Are you wondering how to be successful in life? It’s a common question, but it means finding out what success means to you. It’s subjective, after all.
In life, we come across many big hurdles. Although the easy path without any hurdles may be tempting, it’s always the person who takes the hard path and overcomes the hurdles that is remembered. When learning how to be successful in life, it’s all about knowing what success is to you and sticking with your chosen path, no matter how hard it gets.
We’re always walking on in life. Sometimes, we walk ahead. Sometimes, we walk back home. Other times, we never take a single step. We crumble to ashes at the very spot we were dropped.
Someone can walk in circles and yet climb mountains, cross seas, and walk over water, win battles and wars. It’s all about being brave enough to take the next step.
Have you ever wanted to take a chance on something higher, but you were afraid that you’d lose what you’ve left behind? Who knows what you can achieve unless you take that step and risk it all?
It’s alright to take one step back to leap if you know you can leap across the next five. [Read: 70 true secrets to happiness to have a happy life and enjoy everything you do]
How to define success
You want to know how to be successful in life, but what is success to you?
You see, success is a subjective term. What one person deems a success, another person might consider a total failure. So, before we go on, take a moment to think about not how to succeed in life, but what succeeding actually means.
Does it mean earning a lot of money? Perhaps you consider success to be total happiness? Or maybe you think success is having people look up to you. [Read: Powerful rules of life for a happy, positive, and meaningful life]
Anything can be a success if you consider it to be, but one person’s view isn’t always the same as another’s. When learning how to succeed in life, understanding what it means to you is the first step.
The key thing to remember here is that you should only ever go after the success that you want. You shouldn’t compare your idea of success to someone else’s. If you do, you’ll never reach what you truly desire. [Read: How to be chill and learn to live a happier life as a result]
What it takes to be successful and the habits to adopt
Once you know what your idea of success is, what does it take to get there?
Well, persistence, for sure. You need to keep going, even when things are hard and you can’t figure out what to do next.
You will need patience, too. If you’re not patient, you’ll just give up because it’s not coming fast enough for you.
It’s also important to get into the habit of thinking positively. It’s not easy, but over time, you’ll be able to develop a more positive mindset if you try and see the silver lining in everything first.
Work hard, believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. [Read: 52 happy habits and ways to find happiness within yourself and feel better]
Take chances and watch your life change
More than anything else in our lives, we want to be secure. We spin our world around the security we hold for ourselves, and we’re proud to work in the shadows, just as long as we can come back home with a steady flow of smiles.
We have seen many people with great ideas wasted away because they were too afraid to take a chance on themselves. And the worst part of it all, another person may come along, take that same chance, and soar to the clouds.
And that leaves our good, old, secure friends in a frustrating dilemma. Ever felt that? Remember the time when you had a great idea but you just held it in, only to watch someone else take that same step and walk far away, and out of your league? Why didn’t you take that chance?
When every beat in your heart resounds with the drive to take a chance, take it. [Read: How to be fearless – 18 ways to set aside fear and live life like a champion]
How to succeed in life
So, if success didn’t land on your doorstep, you’re going to need to work hard for it. Not sure where to start? Here are some extremely helpful tips on how to succeed in life.
What you consider success to be might not come to you overnight, but with persistence, you’ll start to see progress.
1. It’s all in your head
Success will happen when you want it to happen. It really all starts in your head. If you think you can do it, you will. If you think you won’t be able to, well, you won’t.
It’s all in your head. Once you overcome that, then you’ll be able to work on succeeding. [Read: Sense of self – what it is, 36 signs, tips and steps to raise it and feel great]
2. Carefully define your success
What does success mean to you?
Is your goal to become the manager of the bank you work at? To open a café? If you reach that goal, will you have succeeded in making your dream come true?
You need to define what success means to you so that you’ll be able to work toward that. [Read: How to take the next steps to success]
3. Push through the hard times
Listen, the journey to success is not easy. What is easy is to just bail when the going gets rough. However, you’ll end up back where you were in the beginning. You don’t want that.
So, you’ll have to muscle through the hard times, that’s how you learn how to be successful in life.
You can cry, you can scream – that’s all okay. But the point is to make it out on the other side. [Read: 15 millennial problems that reveal all is not Instagram perfect]
4. Don’t feel entitled to success
To know how to succeed in life, you need to know that hard work doesn’t mean you’ll become successful. There’s this huge assumption that if you work hard, you’ll make it.
Now, don’t get us wrong, if you work hard, it will open some doors for you. However, it’s whether or not you take those opportunities that will define your success. So, don’t think because you spent a couple of nights staying up late that you’re now the next big tech guru.
5. Constantly work on yourself
Whatever your goal is, you must keep in mind that you also need to continue working on yourself. No one said your goal can’t be achieved. However, if you want to reach it, you’ll need to grow as a person.
Take some time to look at yourself and the areas that you need to work on to grow as a person. [Read: How to fall in love with yourself and be a better you]
6. Set a SMART goal for yourself every day
You can have a long-term goal, however, it’s much easier to achieve long-term goals if you set small ones. And then it won’t look like such a big venture.
However, your goals should be SMART. That means: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. This is how you can be sure that what you’re trying to do is actually doable in the first place.
Set daily goals for yourself that you want to complete, that way you stay disciplined and do what’s important to you. [Read: What is my purpose in life? 33 secrets to find meaning when you feel lost]
7. Be positive
No Debbie Downer ever knows how to succeed in life, unless their goal was to ruin everybody else’s life. So, you have to keep a positive outlook on life.
Sure, life has its hard moments, however, there are many moments that are positive and filled with joy and love. If you don’t keep a positive outlook on life, you become easily defeated by obstacles in your life.
8. Follow your passion
You need to find out what you love to do. Think about it. What do you love that you don’t get paid for? If you find out what that is, that’s most likely what you’re passionate about doing.
Either way, you’re doing it for free, so why not find a way to live off of that passion? You don’t need to become some crazy multimillionaire. If you do what you love, you’ll always have enough money and joy.
9. Find good mentors
How to be successful in life? You need to look up to someone who you want to be like, someone whose successes match yours and whose lifestyle you admire. Follow their advice and listen to their criticisms.
This will help you greatly in focusing your attention on what you want. [Read: Good friends are like stars – 18 ways to build lasting friendships]
10. Have a strong support group
If you don’t have a supportive group, well, then it’s time to get new friends. You need a support team made up of your family and friends who have your back no matter what.
That’s a huge part of how to succeed in life.
There will be times when you’ll feel low, and those are the times that you’ll need them to help you get back up on your feet. So, surround yourself with people who love you. [Read: What is a best friend? 15 signs you’ll never find someone better]
11. Start right now
Don’t wait until Monday or when summer’s over. You’re not going to start then. So start now.
Whatever your goal is, write it down and start planning it out. Learning how to be successful in life is about being proactive.
Life is really too short. Procrastination may work for school papers, but not when it comes to planning your life. If you procrastinate on your goals, you’ll wake up 80 years old and wonder where the time went. [Read: How to motivate yourself to do pretty much anything]
12. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Everyone needs help now and then. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. In fact, you’ll save yourself a lot of wasted time and headaches trying to do it all by yourself.
If you’re lost, ask for directions. It’s okay to have pride, just don’t let your pride bite you in the foot.
13. Take criticism
This is one of the most difficult parts of how to succeed in life. You’re going to be criticized over and over again. Some of it will stem from jealousy, while other criticism will stem from concern. Wherever it’s from, don’t just dismiss it.
In fact, use it to your advantage in answering some of those important questions you may not have thought about. Use it to alter your ideas and figure out the best path for you.
Just don’t allow criticism to deter you. [Read: Ways to master the art of constructive criticism]
14. Don’t be easy on yourself
So, the weather outside is crappy today and you think that maybe you should go to the gym tomorrow – NO! Get your butt up off the couch and put your sneakers on.
Listen, don’t be easy on yourself. Leave that to your grandma. You’re young, your mind is sharp, and it’s time to use it. Don’t baby yourself. [Read: Ways to get your “me time” in despite a hectic schedule]
15. Remove distractions
If you want to learn how to be successful in life, you need zero distractions. Maybe you’ve been playing your favorite video game for four days straight. Congratulations, we’re sure that has taken you far in life.
There are many distractions from what you should really be paying attention to. If something isn’t helping you reach your goals, it’s not worth it. Really, not worth it.
16. Use your imagination
Don’t think your goals are not realistic *unless they involve unicorns*. Still, you should use your imagination to influence your goals and help you visualize yourself achieving them.
Think about what you want your life to look like. Imagination is a powerful tool in making your dreams come true. It’s one of the most important parts of figuring out how to succeed in life. [Read: Life questions to help you visualize your future]
17. Take care of yourself to avoid crashing
You need to take a timeout for at least 30 minutes a day to focus on yourself. You could read a book, do some yoga, go for a run – whatever activity helps you cool down.
If you’re working all day, you want to avoid crashing. So, eat healthily and keep yourself balanced. [Read: How to make the absolute most out of your alone time]
18. Don’t rely on others
If you rely on someone else, well, you’ll be waiting all day for them to do something for you. If you need something done, do it yourself, or pay the extra money to get a professional to do it for you.
However, never fully rely on someone’s word. Always, always, remember this and then you will know a lot more about how to succeed in life.
19. Welcome failure
You’re going to fail. Just accept it – at some point, you’ll fail. It’s normal. And up to this point, you’ve probably failed ten times.
The most important thing about failure is to see your mistakes and to learn from them for the future.
So, welcome failure with a smile, because it’s going to come whether you like it or not. [Read: Fear of failure and why you shouldn’t be afraid to fail]
20. Don’t look behind
When you think of taking that next step, it might be a daunting task, but the person who wants to move ahead trusts themselves and takes a chance. And the person who keeps looking back over their shoulder can do no more than get scared and turn back.
You can learn how to be successful in life from people who have been through the roughest phases of their life. But they never gave up, they plowed on and on. That’s the lesson. [Read: Honest secrets to let go of the past, be happy, and look to the future]
21. Do the most important task first
This is also called “Eat The Frog”, but not literally! Eat The Frog is a time management technique that encourages you to do the most important or dreadful task of the day first.
That way, you’ll hit deadlines and you’ll free up your mind to focus on everything else. You know how it is when you’re dreading doing something, well do it first and you won’t feel that way afterward!
22. Have fun
Remember, this is life and it’s not supposed to be taken quite as seriously as you might think. It’s no good learning how to be successful in life if all you’re going to do is work every hour and never stop to smell the roses.
Make sure you have fun with it. Do the things you find joy in and keep a lighthearted perspective on everything as much as you can. [Read: 40 ways to have fun with friends, beat boredom, and create new memories]
23. Stop looking for shortcuts
There are very few shortcuts that actually work in life. Rather than going for the easy way out, just do the work and go through the process.
There are many lessons to be learned on the way and if you always try to take the easy route, you’re never going to discover them.
24. Get enough sleep
Sleep is not a luxury! Your body needs time to heal and it can only do that when you’re asleep.
Make sure that you get an average of 7-8 hours of good quality-sleep every night. And yes, that means not lying in bed with your phone on social media until the early hours! [Read: 21 common couple sleeping positions – what they mean and the best ones]
25. Be honest with yourself
If you’re only ever honest with one person in your life, it should be with yourself. This is your life and you need to be brave enough to admit when something isn’t working or when you need to make a change.
Have regular check-ins with yourself and assess how things are going. It’s the only way to learn. [Read: Being brutally honest – scenarios when it’s an obligation]
Success doesn’t come easy, but it comes to those who want it
You can work all the hours in the world, but if your idea of success is so lofty that even the most hard-working person couldn’t achieve it, you’re never going to get there. Take some time to really pinpoint what you want to achieve and whether it will mean success to you.
For sure, success is hard to reach, but that’s kind of the point! The best things in life don’t come easily but they’re totally worth it in the end.
Put in the hours and believe in yourself, that’s how you learn how to succeed in life. The rest will fall into place.
[Read: What’s the key to happiness? Truths to unlock a great life]
Take the magical path of positivity and you won’t just know how to be successful in life, you’ll have an experience of a lifetime in the process.
