What Habits Make People Successful?

By Yourwellness Last updated May 30, 2018 6

We’ve all heard that making the bed in the morning is something that successful people do, but is there any truth to that? According to one recent study, there is.

Researchers surveyed over 1,000 people to find out which daily habits are more likely to lead to success than others. What they discovered is that successful people clean their car, make the bed, clean their kitchen and do laundry more often than people who identified as unsuccessful.

When it comes to self-care, successful people floss, take vitamins, exercise, meditate and read more often than unsuccessful people. They’re also more likely to eat breakfast.

What Defines Success?

Before we delve any further into the habits of successful people, it might be helpful to look at how people define success. We’re all different, so it follows that my idea of success will be different from yours.

That said, there are some things we almost all agree on. For example, more than 80 percent of the study’s participants identified happiness as the number one indicator of success. Freedom placed second, and a fulfilling family life and good physical and mental health weren’t far behind.

Some interesting differences crept in between the genders, however.

While both men and women agreed that happiness should be at the top of the list, men rated mental health above freedom and physical health in determining their success. For women, freedom and a good family life showed they were successful.

The discrepancies between generations proved equally fascinating. While 92 percent of Baby Boomers identified family as integral to their success, only 75 percent of Gen Xers were inclined to agree. For millennials, family life didn’t even feature in their top five.

Success Starts with Good Habits

However you choose to define success, you won’t achieve it without good habits. It’s no coincidence that the world’s most successful people share the same habits. They make their beds, exercise regularly, read, wake up early, have good etiquette and so on.

Annie Dillard summed it up perfectly when she said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

Will Durant echoes this wisdom, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Consistency on the Fundamentals

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Robin Sharma —author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari— says success lies in a masterful consistency around the fundamentals. He encourages us to work hard, relentlessly optimize and stick to those fundamentals no matter what.

Ask personal growth guru Brian Johnson if he thinks you have what it takes to achieve success and he’ll answer with the same question every time: “How are your fundamentals?”

Fundamentals provide the foundation for success. Without them, your big goals won’t have the necessary solid ground on which to grow and flourish.

They’re the seemingly mundane daily habits, like eating well, sleeping, exercising, and committing to a digital sunset that set you on the path to excellence. If those aren’t in place, success will be hard to come by.

Figuring Out Your Fundamentals

The habits successful people share are pretty much non-negotiable. If you want to be successful, that is. So, if you’re not already making your bed before you leave the house in the morning, if you’re not flossing or eating a healthy breakfast, it’s time to get on that.

These things aren’t difficult to do. It’s simply a matter of effort and commitment. Do them on a daily basis, and it won’t be long before you notice your life getting better. Self-care matters, so make it a priority.

Once you’ve got the basics down, you can start adding other fundamentals, like meditation, journalling, yoga and so on. Just try different things, if it adds value, great. If not, ditch it and try something else.

Self-mastery is an ongoing process. Commit to it, and enjoy the journey.

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