Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Successful people set very specific goals and seize opportunities to act on them (using strategies like if-then planning). They always know how far they have to go and stay focused on what still needs to be done. They believe they will succeed, but embrace the fact that success will not come easily. They remember that it’s about making progress, rather than doing everything perfectly right out of the gate. They believe that they can develop their abilities through effort, which makes them gritty in the face of setbacks and challenges. They build their willpower through frequent exercise, make plans for how to cope when willpower is low, and try not to put themselves in situations where temptations abound. They focus on what they will do, rather than what they won’t do.

Once you’ve decided on the good behavior that will replace the undesirable one, make an if-then plan: If I feel the urge to _______________, then I will __________ instead.

Remember that when it comes to reaching your goals, you need to plan how you will replace the behaviors that sabotage your success with better ones, rather than focusing only on the maladaptive behaviors themselves