Where you are today in life is for the most part a result of what you have put in so far. What you have put in so far relies heavily on the habits you cultivated over time. Habits are automated routines formed from past decisions without (much) thought process and analysis. Personal habits could be brushing the teeth every night before going to bed, sleeping with the television on etc.
When a habit is formed it is usually difficult to break. According to Samuel Jackson:
“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”
The habits we form either make or break us because every
habit has an effect -good or bad.
habit has an effect -good or bad.
To achieve greatness and success the habits that need to be formed are:
1. Hard Work
We are finished products of hard work. It took hard work for a sperm to survive out of millions of sperms to fertilize an egg. Hard work can be described as a great deal of effort or endurance. To be successful, powerful and reach great heights in life you need to put in a great deal of effort.
"There is no substitute for hard work." -Thomas Edison
Anything attained without hard work is nothing but temporary because it takes hard work to remain at the top. You will meet hindrances, challenges and make mistakes but with hard work there will be no limitations to where you can reach.
2. Aspiration
The childhood stage of life is full of dreaming (building a flying Lego space ship), wishing (we could be super heroes), longing (to travel the world), aiming (to be the richest man in the world) etc. At the childhood stage in life everything is possible. What happens when adulthood kicks in? Dreams begin to die. Wishes are gone and desires wane. People start becoming 'realistic' and the possible becomes impossible.
Aspiration is a habit that gives life, constantly fosters rejuvenation and knows no limits.
Everyone was born great; what makes the difference is aspiration. The world's greatest leaders, business moguls, professors etc have one habit that set them apart from their contemporaries -aspiration. It's okay to dream and challenges are very healthy.
"You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." -James Allen
Aspiration is what keeps you growing beyond leaps and bounds. Cultivating the habit of aspiration will take you places where success and greatness abound.
3. Bravery
Things that come to mind when the word 'brave' is used include forwardness, courage, confidence and willingness to take risk. A typical scenario is a classroom full of students and a call is made for a facilitator to volunteer. At this point, a level of inhibition and hesitation builds up among the students. But as soon as someone steps up, defies the urge of inhibition and does the facilitation the entire class feels a relief. Repetition of this scenario a few more times and having the same student come forward for facilitation gets this student used to it; thus resulting in a habit of boldness being formed.
To be successful you have to have boldness to work against all odds.
"Whatever you can, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has power, magic and genius in it." -W.H. Murray
4. Innovation
Innovation is life. You have two options: innovate or die. Forming the habit of always finding new method of doing things is a sure being exceptional. Innovation is a continuous search for ways to solve problem and more effective ways of doing things. Always look for new ways to be more efficient, improve quality and productivity regardless of how you feel. People are constantly looking for the new stuff and will pay to get the it as long as it brings a positive touch. Nokia was once a giant in the mobile telecommunication industry. However, Nokia and Blackberry failed because they lagged in innovation where as Apple and Android keep excelling because they are on top of the innovation game. Innovation will keep you relevant as well as outstanding among the rest.
5. Take Charge
Cut out the unimportant stuff in your life and this means anything that does not add value to your life or that of others. Always stay in control regardless of the pressure because you are the architect of your own destiny. Do not put your future in anybody's hands. Always take out time to plan, analyze and make decisions. Instead of managing time, manage your priorities. Decide which tasks, events and people matter the most in your life and always allocate your time based on that. Give more time to things and people that build you up. Always use situations to your benefit do no lot let situations benefit from using you. Self-control is a determinant of failure or success in life. Know when to step back or step forward in any circumstance as opposed to reacting based on other peoples action towards you. A loaded gun could be used for good or bad; the choice still lies in the hands that pull the trigger.
6. Study
Always look for opportunities to learn. Make out time everyday to learn just one new thing everyday. The top one-percent inculcate the habit of self-education. Most successful people did not get to the top by accident. Most times the 'overnight' success people see is as a result of the everyday study habit formed by successful people. Studying opens the mind up to a new world, new ideas and possibilities.
The industrial age happened years ago; this is the information age. We live in an era where the person with most recent and viable information is crowned the king. Success leaves traits and to be invaluable in any sphere you have to study people who have attained the peak heights. The sure way to keep growing is to keep learning. Invest your time and money in constant acquisition of knowledge if you want an extraordinary life. One of the greatest and billionaire investors of today, Warren Buffet said he spends 80% of his day reading.
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