We all wish to be successful, but how can you tell if you are truly committed to your best life and self? First, do you have a specific vision that inspires you? Many of us hope for success vaguely and fumble around looking for happiness and peace without knowing where we’re going. We chase goal after goal hoping this will finally be the one that gets everything in our life to fall into place. But you really can’t be committed until you know precisely what you are committing yourself to, and whether it’s meaningful to you. If you don’t have this vision, take time to work it out for yourself, this is the foundation to knowing you are truly on your way.
Next, there are several habits that are consistent among all people who attain success. Use this list to evaluate if you’ve really given yourself to your dreams and to find any adjustments you can make to bring you to the next level.
Successful people are committed to self-education and improvement. Most successful people spend at least 30 minutes a day devoted to reading and/or studying their chosen field. For example, if it’s your dream to be an interior designer, are you keeping up with trends in the industry and new innovations? If your goal is to be a better parent, are you regularly looking up new resources, reading trusted guides and books, and reading the latest research? This may sound like a lot of work, but you’d be surprised at how much you can learn in half an hour, and how quickly this daily habit will accumulate into specialized knowledge and perhaps insights into what you could be doing differently. In addition, on the days you don’t actively pursue your goal, this is a way of keeping yourself mentally and emotionally engaged with your dream. If you feel you just don’t have the time for this, look for the spare moments here and there in your day. Maybe you have 30 minutes on your commute to listen to an audiobook or self-improvement program, or while you’re on your daily run. If you have to break it down into two 15 minute or three 10 minute sessions, do so.
Successful people take care of their physical well-being. It’s tired advice, I know, but you keep hearing it because of how valuable it is. Making sure you exercise regularly, eat well, and sleep well are cornerstones of making sure you have the energy and health you need to pursue your higher purpose. Self-care truly feeds our inner reserves of motivation and is powerful support for staying committed to our vision.
Successful people wake up early. Another cliché, but I’ll add a caveat. First, this is great advice because the early morning tends to be the quietest, distraction-free time of the day. You can really take advantage of this time to do your reading, exercise, or tackle your creative projects. Knowing we have taken care of our most important goals as we move through the rest of our day can be a meaningful source of inner peace and confidence. However, not all of us are morning people: we all have our own natural rhythm and many people find their most productive time to be in the afternoon, or later in the evening. Feel free to break the mold if this is you. The idea is to be aware of the natural ebbs and flows of your energy, and then to take advantage of that time. If you’re a night owl, make that the oasis time for your success, just be sure you are still getting enough sleep to maintain your health.
Successful people protect their time. Time is our most precious resource because no matter what we do, we cannot get another second of it: once it’s spent, it’s gone. Being truly committed to your success means being willing to release the things that don’t serve you. Of course, we all need time to relax and recuperate our energy but consider taking stock of where your time goes each day. If you spend a lot of your workday on your computer, for example, there are lots of free apps that will track how much time you spend in each program and on each website to give you an accurate picture on how focused you remain throughout the day. You may want to consider getting an app for your phone that limits your social media use or the time you spend scrolling through news sites if that’s a challenge for you. Watch yourself for a few days and look out for where your focus goes. Where can you rescue more time for your vision?
Successful people release toxic relationships. Unfortunately, not everyone in our life is supportive. Now, this doesn’t mean we have a free pass to throw out our compassion and cut off from people who are simply struggling with their own path in life, as we are, but if there is anyone truly abusive or detrimental to your self-worth, you need to seriously consider letting them go.
Successful people aren’t perfectionists. This is a big one. Being committed to excellence is one thing, but perfectionists are so afraid of making a mistake or being criticized that they often freeze themselves in fear and shame. If you feel like you’ve been longing to pursue the same dream for a long time but haven’t made any real progress, this may be why you’re struggling. Being committed to success means understanding that you’re taking the road of failure. Within the biographies of all great artists, thinkers, and leaders are stories of mistake after mistake after mistake. The difference is, successful people see failure as a gift to help you find the right path. Mistakes are a sign you are trying and learning and should be embraced.
Successful people track and review their progress and make adjustments where necessary. You’ve probably heard the saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you’ve been doing the same thing for months or years at a time in the absence of evidence that you’re moving forward, it’s probably because you are mistaking strategy for vision. First of all, make sure you are keeping track of your efforts and results somehow. Many find journaling to be an effective option, but you may prefer keeping a spreadsheet, writing notes in your calendar, or using a cool app on your phone. Whatever works for you, make sure you have a way of being able to tell if your current efforts are helping you move forward. If not, you now have the opportunity to learn from your experience and try something new. However, many of us resist these adjustments because we mistake being committed to success as persistently doing the same thing until we get a breakthrough. Perseverance is not the same as stubbornness. Perseverance means you are willing to do whatever it takes to manifest your vision. Stubbornness means you’re stuck on doing things a particular way until it suddenly works (you hope). Do not be afraid to change up your approach, your tactics, or your strategy. Sometimes a small adjustment is all you need. Remember, stay committed to the vision itself, but be open in what specific path you may need to take in order to manifest it.
Hopefully, this list has given you a good overview of what you’ve been doing right, and where you might consider making a new choice. Or you may have the reassurance and confidence you need that you’re doing what you can. Being committed to success doesn’t mean you feel totally wonderful each day, it just means you are consistently moving forward, and know where you’re headed.
