25 Habits of the Most Successful Business People
Richard Scully • January 2, 2019
The new year is a time of review and introspection coupled with making new promises for the future. We are often filled with a sense of control over our destiny and a desire to begin again. If you’re feeling the same, here are a few ways you can capitalize on the new year’s momentum by embracing the habits of successful people:
- Get some sleep. While sleep deprivation may work in creative pursuits, for most of us we really need 7-8 hours of rest to be able to make thoughtful decisions. While you’re at it, make your health a priority.
- Connect in a new way. Join an online community of people you’ve been curious about. Maybe you have always wanted to try out photography. Maybe you’re interested in podcasts. Select a new area of learning and join a group that focuses on that.
- Admit a mistake and learn from it. Some people put themselves under a huge amount of stress because they make a mistake and are afraid everyone else will think less of them. Just admit the mistake and process the learning experience. How will that shape what you do in the future?
- Realize you have the skills. Many people suffer from the imposter syndrome where they feel like they are in over their heads and not qualified to do what they’ve been selected to do. If you feel that way, make 2019 the year in which you let that self-defeating attitude go.
- Leave your comfort zone. Do something different. If every decision you make is a comfortable one, you’re missing out on opportunities for growth.
- Listen. Inspiration can come from anywhere so you need to listen. Listen to customers, former clients, children, drivers, people in the checkout lane. You never know who will help you solve a business dilemma without them even realizing it.
- Say no. Don’t feel guilty.
- Eat that piece of cake. In moderation.
- Remove emotion from the decision-making process by thinking about goals. Every business decision moves you closer to your year-end goals or farther away. Which is it?
- Be grateful. Don’t explain a compliment. Don’t wish the good things away hoping for better things. Simply say thanks.
- Realize comparison is not healthy. Comparing how you’re doing against your business competitor may be critical to business success. But comparing your friend’s life to your own on Facebook isn’t.
- Let go of what might have been. We all have plans for our lives that sometimes don’t work out. Make this the year you either go after those plans and make them a reality or give them up for new and improved aspirations.
- Learn someone’s story and help tell it. Maybe there’s a community member or an employee with a story that needs to be told. If you have a larger amplifier than their, help them tell it.
- Try saying “and” instead of “no.” If someone presents an idea to you, instead of giving them 15 reasons why it won’t work, ask them to tell you more about why it will.
- Find quiet time. Wake up early. Stay up late. Use whatever technique suits you best but find a time when you can be left alone with your thoughts and listen. You can not do this on Facebook
- Eliminate your unproductive space fillers. What did you do with those three minutes before your last meeting? How about your drive to the client? Even busy days are filled with downtime. If you can recognize and utilize those moments for more than cat videos, you can gain a lot of extra time over the course of a week.
- Drop what you’re not needed for. I once worked for a CEO who stocked the fridge and cleaned the office. He did these things because he enjoyed them. That’s ideal for people with lots of time on their hands, but if you’re not one of those people you should give up doing tasks that others can do for you. No one else can put together the budget for your department or create that report on the project you managed so tend to those things first and delegate the rest.
- Stop making excuses. There’s a saying: you’ll either find a way or find an excuse. Do more of the former.
- Find a creative outlet. Schedule some time for something creative. Draw a picture, write a haiku, tell a story but do something that requires you to make something out of nothing.
- Believe in the power of Yoda. Yoda said to Luke, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Remove “try” from your vocabulary. In 2019, be all in or all out.
- Learn something new. Every day.
- Send a thank you email once a week. Thank someone who made an impression.
- Challenge someone around you to contradict you. Instead of brainstorming, try another approach. Throw an idea out there and ask someone to contradict it and defend their answer. This will create an environment where people aren’t afraid to offer their opinions.
- Unplug. Often.
- Find what soothes you. In 2019, take time for yourself and find something that puts your mind at ease. It could be a long car ride, a walk in the woods, listening to music, or meditating. Find something that calms your mind and helps you listen to your needs and solutions.
As we move into the new year, take the time to reassess things in your world. What do you want to change? These ideas are only a start. Make this your year to become your most productive, happy, and successful yet.
Christina R. Green
teaches small businesses, chambers, and associations how to connect through content. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com
and the Event Manager Blog. We purchase rights from Frank Kenny for our Chamber Nation customers.
At the WACE conference - Speaker WSI NextGen Marketing - FREE AI Prompting Book that May Be Helpful for Chamber Leadership
System Changes/Improvements for week of 23 Aug - 4 Oct Elections: Election Confirmation Emails are now sent to the voter. Now allows for CKEditor (WYSIWYG editor) on all Election Questions. File Archive:Mass-delete tool now shows file upload date, and no longer deletes files referenced by other records. Projects & Committees:Added new configuration option to require minimum Committee participation during renewal. When configuration option "Update File Date When File is Reuploaded" is enabled, includes an informative note below the file date field. Event Registration:Added numeric field quantity information to event registration receipt. Added sorting to transcript alternate layout to sort by date and time. Member Database:Cross Reference-Allow parent to approve Pending Members. Classified Ads:Added option to make paid ads free for members and added an extra custom verbiage spot. Tour System:Added an option to show email from member record instead of tour record on output report.
Soon you will begin to see Ai images in various areas of your membership management system.
To serve your members better we have implemented an all new MULTILINGUAL Ai Assisted member support center.
Interested in Automating the Creation of Blog Posts and Website Pages?
Altadena Chamber Partners with Chamber Nation for Bringing Altadena Back
This is how the Greater Nephi Chamber Launched It's New System With it Members!
Clear and Con cise New Member Presentation on Strategy for Commerce!
We Want to Help You Sell More Membership Add-Ons in 2025!
Members can harness a robust tool to link to their websites for gathering customer feedback. By including their Google Place ID, they can also boost their Google reviews.
Chamber Nation
Chamber Nation, a branch of EcTownUSA, LLC., is a tech company specializing in membership management automation and digital media solutions tailored for Chambers of Commerce and membership-based organizations. Our cutting-edge automated marketing platform empowers local businesses to engage with their target audience both online and in their communities through a blend of display, video, social, and mobile channels. Furthermore, our platform gives local businesses the ability to efficiently control their online display advertising in real-time utilizing our community marketplace and local welcome center ad distribution network.
When your Chamber of Commerce invests in membership services, Chamber Nation invests in you. Redirect the funds currently allocated for a database and website towards exceptional membership services, and we will include the database and related technologies as part of our low pricing.
GET IN TOUCH
PO Box 466 Conroe, TX 77305
Chamber Nation is a division of EcTownUSA, LLC.
Accounting Department:
PO Box 61626
Reno, NV 89506