Do you need to be extraordinarily charming or intelligent to win at life?
Sometimes it seems that way, doesn’t it? Only the truly gifted can succeed, and the rest of us ordinary mortals can’t.
But it might surprise you to learn that success isn’t a simple matter of innate talent or personality.
In fact, many of the people who seem to have it all together have simply mastered a set of habits that keep them on track. It’s less about what you’ve got and more about what you do with what you have.
So today, let’s talk about that. Here are seven unique habits of successful people who always seem to win at life.
1) They practice the abundance mindset
The first strange yet wonderful thing you’ll notice about highly successful people is that they have this kind of lightness to them. A sort of magnanimity that’s far from the rat-race mentality so common in today’s world.
That’s because they operate from a place of abundance. Meaning, they believe that there’s enough success, opportunities, and happiness to go around.
They don’t have to be constantly worried about losing out to someone else. Life isn’t a zero-sum game. If someone else wins, that doesn’t have to mean you lose.
What this kind of mindset does is create an environment of positivity and growth. That’s why they seem to always win at life. You just can’t lose when you’ve got a mind full of grace and generosity!
As author Steve Maraboli said, “Plant seeds of happiness, hope, success, and love; it will all come back to you in abundance. This is the law of nature.”
2) They are willing to do the dirty work
No, I’m not talking about anything underhanded. I’m simply talking about how they are willing to buckle down and do whatever needs to be done to reach their goals.
Truth is, success may look shiny on the surface, but behind the scenes, I guarantee that there were thousands of hours spent doing the unglamorous work.
Orville Redenbacher started out by selling kernels from the back of his car.
Kobe Bryant didn’t rest on his natural talent – he showed up at the gym day in and day out, long before everyone else arrived. And stayed, long after everyone else left.
They understand one basic lesson: success doesn’t happen just because you wish for it. It happens when you can set your ego aside and put in the hard work.
That said, they also know when they need to delegate…
3) They get people to do stuff they can’t do
If you want to win at life, here’s one thing you should know – you can’t get there alone.
At some point, you’ll need help. You can’t be everything and everywhere all at once!
Successful people do work hard, but they also work smart. They ask, “How can this task get done?” Not necessarily, “How can I do this?”
And another thing – if there’s someone else who can do it better, they hire that person, instead of wasting hours and hours trying to get it done themselves.
This brings me to the next point…
4) They have a sense of urgency
People who always seem to win at life get that way because they don’t waste time. Time is money, as the old adage goes.
In fact, this is one of the reasons behind Mark Zuckerberg’s boring wardrobe choices (or rather, lack of choice). He doesn’t want to waste time on minute decisions that take away energy unnecessarily.
Aside from that, successful people don’t wait for the stars to align before taking action.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, waiting for the perfect moment is a recipe for stagnation. So they act now, knowing they can adjust and improve as they go.
It’s all about momentum – while others are still stuck overthinking or waiting for “the perfect moment”, they’re already miles ahead.
5) They ask for advice, not feedback
I’m sure you’ve heard it said that feedback is so important for improving performance.
Well, yes, but there’s one thing even better – advice.
Studies show that asking for advice is more effective than asking for feedback. How so?
It has to do with orientation. Feedback is past-oriented, and is thus associated with evaluation. As Harvard Business Review explains:
“Because of this link between feedback and evaluation, when people are asked to provide feedback, they often focus on judging others’ performance; they think more about how others performed in the past. This makes it harder to imagine someone’s future and possibly better performance.”
Meanwhile, advice is future-focused, so it has a more developmental nature. It’s more critical and actionable, and therefore, more useful for anyone wanting to improve.
6) They have the discipline to say “no”
In an interview with Success.com, Spanx creator Sara Blakely said that “she worked on her idea at night and on weekends, often skipping dinners, parties, and other fun events to research patents and visit clothing manufacturers.”
Imagine a life like that where you’re so single-minded that you can say “no” to a lot of fun stuff. That’s how you become successful.
Real talk – we’ve only got a limited amount of time and energy. So, the question is, where do we spend them?
If you’re willing to be selective and say no to a lot of things, you stand a greater chance of reaching your goal.
Take it from billionaire Warren Buffet: “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”
7) They know how to pivot
Finally, the most important trait that sets highly successful people apart is adaptability.
According to Harvard professor Joseph Fuller, who has spent years studying the world’s most successful people, “They’re open to unexpected opportunities and embrace change instead of fearing it.”
Fuller further says that when we ignore what motivates or interests us, and let rigid expectations guide our career, we won’t get far.
Adaptability gets you out of your comfort zone and pushes your boundaries so you can become a stronger, better version of yourself.
Take the pandemic, for example. A global event that brought so many people and businesses down to their knees. And yet, there were some who still managed to win!
How? By pivoting to what would work in that kind of situation.
Survival of the fittest, indeed. And by fittest, it doesn’t mean the strongest or the smartest. It means the most adaptable.
If you can pivot and respond to new realities, no matter how unpleasant, you will absolutely be one of those who always seem to win at life.