and have faith in your abilities: Norman Vincent Peale.
20. You cannot expect high returns without an element of risk: Gerry Schwartz, Co-Founder of CanWest Communications.
21. No amount of labour, lack of capital or challenges should stop you from doing what you want to do: Harland Sanders, Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
22. Success is not magical or mysterious; it’s a natural consequence of application of the basic rules: Jim Rohn, Motivational speaker and Founder of Nutri-Bio.
23. Don’t be afraid to push yourself to your limits and use hidden strengths inside you to move forward: John Johnson, Footballer.
24. Strive to be a stronger person, not to live an easy life: John Kennedy, Former President of the US.
25. Aim to make a significant difference to the world: Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple Inc. ;
26. Decide to take full responsibility for your attitude and choices; that’s when we really grow up: John Maxwell, Author of 60 motivational books.
27. Grace, courage and strength in the face of adversity is the hallmark of a successful person: Benazir Bhutto, late Pakistani leader.
28. Learn to prioritize your work and day; it will help you achieve success despite multiple tasks to complete: Julie Aigner Clark, Founder of Baby Einstein Company LLC.
29. Don’t wait around always waiting for the perfect opportunity; sometimes the right opportunity may pass you by: Michael S. Dell, Founder of Dell Inc.
30. Never be afraid of thinking big; it’s the first step towards success: Donald Trump, Business magnate, Investor and Author.
31. Once you learn how to cross challenges and difficulties, you are in a better position to tackle the next lot of problems: Pierre Omidyar, Founder of eBay, auction site.
32. Don’t always follow the pack; sometimes success lies in the exact opposite direction: Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club.
33. Most people tend to give up when they are within an inch of success. Don’t stop until you get to the finish line: Ross Perot, American Businessman and founder of Electronic Data Systems.
34. Always love what you create; this motive should be at the bottom of every successful business venture: Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Records.
35. If you have learnt to do things well, then learn to do them better and differently than others: Anita Roddick, Founder of the Body Shop.
Adopting effective habits, positive mindset and a determined attitude can help become an extremely successful person. You may wish to adopt those habits that resonate with your values and interest.