As we start 2020, one of the key topics I am addressing with clients is that of developing great habits to set them up for an amazing year. Successful people are where they are today as a result of their habits. Your habits determine fully 95% of your behaviour. Everything that you are or that you will ever accomplish will be determined by the quality of the habits that you develop.
Brian Tracey, a master in this field, has identified seven habits that you need to develop if you want to perform at your very best in everything you do:
- Be Goal Oriented
The first is to become goal oriented. You need to be a goal setter, and commit to working from clear, written goals every day. All highly successful people are intensely goal oriented. They know exactly what they want, they have it written down, they have written plans to accomplish it, and they both review and work on their plans every single day.
- Be Result Oriented
Next is result orientation. Result orientation is made up of two practices. The first is the practice of continuous improvement so that you become better at what you do. The second practice is that of time management, which means setting very clear priorities on what you do and then concentrating single-mindedly on the most valuable use of your time.
- Be Action Oriented
The third major habit you need to develop is that of action orientation. This is really the most important habit for material success. It is the ability to get on with the job and get it done fast. It is your ability to develop and maintain a sense of urgency, a bias for action.
- Be Health Oriented
The fourth habit successful people develop is health orientation. This means that you must watch your diet, eating the right foods in the right proportions. In addition you must exercise on a regular basis, continually using every muscle and joint of your body to keep fit. Finally you must develop good habits of rest and recreation. Note, your health is the most important single thing you have, and it is completely subject to the habits that you develop with regard to the way you live.
- Be People Oriented
The fifth habit you need is people orientation. This is where you put relationships at the centre of your life. Virtually all of your happiness in life will come from your ability to get along well with other people.
- Stay Honest
The sixth habit is that of honesty. In the end, the character you develop as you go through life is more important than virtually anything else. Honesty means that you practice the “reality principle” in everything you do. You are completely objective with yourself and with the world around you. You set very clear values for yourself and you organise yourself around your values. You develop a vision for yourself and then you live your life consistent with your highest ideals.
- Be Self-Disciplined
The final habit, and the one habit that guarantees all the others, is that of self-discipline. Your ability to discipline yourself, to master yourself, to control yourself, is the most important single quality that you can develop as a person. The habit of self-discipline goes hand in hand with success in every area of life.
