Do you want to become a winner at life? Well, the number one way to do this is by changing your daily habits! It’s time to take a look at your life and evaluate the tasks you complete each day without thinking.
50 Power Habits of Winners In Life
As you evaluate your daily habits, you’ll probably need to eliminate some, especially if they are bad, or not a habit which will help you reach your goal. No matter what direction you are headed with your life, it’s time to start implementing power habits, especially if you want to become a winner in life.
1| Wake Up Early
If you are currently a night owl, this may sound like your worst nightmare. But time and time again, when successful CEO’s such as Steve Jobs are interviewed, they state that they begin their day bright and early, some as early as 3am. This is because it is much easier to get up earlier and get your day started sooner while you are fresh instead of staying up late trying to finish something. Either way, it’s time to set your alarm early and go to bed at a reasonable time.
2| Don’t Stop Learning
Just because you may have finished school doesn’t mean you should be done learning. You should strive to continue to learn new things every day of your life. This will help keep your mind fresh and keep your life interesting! If you aren’t sure what you should learn, check the local community center for a fun class or consider learning a new language!
3| Set Goals
Successful people set goals. There is no other way to look at it. If you want to win at life, you need to start by setting goals for yourself and checking in with them frequently. Most experts recommend writing down your goals on a weekly basis and regularly maintaining a list of short term, as well as long term goals.
4| Prioritize Your Life
For those of you who feel you may be over-extended, it’s time to learn how to prioritize. Which tasks on your to-do list are absolutely necessary? And which items could stand to be cut or maybe pushed to a later date? Once you figure these things out, you’ll quickly be on your way to living a lower stress life in which you still get to do all the things you wish to do.
5| Be Grateful
One habit you absolutely must adapt is an attitude of gratefulness. Even though it’s important to want something more for yourself and work towards it, it’s also critical that you appreciate what you have. This will help you to better navigate the more difficult times in your life. Some people find they benefit from making a list of all the things they are grateful for on a regular basis.
6| Visualize
Visualization is a powerful tool which can truly work to help you achieve your goals. All successful people employ visualization in their lives in one way or another. Visualization can encompass you simply sitting and thinking of what you will look like in the future, or you can choose to make a physical representation such as a vision board and check it habitually if you choose.
7| Journal
Get into the habit of journaling daily. Twice daily if you can manage. You should start your morning every day by spending 5-10 minutes writing down your goals. Then end each day by spending a few minutes in your journal writing about how the day went. This will help you to process you day and learn from challenges which may have arisen. This will also help you to express and manage your emotions in a healthy way.
8| Organize Your Space
If you are in the habit of leaving your space a mess, it’s time to change this. Spend a day or two organizing, then get into the habit of always putting things back where they belong when you are finished. This will help you to spend less time frantically searching for items you have misplaced.
9| Transform Your Thinking
It’s time to stop the habit of negative thinking. Aim to transform each negative thought into a positive one. This won’t come automatically at first, but like with most habits, once you practice it enough, it will become second nature and transform the way you approach situations.
10| Don’t Complain
Now that you aren’t thinking negatively, the habit of not complaining should come naturally. But if it doesn’t, it’s time to make this a habit as well. No one likes a complainer, and if you are in the habit of whining about everything, no one will want to be around you and this will hinder your success.
11| Read
You may be surprised to find out that most successful people spend large amounts of their free time reading. You should make it a habit to try and read for some amount of time each day. Most successful CEO’s say they read at least thirty minutes a day and sometimes make it through one book each week. This might be a tall order, especially if you are just developing your reading habit. So, aim to read for a little bit each day, finishing at least one book each month.
12| Use Affirmations
Now that you are thinking positively, it’s also important that you think of yourself in a positive light. This means knowing you can do things, and when the going gets tough, keeping yourself in the positive habit. You can do this by developing positive affirmations that you have the habit of repeating to yourself during difficult times. An example would be saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” when you are faced with a trying situation.
13| Learn To Say “No”
You will never become a winner if you are constantly in the habit of saying yes to everything and over-extending yourself. It’s time to get into the habit of saying ‘no’ when you are presented with something you know you can’t complete, or simply don’t want to devote your time to doing.
14| Meditate
Start the habit of beginning each day in meditation. This will help relax your mind and prepare you for the day ahead. You can also end your day with meditation, whichever helps calm your thoughts more, just make sure you make it a daily habit either way.
15| Exercise
Regular activity is an extremely important part of maintain a healthy lifestyle, even if you aren’t trying to better your physique. It helps lower stress, increase immune function, and boost your overall mood. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise each day. It can help to incorporate this exercise into your morning routine.
16| Eat Healthy
Getting into the habit of eating healthy is a crucial part of being a winner in life. Not only will you not be able to operate at your full potential if you are giving your body unhealthy food, but you also will be sacrificing your health as well. Try to consume only fresh, unprocessed foods. And get into the habit of focusing on just eating during meal times. Turn off the TV and put away the other distractions. This will help keep you from overeating.
17| Make Meals At Home
It’s hard to eat healthy when you eat at restaurants every night. This is why you should make it a habit to eat at home instead. This way you will know exactly what is going into each of your meals and you’ll have better control over the number of calories you are consuming as well. Plus, cooking at home can be a great therapeutic activity which you may come to enjoy!
18| Edit Your Network
It’s time to review who you spend your time with. If the people you surround yourself with are negative people who don’t try to go anywhere in life, chances are you will feel negative and uninspired when you are with them. This shouldn’t just be done once, but it should be a habit to regularly review your social circle and make cuts and additions as needed.
19| Meet New People
Think about the last time you met someone new. It’s been a while, right? Well, it’s time to get into the habit of meeting new people again. Don’t be afraid to say hello if you notice someone noticing you or join a new group of friends. You never know how this may benefit your future or what these new people may have to offer to add to your life.
20| Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
Most people are in the habit of not asking when they have questions. Not only does this keep them from knowing the answer but it may lead them in the wrong direction. Next time you are in a situation and you find yourself wondering something, ask it! This good habit will help you to not be confused and to continually be learning new things!
21| Try Something New
Just like asking questions, people who aren’t going anywhere in life will refuse to try something new. Get into the habit of taking new opportunities which may present themselves. And if there is something in your life you’ve always wanted to try, don’t put it off! You never know which activity you engage in will help you on the path to become a winner in life.
22| Stand Up For Yourself
If you are in the habit of always being quiet and accepting when someone puts you down, it’s time to swap this bad habit for its more positive counterpart where you stand up for yourself instead. This will help build your confidence and you’ll feel much better about yourself when you don’t let others talk about you in a negative way.
23| Don’t Overspend
Credit cards are now a commonplace in society, and as such, they make it very easy to overspend the money you are paid. This is a bad habit as you can quickly wind yourself in a pile of debt that you can’t escape. Instead, work to spend only as much as you make in one month as this will keep your stress lower and save you from bills that you may not be able to pay in the future.
24| Save Money
Besides not overspending, it’s also important to start the habit of saving some of your money that you make each month. This way you will be prepared when an emergency comes your way. This habit can be easier to form than others as you can set up your bank account so that money automatically deducts on the same day each month.
25| Have Multiple Sources Of Income
Another good habit to form when it comes to money, is to maintain multiple sources of income. This will ensure that if something goes wrong with one of your sources of income, that you won’t be left hanging or quickly descend into debt. The best way to form this habit its by monetizing one of the hobbies you already have. For example, if you like to knit, try knitting sweaters or blankets and selling them to friends and family.
26| Ditch Time Wasters
Everyone has a time waster or two in their life, and no matter what they are, it’s time to ditch them. This could be something such as social media or TV. If you spend time on it instead of working towards your goals, it’s a time waster and it’s time to form the habit of not engaging in it and doing something constructive instead.
27| Don’t Give Up When It Gets Tough
When life gets tough, most people have the habit of giving up. But winners in life have the habit of sticking with something to see it through to the end. Engage your habit of positive affirmations to help form this habit.
28| Do The Hardest Tasks First
Get into the habit of starting a set of difficult tasks by completing the hardest one first. This way you will be working on your hardest task while you have the most energy, and it will be out of the way so you won’t have to stress about it while you complete the easier tasks. You can arrange the to do lists you are now in the habit of making each day to put your tasks in order from hardest to easiest.
29| Spend Time In Nature
Spending too much time indoors is a habit of most people in the modern age. Time to swap this bad habit as well and resolve to spend more time in nature. Not only does this help lower stress, but it can help energize you and even out your mood. For the double whammy, combine this habit with your daily exercise to knock out two birds with one stone.
30| Take Time For Yourself
However busy your life may be, start the habit of taking some time each day for yourself. During this time, you can do whatever you want to do that helps you relax. Take a bath, read a book, or maybe just relax on the porch with a cup of tea. Whatever it may be, try to spend at least thirty minutes on it each day to help keep your stress low.
31| Turn Off The TV
If you haven’t already ditched the TV as a time waster, well, it’s time to get into the habit of shutting it off regardless. Watching hours of TV each day is a habit which is bad for both your health and goals. Think of all the time you currently spend watching TV. What could you use that time to do instead? Exactly. Turning off the TV is one of the number one habits successful people report that they practice.
32| Put Down The Phone
And it’s not just the TV, it’s also time to habitually put down your phone. Of course, depending on your profession, you phone might be a part of your goal, but it’s still important that you put it down for certain periods of time.
These periods of time are when you are spending time with friends and family, or if you are supposed to be working. This will show that you value their time and help you form better relationships (and perform better at work!)
33| Cherish The Small Things
Life has a lot of good times and bad. And when you are in the habit of cherishing even the small things, this will help you feel like the bad times aren’t so bad. Sometimes as people grow up, they see cherishing the small things as somewhat childish, but it’s not, so don’t be afraid to spend time enjoying something that one of your friends may deem as trivial.
34| Listen
If you aren’t a good listener, it’s time to develop this habit. People who are good listeners are able to better create and maintain healthy relationships. Rather than thinking of what you will say next when someone is talking, sit and really absorb what they are saying. This will help you to better understand them—and you never know what useful information they will have to offer which may help you!
35| Learn To Communicate
Once you learn to listen, you can start the habit of being a good communicator. This goes right along with asking questions when you encounter things you don’t understand. Remember that when something is wrong, or you need something, and you don’t bring it up, this is much more damaging than asking for something and being told no. Always strive to be the best communicator possible in your profession as well as in all of your relationships.
36| Create Routines
As you can see, this list is getting pretty lengthy. This is a lot of habits to instill in your life, and it can be challenging if you try to begin and maintain each one on its own. Ease your mental workload by developing routines which encompass a few habits in one.
For example, a morning routine can easily contain waking up early, journaling, exercising, spending time in nature, and meditating. And just like that you’ve worked five power habits into one routine you can do automatically when you wake up in the morning.
37| Be Mindful
Being mindful is an extremely powerful habit. Being mindful means, you spend time focusing on the present rather than fixating on the past or stressing over the future. This will help you experience more of what life has to offer and be more aware of what is going on around you. Like a number of the other habits on this list, this habit can go hand in hand with putting down your phone, turning off the TV, and eating healthy.
38| Get Enough Sleep
Almost everyone is guilty of skimping it on the sleep from time to time. And now is the time to get into the habit of getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night. Not only will you feel better, but this is better for your body as well. You’ll be less stressed, lose weight, and your skin will thank you. Doctors recommend that most adults get between 7-8 full hours of sleep each night.
39| Take Care Of Your Health
When health problems arise, don’t put off getting them taken care of. This is a bad habit which can quickly spiral out of control. It’s time to get into the habit of addressing health problems right when they come up. If something doesn’t feel right, or you don’t feel well, have it addressed by the proper professional right away before the problem grows to be something worse. This doesn’t just apply to the doctors, but also the dentist and even mental health care.
40| Don’t Procrastinate
Procrastination is a horrible habit of unsuccessful people. It’s time to trade this habit for one where you start all of your work or projects on time and finish them on time too. When you put stuff off to the last minute, it will stress you out and chances are it won’t be your best work. Instead start early, as soon as the project is assigned, and aim to finish early too.
41| Learn From Your Mistakes
You will make mistakes at some point in your life, it’s inevitable. But don’t fret, as long as you are in the habit of learning from your mistakes, each one you make will have a profound impact on your life. If you aren’t sure what a mistake may have taught you, try combining this habit with journaling to work through what occurred and how you can deal with the situation differently.
42| Don’t Be Afraid Of Risks
Just as you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, you also should also be in the habit of not being afraid of risks. This is because you often have to take big risks in order to achieve success. Just make sure you are taking calculated risks whenever possible.
43| Pay Attention To Details
Lots of people go through life not noticing half of what goes on around them. If you want to be a winner at life, it’s time to develop the habit of noticing the details of people, places, and events. Not only will this help your memory, but you may also learn something new which can help you achieve your goals.
44| Have Confidence
If you are in the habit of using positive affirmations and standing up for yourself, you’re likely already in the habit of having confidence. But if you find yourself struggling with this particular habit, don’t be afraid to look into self-help books or podcasts to help you learn to be confident in yourself.
45| Learn To Control Your Emotions
This can be a tough habit to develop. But living and functioning as a winner at life means you need to always be aware of your emotions and be able to control them even in times of stress. This habit will help you strengthen your relationships as well as your career.
46| Learn To Enjoy Solitude
People often tend to spend as much time in their life doing things with other people as possible. And while spending time with friends and family can be fun, it’s critical that you get into the habit of enjoying time in solitude. This is because, at the end of the day, you are the person you will have to live the rest of your life with, and other people may not always be there for you.
47| Take Responsibility For Your Actions
No one likes that person who plays the blame game. It’s time to get into the habit of taking responsibility for your actions. Not only will this gain you more respect but taking responsibility for a mistake you have made is a huge part of confidence as well as emotional maturity.
48| Be Thoughtful Of Others
Just as it is time to develop the habit of being mindful, it is also the time to work on being more thoughtful of other thoughts and feelings. Before you do something, which may affect someone else, ask yourself how it would make you feel if you were in their position. This may just change what you had planned to do or say.
49| Solve Problems Immediately
Winners in life don’t procrastinate, and this applies to problem solving as well. When something comes up in your life which can be considered a problem, face right away instead of engaging in the bad habit of thinking you will deal with it later, as this almost always turns out worse in the end.
50| Reflect On Things You Can Do Better
At the end of each day (or an especially difficult activity) it’s time to make a habit of reflecting on how you can improve. This is something winners do without prompting, which helps them stay winners in their life.
When you find something wrong with a method of how you did something, think of the changes you could make to solve it, then go back and try the activity again. And recognize that no matter how good you may be at something, there is always room for improvement.
Final Thoughts
Even if you find it difficult to develop all of the habits on this list, don’t fret, as it takes time and commitment to develop habits. As long as you stick with your habit development routine, and resolve to never give up, you will eventually create power habits which will lead you on the path to becoming a winner at life.
