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There are no guaranteed paths to success and wealth, but there are certain habits and lifestyle choices that most wealthy and successful people employ in their daily routine. Adopting them could help you on your way…
1. Reading
Warren Buffet has said that he spends 80% of his work time reading and learning. His enormous wealth obviously creates space for that when many of us would need to be getting on with our more standard jobs. However, the lesson remains. Those with a greater understanding of the world around them are exponentially more prepared to deal with the difficult decisions that life will throw at the.
2. Personal care
Specifically, exercise and personal hygiene. The benefits of even limited exercise once a day are well established. It makes you sharper and more positive in your approach – Richard Branson claims his productivity has doubled since he started an early-morning bicycle ride. Personal hygiene is critical to how you are regarded by your colleagues, and somebody who cannot take care of themselves is unlikely to be able to take care of a business. Diet is also critical – eating the wrong food at the wrong time of day can upset your ability to focus.
3. Rise early
Early risers have the benefit of a quiet couple of hours to clear their minds or to really focus on something while there is still peace, or to exercise. This quiet time for reflection is a common theme in surveys of wealthy people, and is said to reduce stress.
4. Sleep
Another common theme among the successful is that sleep is considered a priority. Albert Einstein is said to have required ten hours of sleep a night, which might be somewhat extreme – but surveys reveal that successful people make sure they get seven or eight hours of sleep a night. So, perhaps eschew that extra episode on Netflix and get to bed instead.
5. Don’t sweat the small stuff
Getting wound up about stuff you have absolutely no control over, such as bad traffic and slow WIFI or technical issues does nothing but reduce your ability to think straight. Successful people understand that they ought to control what they can, and laugh off what they cannot. Of course, you have options to avoid traffic and install reliable WIFI and, more generally, you can keep timewasters and negative people out of your life, but when the unavoidable happens, just take it in your stride.
6. Live with moderation
This isn’t a call for miserable austerity, but a reflection that a key feature of the behaviour of many successful people is that they live reasonably moderate lives. It’s not that they don’t live very comfortably, however they do often eschew the wasteful expressions of enormous wealth. Many have a single, expensive passion – be it wine, whisky, cars, travel or art – but it is usually indulged quietly and in a context of more generalised restraint.
7. Treat your juniors with respect. Make time for them.
Getting younger and junior people “on your team” is often as simple as acknowledging their work and according them respect. The most junior people in your sphere of influence will one day move on to greater things, and your behaviour towards them when there was a gulf in power dynamics will never be forgotten. Use your power to uplift and encourage people, to ensure that they have the tools they require to do their work, and you’ll be repaid with interest over the years. It’s a simple, easy and valuable habit.
8. Trust your gut
Despite whatever confidence issues you might have, the chances are that you’re doing the job you’re doing because you’re good at it. Create enough quiet in your daily routine to hear your instincts. They’re often quieter than the many other people demanding your attention and that you take a certain course of action. However, more often than not, your gut is worth listening to.
Reading always tops the list of habits of the most successful people, it’s an important factor for education, experience, knowledge and imagination building. The Department of Basic Education launched the “read to lead” campaign in 2015 and this year (2017), MANCOSA officially announced its partnership with the Department of Basic Education and New Africa Education Foundation (NAEF), which is aimed at contributing to the “read-to-lead” campaign. MANCOSA was proud to officially launch the first of many mobile libraries which will be rolled out to various schools nationally. These mobile libraries will be filled with grade specific books and are aimed at combating the many difficulties that schools in South Africa face in terms of managing and controlling library resources and infrastructure.
