Highly Successful People: 11 Little Life Changes That Make a Big Difference
In our society, we often emphasize and celebrate the achievements of gifted children, natural athletes, and child prodigies in various fields. However, success is not limited to these exceptional individuals. As an organizational psychologist who has dedicated my career to understanding the factors that contribute to progress, I have discovered that learning is not complete when we acquire knowledge. True success comes from consistently applying that knowledge in our daily lives.
Based on my research and experience, here are 11 small but impactful changes that highly successful people practice every day:
1. Seeking Discomfort: Instead of simply striving to learn and improve, successful individuals actively seek discomfort. They recognize that growth often requires stepping outside of their comfort zones and embracing challenges that initially feel wrong or uncomfortable.
2. Setting a Mistake Budget: To encourage trial and error, successful people set a goal for the minimum number of mistakes they want to make per day or week. By normalizing mistakes and viewing them as opportunities for growth, they ruminate less on failures and ultimately improve more.
3. Asking for Advice, Not Feedback: Rather than seeking feedback that focuses on past performance, successful individuals ask for advice that encourages forward-thinking and personal growth. By posing the question, “What’s one thing I can do better next time?” they transform their critics and cheerleaders into valuable coaches.
4. Identifying Trusted Sources: Successful individuals know how to identify reliable sources of information. They choose to absorb knowledge from coaches who possess relevant expertise, familiarity with their needs, and a genuine desire to see them succeed.
5. Striving for Excellence, Not Perfection: Instead of pursuing perfection, highly successful people aim for excellence. They understand that perfection is unattainable and can lead to unnecessary stress and fears of failure. By focusing on excellence, they can continuously improve without being burdened by unrealistic expectations.
6. Being Their Own Last Judge: Highly successful individuals prioritize their personal standards over external validation. Before sharing their work with the world, they assess whether it truly represents their best effort. They ask themselves, “If this were the only work people saw from me, would I be proud of it?”
7. Turning the Daily Grind into Daily Joy: Successful people find ways to make their daily routines enjoyable and engaging. They approach their practice with a playful mindset, incorporating fun and skill-building challenges into their everyday lives. For instance, basketball player Steph Curry may set a goal of scoring 21 points in a minute, or medical residents may practice nonverbal communication skills through improv comedy games using nonsense words.
8. Backing Up to Move Forward: When faced with obstacles or dead-ends, successful individuals understand the importance of reassessing their strategies and exploring new paths. They recognize that sometimes, taking a step back can lead to valuable insights and ultimately propel them forward.
9. Teaching What They Want to Learn: Highly successful people recognize that teaching is an effective way to deepen their understanding of a subject. By explaining concepts to others, they solidify their own knowledge and enhance their ability to recall information. They can engage in group settings, where each member teaches a distinct skill or share a slice of information.
10. Opening Doors for the Underrated and Overlooked: Successful individuals believe in creating inclusive systems that provide opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their initial potential or standing. They understand that a good system values and invests in underdogs and late bloomers, allowing them to showcase their progress and abilities.
11. Engaging in Mental Time Travel: When facing self-doubt or struggling to appreciate their current achievements, highly successful people engage in a powerful mindset exercise. They imagine how their past selves would view their present accomplishments. By acknowledging their growth and progress, they find motivation and pride in their journey.
By incorporating these 11 small but significant changes into your daily life, you can set yourself on a path to greater success and personal growth. Remember, success is not limited to the gifted or extraordinary individuals; it is attainable by anyone willing to embrace continuous learning and improvement.
Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, shares these insights based on his extensive research and expertise. He is also the bestselling author of books like “Think Again,” “Give and Take,” “Originals,” “Option B,” and “Power Moves.”
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I have over 10 years of experience in the cryptocurrency industry and I have been on the list of the top authors on LinkedIn for the past 5 years. I have a wealth of knowledge to share with my readers, and my goal is to help them navigate the ever-changing world of cryptocurrencies.
