Success may mean different things to different people, but this can be narrowed to one thing – achievement of a desired goal or vision. No matter what your goal may be, some basic daily habits or routines will help you to be successful. These habits are not just a matter of mere words, but they are facts that have scientifically been proven; more importantly, these have been adapted by various people in the world with different goals. Their results have led to one outcome, SUCCESS!
Hold on! There is a quick disclaimer here: these habits won’t automatically make you hit a jackpot of success, no, but these will help you to feel more motivated as to whatever goal you have set yourself. These routines help to keep the eyes on the price. Therefore, if this sounds interesting to you, please continue reading.
Wake up at 5 am
This is the most important one, yet, it may be the hardest of all.
We all love our sleep, yes, we all do. But let’s take a step back to reflect well on this. Waking up at 5 am gives you a minimum of 2 hours head start before everyone. This means you get 2 hours more than most of the people around you that wake up at 7 am. Also, this doesn’t just give you a head start for the day, but it leaves you with a few more hours during the evenings. Doing this routine every morning gives you plenty of time to do things that may have led to delaying you in the past to getting to appointments late.
You will have time to make your breakfast – this, in turn, help you to stop buying the unhealthy morning breakfast; There are many more benefits that you will get from taking this first step to being successful, but for you to unleash them, you will have to start waking up by 5 am first!
Greet the day and be Grateful
Whatever your belief may be, having to see a new day calls for appreciation. Having to see this new day means you have been given another chance to work towards that goal you want to achieve. You may wonder, well what to do I say, rather than just say “thanks for this new day”, and to whom do I even direct my thanks to? Well, if you feel this way, below are simple words you may say, or add to your thanks massage in the morning.
Good morning, I will like to show my appreciation this morning for being alive, for having a precious human life. I will like to say that I won’t waste this privilege I have. I will use this day to help the people around me, to grow and to be grateful for what they have also. I will not get angry unnecessarily, nor neither will I think badly of others. I will carry on with my day and benefit others, and to benefit myself… to grow.
These words can be used as a prayer to your God – but if you by any chance do not believe in one, use these words to simply be grateful for your wellbeing. Doing this as part of your daily routine will give you the boost to look forward to the day’s activities.
Successful Men Exercise
Every successful person on this planet earth knows and abides by the golden adage, “Health is Wealth.” There is no better way to start your day than to start with a win. Why is this a win? Waking up at 5 am is a struggle on its own but getting out of your bed to then force yourself to exercise by completing a workout is a total win. Do you know that morning workouts are the most efficient way to establish a routine? Well yes, it is. Once an exercise routine is established, you are less likely to miss the gym, and, you are more likely to adapt to other routines you may decide to adopt.
According to researches, morning workouts enable you to have more energy to start up your day – this will give you an instant energy boost, and it will also provide you with an increased mental clearance which will lead to a productive day wherever you need to be on the day. Morning workouts are not limited to have an energy boost in the morning, but it can also relieve your stress – Breaking a sweat by exercising before starting your day will help to lower our body’s cortisol levels (stress hormones). This is done by relaxing your muscles which in turn helps to fight the negative effects stress may have on your body. A morning workout might even give you more energy than a cup of coffee!
For you to achieve the act of waking up at 5 am, exercising in the morning rather than exercising in the evening or night helps to promote better sleeping habits. Working out boosts your endorphins (endorphin /ɛnˈdɔːfɪn/ – any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and having several physiological functions. They are peptides that activate the body’s opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect) – therefore, when you work out in the evening, your endorphins are boosted, which in turn makes it harder for you to sleep because your body has been activated.
Make a To-Do-List – Do the hard task first
Just as you have those long-term goals set up for yourself, that same vision needs to be created on a smaller scale to be a clear path for you for the day. This is essential because it keeps you focus throughout the day, and when you find yourself swerving off your day’s task, you can always refer to your list to get back on track.
Every day, tasks may differ, therefore, you must get this list so as not to miss out on of the important things to do for the day. Speaking of an important task, when making your daily to-do-list, you should arrange your list by the most important tasks of the day, followed by the hardest tasks. In the morning, we are full of energy, therefore, doing your toughest tasks of the day first with your morning energy will only make the rest of the tasks for the day be a piece of cake.
Make Your Bed
This is one of the first things our parents or guardians may have thought us when little, but maybe one of the hardest to follow because we think to ourselves ‘Why do I have to get this arranged when I will come back to get it messed up again?’ Well, the simple truth is that the act of making your bed before heading out for the day’s task is one of the important things to get done if you want to complete your day’s task with ease. Why? Continue reading to find out why.
Please read what Naval Admiral William McRaven, the commander of U.S Special Operations, in a 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin has to say regarding the act of making your bed in the morning. He said:
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.”
“By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.”
Making your bed in the morning also gives you a relaxing effect to carry on your day, and it will also make your room look cleaner than it was. Gentlemen District will strongly advise that you try this out.
Read a Book
If you are like me, reading books is just not my thing – I cannot concentrate; this makes me read a line repeatedly because I just seem not to grasp the meaning of the written words. If you are like this, how then can you and I manage?
In the past few months, I have incorporated the habit of ‘listening’ to books via audiobooks. Incredibly, I can now say I have completed 11 books in 3 months by just listening to them whilst I am doing other tasks such as cooking, driving, and even at night in bed.
How then has this affected me? Everything I read/listened to is an added knowledge to me. My head now is getting occupied with new bits of information as I listen to these. This then has, in turn, improved my thinking and how I view matters. One of the books I listened to and broaden my knowledge regarding business, consistency, perseverance, life-work balance (FFT: your life should come first before work), etc. is the book “Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success” by Steve Harvey. I highly recommend this book, not because I am sponsored to promote this, as I’m not, but because I want you to think like success, hence why I am writing this article. The more knowledge you have, the better you will feel equipped and confident to tackle certain challenges.
Research has shown that reading can help improve memory, thinking skills get better, your focus and concentration will improve, and most of all, it is entertaining. Therefore, regardless of what you may choose to read or listen to, the listed benefits apply to all – so you won’t lose in any way.
Every successful men read books! According to Business Insider, Bill Gate recommended 16 different books in 2019; Barack Obama recommended 19 different books in 2019. These are successful men, and this shows that successful men take the time to self develop themselves by constantly reading and improving themselves. If these successful men do these things, why can’t we all?
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