If you want to be more successful or you’re striving to achieve your goals, it may be time to implement some healthy habits into your daily routine. I’ve spoken about healthy habits before, particularly for simplifying your life or incorporating some intentional living aspects into your routine.
Instead of just offering generic habits to become healthier and more mindful, I’ve decided to create this article on becoming more successful. After all, we all want to achieve success, right?
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post may include affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.
What does success mean to you?
Before we jump into things, I figured this would be a good time to point out that success looks different for everybody. While my definition of success is to be a New York Times Best-Selling author (seriously!), yours may be to travel the world in one year or to hike up Mt. Everest. Maybe your idea of success is to star in a moving, dance alongside Beyonce, own a home, or become a doctor.
The point is that everyone has a different idea of what success means for them. We’re all interested in different things and are leading separate lives. As you read this article, I think it’s important to note that these habits are generic. You may have heard them before. But in all honesty, no matter your life goal or your career pursuit, I think we can all benefit from these habits.
The no-BS route to success
There are so many articles and videos out there claiming to offer you the best route to success. While I don’t want to claim mine is the best, I would like to think this article will provide more value than others I’ve seen.
As I mentioned above, some of these suggestions will be generic, but it’s not the suggestion that’s important. It’s the implementation.
I want this article to provide value. No matter what you want to achieve, I believe everybody can benefit from the following healthy habits.
Read everyday
Every CEO and successful icon out there (more or less) tells you to read every day and for a good reason! Reading illuminates creativity and opens your eyes to other aspects of the world. Whether non-fiction, fantasy, or Hallmark romance is your thing, reading every day ultimately makes you a smarter and more well-rounded person.
As a writer, I get asked all the time how often and how much I read. And the thing is, I don’t think the quantity of your reading matters all that much. I have a video on “How much reading you should be doing” If you want a full description, but ultimately I only have one rule:
READ EVERY DAY
Whether you read one article online, one page of a book, or even a whole chapter, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you read something at least once a day that provides value to you. This means that reading stop signs and cereal boxes don’t count because you need to read something that challenges you or your thoughts.
I push myself to read for one hour every single day. Depending on the complexity of the book I’m reading at the time, that can be anywhere between five pages or three chapters. While I only consider physical books to be counted as my daily reading, I don’t think others should discredit articles or magazines, for example.
Heck, if you’re reading this right now, good for you! This could be your daily quota (so long as you walk away gaining some sort of knowledge or insight).
Reading is about broadening your mind, sharpening your skills, and honing in on your ability to communicate with clarity and confidence. If you want to be a better public speaker, writer, or student, reading is something you should do daily.
Have a morning routine
Everyone already has a morning routine, whether gurus like to admit it or not. Those people (myself included) advertising to you “get a morning routine” or “Why you need a morning routine” are pulling your leg because you already have one.
The question is: Is your morning routine benefitting you in any way? Is it healthy? Does it motivate you and help you be more productive throughout your day?
See, when I was working retail, and I had to open the store at 6:30 in the morning, my routine was as follows:
- Wake up
- Get dressed
- Drink water
- Brush my hair and teeth
- Put deodorant on
- Grab my lunch (if I made one the night before)
- Go to work
I skipped breakfast entirely and often treaded about in the mornings until my first break at 9 am when I could eat something. As you can see, there was no opportunity for growth, education, or even caring for my body. But it was technically a routine.
Flash forward to today. I realized that a morning routine could help you and prepare you for a better day. They could engage your mind and make you more productive. As it stands now, here is my routine:
- Wake up
- Stretch
- Get dressed
- Begin my breakfast routine while listening to an educational podcast
- Finish up my coffee and journal for the day
- Make a daily to-do list.
- Put makeup on/hop on hygiene and hair care.
- Get settled into work.
See the difference?
While this routine certainly isn’t perfect, it’s far more beneficial to me, and my well-being than my other routine ever was. At some point, I would like to implement meditation, exercising, and tarot reading into this routine. For now, this is what works for me.
When you take an active approach to your morning routine, you can consciously shift your habits to work for you. (If you want some suggestions on creating habits, you can read my blog article on the topic or watch my youtube video here).
Go through your current morning routine and look for ways to better it. Start small and aim to change one thing at a time. You could listen to a podcast or calming music while you make breakfast. You could stretch before you get dressed for the day. You can journal, read, practice spiritual devotion, go for a run, etc. The opportunities are endless.
The point is to be conscious of how you start your day to prepare yourself for the rest of the day to come. The better your morning, the better the rest of your day tends to follow.
Move your body
Everyone says it, but you really should move your body every day. Whether you participate in a HIIT workout, go for a run, bike, hit the gym, take a yoga class, or do pilates, moving your body is perhaps one of the healthiest habits you can employ.
According to Good Housekeeping, in an eight-hour workday, you should move your body/stand up from your desk about forty times! It seems like a lot, but our bodies were not made to sit around all day.
I’ve written a few articles for my job and discussed the hindrances and side effects of sitting all day. Since our bodies were made to move, we should probably take advantage of it. No matter what you choose to do, try to add a thirty-minute workout to your daily routine—even if, it’s just a bit of yoga and stretching.
Learn something new every day
I’m a stickler for education. Unfortunately, I had to drop out of college due to financial hardship. However, I am still a lover of knowledge and actively seek to learn something new every day. Since this is more of a personality trait for me, I don’t pay attention to what I learn or how often I do so. I just do it!
But not everybody is like that, and that’s totally fine! My advice to everyone, whether they love to learn or have placed learning into the same category as public school (which is filled with ill-habits and negative connotations), I think everyone can gain something from learning something new every single day.
If you’re the type of person that hates the term “learning” or hates the idea of the school system, then think of this tidbit as encouragement to chase your passions and hone your skills instead. Learning is not just math and textbook work. It’s about expanding your senses to gain a new experience of information.
The best way you can go about this is to read an informative article about something you like. Read a review of your favorite tv show right now or an article about one of the lead actors. Read a step-by-step guide on knitting or learn a new baking recipe. Practice the guitar, write in your target language, or (my favorite) read a non-fiction book that interests you!
Learning doesn’t have to be striving for a college degree or droning through pages of tedious homework assignments. It can be things you like too.
Practice mindfulness
This is something I’ve been working on for a while now and still continue to struggle with. Mindfulness is not just about intentionality. It’s also about performing self-affirmations, practicing gratitude, meditating, clearing your mind, and walking through life with a positive mindset. These are all things I struggle with.
As I lean further and further in journaling, I’ve begun to devote more time to mindful practices like writing down affirmations or noting things I’m grateful for each day.
These practices lead to success because happier people tend to be more ambitious and do not dwell on failure. They find optimism and hope even in the darkest of times and continue to pursue their passions even when they don’t meet their goals or expectations.
When you practice mindfulness, you prepare yourself to notice all of the smaller wins and shrug off any adverse outcomes. By default, you will perceive your own success more clearly and wholeheartedly than you would otherwise.
Now I’m not saying that you will always be positive. Nor do I think it’s an easy road to travel on. As a person who struggles with depression, I recognize that while some happy habits can be trained into you, you cannot change the chemicals within your brain.
My advice is to do your best. Note your wins. Find hope. Find things to be grateful for. It just feels better.
Be gentle with yourself
Going along with a similar topic, I think it’s important to be gentle with yourself when striving for success. Success is a constantly shifting target. When I was seventeen, success was publishing a poetry book. At nineteen, it was making enough money to eat something other than tomato soup and 99 cent macaroni. Now, success to me is being debt-free, owning a home, and working for myself.
Your ideas of success will change, especially as you continue to reach your goals. Do not let failure and negative talk ruin your happiness and drive. Below are some of my tips on how to be more gentle with yourself. The softer you are on yourself, the easier it will be to let go of perfectionism and self-hate.
Take your time
Avoid burnout where you can, and do your best to stop procrastination before it starts. Slow living is something I’ve been looking into recently, and while I don’t consider myself an expert on the topic just yet, I can say that it has transformed my life.
Take your time and don’t overwork yourself. Look into slow living and what it means to do less to be successful. Hustle culture is overrated and exploitative. Take care of yourself first.
No negative self-talk
Avoid negative self-talk as best as you can. While you obviously don’t want a narcissism problem, self-deprecation is no good either. I suggest practicing daily affirmations in the morning and gratitude lists at night to help curb this issue.
Practice self-care
Self-care is all the rage right now, but it’s more than just a trend. Remember the hustle culture I talked about? I think self-care came out due to people realizing that they are not just slaves to a system. We are people, not machines.
Take one evening a week to focus on yourself. Read a book, watch a movie, relax, do skin care, have a bubble bath, or even partake in retail therapy. Everyone has their own version of self-care, and it’s important to know what yours is and set aside time for it.
Chase your goals
As I round out this post for healthy habits that lead to success, I cannot stress enough how important it is to chase your goals. Taking an active approach and actively working towards your goals often is the best way to achieve them.
All too often, I meet people who go nowhere. Somehow, they get stuck in a job they hate, or they stop learning, or they become stagnant in life. That’s not what I want for you.
It’s easy to give up or lose sight of what you want, but I don’t think you should ever stop when it comes to your goals. I’ll make a more in-depth post about this down the road, but for now, just understand the following things.
Make a step-by-step plan
First, the best way to achieve your goals is to make a step-by-step plan. If you want to own a home, what are the steps you need to take? What can you do each day to reach that goal? I’ll list a few examples below, but it’s up to you to make your own plan and stick to it.
Owning a home:
Step: know what your must-haves are/how much you’re willing to spend
Step: research homes in your target location
Step: get pre-approved for a mortgage
Step: view homes
Step: save up money (everyone’s plan is different, but this is an important step)
Publishing a book:
Step: create an outline/plot
Step: start writing
Step: revise your work as many times as necessary
Step: edit or hire an editor
Step: pitch your book to literary agents
Step: Sign papers and get published
OR
Step: Upload your work on a self-publishing site
I have an entire blog post and YouTube video detailing the step by step process of publishing a book. If this is your goal, definitely check it out!
Completing a marathon:
Step: make an exercise plan
Step: make a dietary plan
Step: exercise daily
Step: talk to a coach or physical adviser
Step: increase the difficulty of your routines
Step: Sign up for the marathon
Step: participate
These are all generalized steps, but you get the idea. It’s essential to outline how you might go about achieving your goals so that you can actually reach them. My youtube video and blog posts about forming habits to achieve your goals might be most beneficial if you need help in the outlining process.
Stay motivated
Lastly, try to stay motivated. This is the most challenging part of the whole aspect of achieving your goals. While I wish I had advice on how to stay motivated, I just don’t have it yet. Again, this will require more research on my part, but I do recognize the importance of staying motivated and continuing to pursue your goals no matter what.
Don’t give up. You’re almost there.
If you like this post, check out some similar posts of mine below!
Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what your goals are and your current plan of action!
You can also email me with questions or concerns you may have at info.amelia.wilson@gmail.com
My new book, Witch in the Water, is available on Amazon!
Also, check out my poetry book, The Lights are on but Nobody’s Home, available now on amazon for $6.99!
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.
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