Lifestyle Design: Three Habits That Guarantee Success At Anything
These habits are not about specific tactics. They go deeper.
Most motivational speakers and popular authors discuss three success habits you can apply to anything. Want to lose weight? Pay off your debt? Build a retirement fund? Run a marathon?
Practice these three habits and you can do all these things.
The ideas in this blog post aren’t new. Instead, this article provides a framework to sort through the mass of information, tools, and techniques and create your version of success. You’ll learn these three habits and how to apply them to any situation. There are thousands of ways to apply each habit. Success for you won’t look the same as it does for me or anyone else. The key is to master each of the three habits by leveraging your unique strengths, experience, and values. This article will give you the steps to do exactly that.
But first, you need to understand these three habits and how they fit together.
HABIT 1: ACT WITH PURPOSE
The first habit is to Act With Purpose. Here’s what it means:
Successful people have a mission and take strategic action to fulfill their vision. This habit is about setting meaningful goals and creating a plan to achieve them. It’s about being strategic. I first learned about strategic planning in my corporate job. I worked 8 years for several health care institutions. These organizations have a company mission and strategic plan. Each layer of management is responsible for furthering the company mission. New projects or activities must fit the organization’s overall vision. This is how complex businesses stay true to their purpose and achieve their end goals. Now, you don’t need to be a large organization to adopt a strategic plan. You can define your mission and set meaningful goals. Then, when you know where you want to go, you can create a plan to achieve your goals.
Acting with purpose means you know where you want to go and have a proven plan to get there.
It’s important to set goals that align with your strengths and values. This is what is meant by meaningful goals. Once you have your goal, you then implement a strategy to fulfill it. Of course, creating an effective strategy takes experimentation. Few people hit it out of the ballpark on their first attempt. This is one reason why the second habit is important.
HABIT 2: CREATE SYSTEMS FOR SUCCESS
You can have a solid strategy and still fail.
You can have a solid strategy and still fail. You can take courses, learn from experts in your field, and map out a path to success, but fail to meet your goals. Maybe life gets in the way or you don’t see results fast enough. This is when many of us throw in the towel. However, successful people don’t give up. They keep going in the face of obstacles. And here’s their secret: they don’t rely on willpower alone. Here’s the definition of habit two:
Successful people create systems so that essential tasks always get done.
Systems are not limited to the computer or software kind. They include daily rituals, outsourcing certain tasks if necessary, content planning, batching related tasks, and more. A system is anything that automates strategic activities. Always select the systems that fit you and your goals. The bottom line is this:
Unless you’re superhuman, you need systems to stay consistent and succeed. Don’t rely on willpower alone to achieve your goals.
HABIT 3: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Thanks to my corporate career, I had a head start with habits one and two. I have plenty of experience implementing strategies and systems. Yet, for the longest time, I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted in my business. This is because I hadn’t mastered the third habit. I was letting my beliefs about money, my abilities, and other people’s opinions limit my achievements. Here’s what habit three means:
Successful people accept responsibility for their results and believe in their power to achieve the desired outcome, no matter what happens.
Habit three differentiates successful people from unsuccessful people. It’s easy to understand, yet difficult to master. However, actively working on this habit will transform your results.
Let’s unpack the definition, so you can truly grasp how habit three works. It has three parts:
- “Successful people accept responsibility for their results” means adopting a no-excuses mindset. When something unexpected happens- which it will- you get to decide how to respond. You can blame outside events or you can change what you’re doing. Top performers know that they, and they alone, are responsible for their results.
- Successful people “believe in their power to achieve the desired outcome”. We all carry a set of fears and beliefs. Some of our beliefs hold us back. Habit three means not letting negative thoughts and recurring stories limit your achievements. Instead, you must believe in yourself and your mission.
- Finally, “no matter what happens” means doing it scared. We’re all afraid and we all encounter obstacles. To find success you must lean into your fear and keep moving forward, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable setbacks.
Of the three habits, the third is the most overlooked. It’s also the hardest to conquer. Many people focus on strategy and tactics, adopting new tools, or following the latest trends. But, strategy and tactics only get you so far. Fortunately, there are many ways to strengthen your belief. For example: practicing gratitude, saying affirmations, creating a vision board, surrounding yourself with successful people, and meditating on God’s Word.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Do You Have What It Takes?
Now that you know the habits, which of these three do you most need to work on? Do you have a mission and strategy for your life, finances, health, or business? Do you need systems to help you follow through? Are your fears holding you back?
Most people benefit from working on all three habits. This work never ends. What helps you achieve one goal, won’t take you to the next level. You must dig deeper, adopt new systems, and overcome fresh obstacles.
Are you ready for your first challenge? Do you have what it takes to build a successful lifestyle? Let’s find out.
Schedule a 15-minute consultation with me here.
**Erica weaves themes of transformative hope and grace-filled leadership into everything she shares on her blog. She’s an author, a speaker, a finance advisor, and a life coach, who offers honest encouragement and road-tested wisdom about topics ranging from financial wellness, leadership and lifestyle, to discovering your God-crafted identity, design, and purpose.
This post is sponsored by: https://hype.co/@ericakenechi