Ten Common Traits of Highly Successful People

What makes an individual successful? Is it divine destiny? Was it meant to be? Or is there something else at play?

According to Stephen Covey (7 Habits for Highly Effective People), the starting point for any successful person is integrity and maturity. Integrity is doing what you said you would do and taking actions that align with your values. While maturity is standing strong in your own convictions while being able to accept and understand others that may have a different belief or point of view.

Here are 10 common habits and traits that successful people have adapted:

1. Clear goals: Successful people set specific, measurable, and achievable goals for themselves. They have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish and create a plan to achieve it.

2. Discipline and consistency: They establish routines and practices and stick to them, even when it's hard. This helps them build habits that support their goals and maintain momentum.

3. Continuous learning: Successful individuals are lifelong learners. They read books, attend seminars, and seek out new experiences to expand their knowledge and skills. For successful people learning not only comes from books, seminars, etc. but also from their failures and other people’s feedback. Oftentimes people view failure and feedback as bad things, however they are opportunities to learn and grow.

4. Resilience, adaptability and measured risk-taking: They're able to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to changing circumstances. This helps them navigate uncertainty and stay focused on their goals. They're willing to take calculated risks to achieve their goals. This helps them stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on new opportunities.

5. Strong Work Ethic: Successful people are willing to put in the effort required to achieve their goals. They're not afraid of hard work and are willing to go the extra mile.

6. Growth mindset: They have a growth mindset and believe in their abilities. They focus on solutions rather than problems and maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of challenges.

7. Accountability and responsibility: Successful individuals take ownership of their actions and decisions. They're accountable for their mistakes and use them as opportunities to learn and grow.

8. Strong relationships and networking: Successful people build and maintain strong relationships with others. They understand the value of networking and collaborate with others to achieve their goals.

9. Practicing gratitude and appreciation: Successful individuals cultivate a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what they have and what they have accomplished. While most people focus on what they did NOT get done, successful people focus on what they DID accomplish.

10. Self-care: Successful people prioritize their well being. They know that without their health nothing works. There are four areas of importance when it comes to self care:

• Physical health: Give your body the care it needs by exercising regularly, feeding it nutritious food, and getting enough sleep

• Social/emotional health: Live a life of service, empathy, synergy, and security. Spend time with people you care about and who care about you. This will help you construct a meaningful life

• Spiritual health: Prioritize activities that require deep thought and reflection, such as meditation, study, and commitment

• Mental health: Nourish and exercise your mind. Take the time out to learn new things, write, read, etc. This will keep your mental faculties in good shape as you evolve

Consider the traits and habits listed above as a checklist - it would be overwhelming to try and adapt all of them all at once. But anyone can integrate 1 to 3 traits at any given time. The key point here is that you need to be consistent with the habits, be patient and when it feels like things are getting tough, slow down and don’t give up.

Which of these habits resonates with you the most, or is there something specific you'd like to work on?

Lastly, when you have a win no matter how small it is, celebrate. Do something good for yourself. You got this!