By Kimanzi Constable
We all know that habits can either help or hurt your success in life. Bad habits can fester and grow into a lifestyle that takes you away from the things you want to do—and good habits can help you create a life that’s full of action and accomplishment.
If you were to look at someone you respect, someone who’s successful, you would see that they spend each day doing the things that help them accomplish their biggest goals. This isn’t to say they’re perfect—because no one is—but despite the things that are not perfect in their lives, they continue to make moves that have a positive impact. And it starts with their daily habits.
Now, while we can all study successful habits, it’s meaningless if we don’t implement that knowledge. So here are five daily habits of highly successful people—habits you can adapt to create the life you truly want to live:
1. Successful people plan out their day the night before.
It’s easy to get off track when you don’t have a plan. Without planning what your day will look like, you wake up not knowing what you want to do or accomplish. Successful people spend a little time the night before giving themselves clear goals for the next day. Then they wake up and go down their list.
Life doesn’t always work out as planned, but with a plan, you can adjust without losing momentum.
2. Successful people read books to get inspired.
Reading is an essential element in success—books contain so much knowledge. Apparently, Elon Musk would read at least four hours a day growing up. Four hours. And look how successful he became.
Related: The 5 Best but Unheard-Of Success Books
There isn’t necessarily a defined length as to how much time you should be reading, but forming a daily reading habit will expand your knowledge and help you on your journey to success.
3. Successful people make their health a priority.
What you eat and how much you exercise affects every area of your life. Successful people use their exercise as a time to reset and plan. And they make smart food choices that will give them the energy they need to accomplish everything on their daily to-do list.
So, what’s for dinner? Is the gym on your to-do list? Choose wisely.
Related: 7 Daily Habits of Exceptionally Successful People
4. Successful people don’t get distracted by what other people are doing.
Other people’s journeys to success can be inspiring; you can learn so much—about their mistakes, their victories, what to do, what not to do. But if you start comparing your progress to theirs, instead of using their stories as inspiration, you can feel jealous, stressed, unworthy.
Successful people realize their journey is unique and can’t be compared. So don’t get stuck in the comparison trap—stay focused on your why.
5. Successful people live each day as if it were the last.
Life is busy, it’s chaotic, and so you tend to want to focus on the future—we all do it, worry about what’s next. But while planning is important, so is living—being fully present.
Life is short, and there’s no guarantee as to when it will end. Successful people live each day as if it were their last and make the most out of each moment—and so should you.
When you look at a big goal, it’s common to get frustrated at the enormity of what you’re trying to accomplish. If you wake up each day determined to spend it forming good habits, you give yourself a better chance at success. So use these five habits as a starting place to build whatever a successful life means to you.
