Working daily to becoming healthier and smarter leads to success by every measure.
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Obtaining wealth and success is a journey. We can look at those who have made it and tell ourselves that they were born special or have been incredibly lucky. Those both may play some role in their success, but using someone else's success as a reason for our lack of achievement is just an excuse.
Almost all successful and wealthy people started out where we did. What differentiates us and them is not genetic disposition or being born into a rich family. Rather it is the way that they live their lives each day. It is the habits that they have created for themselves and the way they have learned to become better -- and it is the daily grind of working consistently towards understanding the world.
This journey starts with our daily habits. Over time, when continuing these habits and frameworks of thinking, we will move closer towards success and wealth.
Here are eight daily rituals that you can begin today that will drastically improve your chances of wealth and success:
1. Exercise.
Exercising has many positive effects. First, it will keep you healthy. This helps you look good and feel good about yourself. It is also a great time to decompress. We are busy during the day, and, when we work out, we are able to leave everything else aside.
Not to mention that exercising releases endorphins which, by definition, make us feel better. Some people say that you have to work out in the morning or in the evening. Instead, just find the time that exercising is best for you.
For some, working out in the morning is a great way to kick off the day. Others would rather use the morning to work and enjoy winding down with a workout in the evening.
2. Self-reflect.
We have many experiences each day. We could extract how each of these moments makes us feel and impacts on our life. Reflecting the outcome of our experiences helps align us moving forward to do more of what we love and learn from our mistakes and successes.
Successful people take the time each day to reflect. This could come in a variety of forms, depending on what works for you. Some people like to journal. Others like to go for walks. Other people like to meditate. Regardless of what you choose, finding some way to self-reflect will put your future decisions more in line with who you are at heart.
3. Build your network.
Being self employed is hard. Imagine if you sent one cold email each day and one message to someone that you know giving them an article they would be interested in.
Over the course of the year, you will have reached out to 365 people and added significant value to the lives of those that you already know. Successful people have powerful networks and are able to leverage them to find new opportunities, learn, and be challenged.
Sending two emails sounds quite easy and it is. Yet, close to nobody does it each day. Taking the five or 10 minutes each day to create stronger connections with others will drastically improve your success.
4. Work on a skill or habit.
Spending 10 to 30 minutes daily on a skill or habit will pay drastic dividends over time. Over the course of a few years, you could become one of the best at one particular thing with this daily commitment.
Or, you could work on different skills/habits over time. Doing so, even with just a small amount of your day, will allow you to develop new skills or habits that you can apply throughout your life. Plus, doing so will make you happier by feeling more productive and a greater sense of personal growth.
5. Get enough sleep.
This point is a bit controversial. Some people would argue to sleep less and do more. If you are someone who can operate at maximum output with less sleep, then all the power to you. But don't kid yourself, most people, though, less sleep means sacrificing in productivity or output, even if you are drinking coffee.
Sleeping enough also gives our brain the necessary time to recharge and process the information that we received throughout the day. It can be difficult to make the conscious effort to get enough sleep when you are busy, but doing so will allow you to tackle life with everything that you have each day.
6. Take time to be grateful.
The most successful people take the time each day to be grateful for what they have. This gratitude promotes overall happiness. In turn, this allows us to tackle life with more energy and rigor.
Given that we are as lucky as we are, and have the opportunities that we do, we need to capitalize on them. Being grateful reminds us of that and can help us both take advantage of opportunities as well as persevere in difficult times.
7. Do something that makes you uncomfortable.
The most successful people take risks and challenge themselves. Making an effort each day to do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone will have endless benefits. It will make you more comfortable with risk. Being able to take chances is often the only way to yield large rewards.
This will also help you when you are in the face of adversity. Staying composed when times are tough will pay off in critical situations in your life. Being accustomed to risk also prevents complacency. It will give you a tendency to try new things which will leave you better off and make life more meaningful. Right now I'm trying to learn to become a better programmer as well as starting an Amazon store to make some extra cash. Just because I'm not good at it doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Start today, even if it's only five minutes.
8. Read.
Beyond working on new skills or habits, the most successful people are always learning. They make a daily commitment to reading. This does not have to come in the form of books. Some people listen to podcasts and others enjoy shorter articles. Regardless, though, consuming content and learning each day will widen your perspective and allow you to find more of what you are passionate about.
Deciding what to read can be difficult, but do not use that as an excuse. Don't overwhelm yourself with the likes of a book a week -- start with a page a day if you have traditionally not been a reader.
There are endless book reviews and recommendations out there that can help you pick. When one book sounds interesting, then go for it. Even if you end up disliking it, you can either put it down or you will finish it in 5-10 hours anyways. Here are a few top books I recommend for 2018!
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