We are the result of our repeated behavior. Or as Aristotle put it, “Success is not an action, but a habit.”
Here, top entrepreneurs and members of The Oracles weigh in on the one mental habit that drove their success and how to cultivate it in yourself.
1. Visualize your goals.
Since I was an athlete in high school, I’ve envisioned my goals as if they were already happening. I’ve used this visualization practice for decades now, and it’s supported my athletic career, my business achievements, and my current endeavor to make a massive global impact through the media.
There’s no right or wrong way to visualize your goals. It’s a matter of setting time aside every morning or night to close your eyes and play a movie in your mind of what your life will be like when you’ve achieved your dream.
This practice primes your mind to believe your end goal has already happened, so when the time comes to perform, you’re confident and ready. —Lewis Howes, former pro athlete, global top 100 podcast host, NYT-bestselling author of The School of Greatness, and creator of The Millionaire Morning; follow Lewis on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube
2. Update your mental tapes.
We all have old tapes in our head that we put on replay whenever a new opportunity arises. I was a terrible student in school, so for years, the tape that ran in my head reinforced old, negative beliefs about myself. I would play the tape and go into a meeting convinced that I was not likely to succeed or get what I wanted.
I soon realized that my old tapes had outlived their usefulness and were getting in my way. So, I formed a new mental habit of updating the content of these tapes. I swapped out, “You’re not very good at this!” for “You’re just amazing! Show them what you’ve got!”
Recording over my old mental tapes was the one habit that has contributed most to my success. —Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group and Shark on “Shark Tank”
3. Rewire your beliefs in just five minutes a day.
While visualization and goal-setting are essential, one simple, daily practice can bring your goals to life. Set aside five minutes each day to write your goals down in the present tense with a specific result, as if you have already accomplished them.
For example, you may write, “We have 2,500 clients paying us $99/month for copywriting services,” or, “We operate 32 buildings and generate $128,000/month in rental income.”
The act of writing and rewriting your goals daily from memory rewires your nervous system to create a unique singularity of focus. It also gives you total clarity on what your subconscious should be focusing on every single day. —Sharran Srivatsaa,
4. Arrive 15 minutes early to everything.
Punctuality alone will get you very far in life. Growing up, I made it a point to be early to everything. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I was priming myself to become a successful businessman.
My motto is, “The tardy salesman never makes the sale.” This couldn’t be more true. Being late to a meeting inevitably starts the discussion off on the wrong foot. It’s very hard to recover from that poor first impression. Being late essentially says, “My time is more important than yours.” These are words no businessperson ever wants to hear.
For those who have not cultivated this essential skill and are perpetually tardy, my suggestion would be to make a conscious effort to arrive 15 minutes early to everything you do. Whether it’s your gym class, a dinner reservation, or the business meeting of your dreams, be early.
This will give you time to collect your thoughts and soothe any anxious feelings you may have. As the great philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, “In the ordinary business of life, punctuality is … necessary.” —Jonathan Gilinski
5. Go for ‘No.’
Everyone yearns to hear “Yes,” but the way you handle hearing “No” will make you great.
Most people only set their sights on “Yes” targets throughout their day; they worry about hearing “No,” and feel deflated when it happens. But in trying to avoid “No,” you place too much pressure on yourself, leaving you uptight, not having fun, and ultimately, less successful.
I learned that “No” is an important part of the “Yes Process.” Embrace it. Rather than avoiding “No,” I learned to “Go for No!” It became my primary goal to reach each day. The difference between “Wanting No” and “Avoiding No” made all the difference. My natural fear of rejection practically went away. I became better, faster, and made a lot more money.
Remember: all of the “Yeses” you want are buried in a sea of “No’s.” Set a goal for how many “No’s” should you target each day. “Go for No!” I bet it’ll become the number one habit that builds your empire. —Shaun Rawls
Writer: The Oracles
