Despite popular belief, people who find consistent success, whether in the workforce or their personal lives, don’t get there by luck or talent alone. There is a hidden method beneath the chaos.

We’re talking about habits.

Successful people have certain habits in common that underpin many areas of their lives. These habits play a significant role in helping them progress, becoming a routine that sets them up to succeed. You can start adopting some of the habits shared by some of the world’s most successful people as you continue your journey to success.

Habits play a major role in determining whether or not you are going to achieve your goals. Bad habits often stop you from reaching success, and they make fighting distractions impossible. Good habits can help you improve your life, reach your goals, meet deadlines, and improve your relationships.

If you want to succeed in your life, adopting these 10 habits will help you get there.

1. Wake up early

Successful people advise that waking up early is an excellent way of getting in the mood to work. More hours of the day mean more time spent focused on your goals.

Furthermore, it’s a great way to remain energized throughout the day, as you’re fully present to tackle any and all challenges. It might take a little adjusting to at first, so consider pulling back your bedtime by half an hour increments until you’re rising early consistently.

2. Spend time alone

“Be alone, that is the secret of inventions. Be alone that is when ideas are born.” -Nikola Tesla.

Nikola Tesla was an inventor and engineer who is well known for his contributions in the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system. According to him, time alone helped him come up with new ways of looking at things, which gave life to his inventions.

Spending time alone gives you the space to think deeply and reflect on your life and work. It’s when you’re alone, free from distractions, that you come up with new ideas that can make a big difference in your life.

3. Read, read and read

Countless billionaires, history makers, and brilliant minds talk about how reading books is an excellent way of broadening your perspective and gaining a working knowledge of things that will change your life for the best.

It is through reading that the Former US President Abraham Lincoln became the great historic figure that he is today. It is because he was an avid reader that he made his mark in the world, as this helped him gain a greater perspective on the world and the plights of those living in it.

If you want to reach greater heights and stay at the top, start adding reading to your daily habits.

4. Network with other people

Networking with other people is an excellent way of learning new things and realizing new opportunities that will work in your favor. You never know where a relationship can turn into a positive boost for your career.

Once you begin to understand the value of interacting with other people, you will naturally begin to set aside specific hours for networking and collaboration. But at the beginning, you may need to push yourself out of your comfort zone. This can be challenging at first, but keep at it.

It’s natural to find this a nervous experience. Keep in mind that, just like with exposure to any situation, networking will begin to fit naturally into your life as though you always lived it.

5. Get rid of distractions

We’ve done entire articles on this, but we’ll say it again: distractions kill ambition.

Getting rid of distractions has obvious benefits, but can also help improve your overall concentration levels as well as your productivity. Create mantras that will ensure you remain focused on what you are doing.

For example: “no distractions for the next four hours.”

Simple enough, but when repeated often, this can become a powerful tool.

6. Practice good personal hygiene

Taking care of yourself is one good habit you can pick. Eating healthy and exercising keeps you in excellent spirits, which is something you need if you are going to succeed.

You’ll have no energy to invest into your goals if you’re malnourished and under slept. Consider switching up your diet and abstaining from any adverse effects on your health, such as smoking.

7. Reduce your stress levels

This one is easier said than done sometimes, but is a vital step.

Stress comes with all kinds of hurdles. Not only does it affect your productivity and overall effectiveness, but it can actually contribute to illness. If you don’t think so, you can find plenty of studies of stress related sickness.

We can get you started here.

Try to turn stress management into a habit. This will help you cope in whatever situation you find yourself in. In addition, coming off of our last habit, getting enough rest/sleep will reduce your stress levels as well.

8. Have goals and the right attitude in achieving them

One obvious way of ensuring success is by having clear goals and taking the necessary steps to reach them. The clearer your goal, the more confident you will be in following through.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to have the entire process figured at the beginning. Just begin filling in whatever areas you can in your master plan, and equal parts inspiration and experience will soon take over the rest.

Furthermore, your attitude certainly helps in propelling you forwards. You can start by simply adopting and maintaining an “I have what it takes” attitude to start seeing results while you work.

If you want to read more on attitude, we did a full article here.

9. Leave your past to the past and focus on your future

Holding on to your past failures or discouragements will distract you from living in the present and being excited about the future. Do your best to leave your past behind.

This isn’t always a said-and-done matter. It’s often more of a continued process. Think of it like lifting weights. At the beginning you have to build strength, and then you have to maintain it.

It would be unrealistic to suggest that you never think about your past. However, when you do so, you can look back in a positive manner and with a mind to search for the lessons learned.

Do your best to only talk about the positive elements in your past, and do not allow what happened in the past to get in the way of what you do. Each day is a fresh slate and a new opportunity.

If you’re looking to take this further, check out this fantastic range of FREE hypnosis CDs from Dr. Steve G Jones, certified clinical hypnotherapist.

These tracks are designed to help cement poitive thoughts and feelings into your mind, and to help undo past decisions so that you can leave them in the past. These tracks cover finances, anxiety, weight loss, happiness and overall success, so there’s something for everyone.

If you’re looking to get the most out of our articles with an extra boost to your self development, be sure to check them out: as we said, they’re 100% free!

     10.  Stay positive

This might sound a little cliché, but it’s true: the more positive you are, the more power you can amass in your life to direct towards solutions. Those who look for problems find them, as do those who seek solutions.

Being positive and optimistic also makes the journey to success more exciting. Practicing positive self-talk and having positive thoughts will help prevent negative thoughts that can hinder your progress.