Success Advice
5 Habits Successful People Have To Overcome Failure
Have you ever wondered how the likes of Elon Musk achieve so much, while still having the time to enjoy a personal life and travel the globe? Money helps, of course, but this isn’t how successful people achieve what they do.
What sets them apart is their ability to maintain positive habits, so they can maximise their time (even when hardship hits). This skill of turning failure into success is key, and although it may seem like these successful people are superhuman, they are not.
Successful people are good at overcoming failure. Like you and me, they make mistakes. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, but this doesn’t stop them from achieving their potential. They don’t overcome this with money, power, or fame. They don’t have a secret you don’t. But they do have a set of positive habits that sets them apart, and with a little tweaking, so can you.
Here are 5 habits successful people have to overcome their failures:
1. They ‘reflect’ each day
Successful people take time out of their day (every day) to take a step back and reflect on their life. What’s working? What’s not working?
For many, this involves meditation, but as Andrea Shillington often does, a simple walk can do the trick. As founder of a busy branding agency, Andrea doesn’t always have the time to sit and meditate. Instead, she goes for a walk, but is ‘mindful’ as she does; taking the time to ‘take’ it all in. This is one positive habit anyone can do, and all it takes is 5-10 minutes each day.
2. They wake up early (even if they aren’t a morning person)
You won’t meet many successful people who sleep beyond 7am. Whether you’re a morning person or not, there’s huge value to waking up early (even if you spend this time reflecting, instead of working).
This changed Hal Elrod’s life, offering him the time to get more done, relieve stress, and turn each mistake into a big success. How you start your day is how you continue it. So if you begin tired, frustrated, and frantic, how can you expect the rest of your day to be anything but?
“The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years.” – Thomas Jefferson
3. They focus on the work they need to do
There’s always a million tasks you could work on, but there’s usually only one that you should. Successful people do not allow distractions to take control. They focus. They get the job done. They work on what they need to, and everything else takes a backseat.
Cal Newport has dedicated his recent life to ‘deep work’, proving that successful people stay focussed, despite today’s obsession towards ‘hustling’ and working at a relentless pace.
It’s a lie. There’s no glory in the ‘hustle’.Success lies in focus, and getting what you need to do done (as in, right now)!
4. They turn up every single day
Jerry Seinfeld became one of the world’s most successful comedians, not by working the hardest, but by working smarter than everyone else. His philosophy was simple: turn up each day and do ‘something’.
Create a chain. Build momentum. Focus on achieving one small win today, and repeat the same tomorrow. I’ve watched my friend Scott Oldford achieve such success by turning up every single day.
When we first met, he was the guy who worked the hardest (and got into $725,000 of debt). Today, he works the smartest, creating one small win after another (turning mistakes into success each time).
5. They do not fear mistakes or failure
As human beings, we all share something in common: we make mistakes, and we sometimes fail.
Successful people are no different to you and me, but they do approach failure different to most. They do not fear it. They do not let it hold them back. If anything, they ensure it leads them to greatness.
When Beate Chelette spoke with Srinivas Rao, she said, “without failure, you are a loser.” This is how successful people think. This is how they approach each day. They appreciate failure may occur today, but they do not allow this to stand in their way.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
Whilst writing ‘The Successful Mistake’, this is what I learned above all else. Mistakes happen, but they are not the reasons you fail.
The only time you do fail is when you allow this fear to take control of you. This is a daily battle, but these five positive habits ensure you stay on top. This is what the successful people you admire do, and with a little tweaking to your approach and mindset, you can too.