11 Things Successful People Do Every Day that are Life Changing

What are things successful people do every day? How can these daily habits of successful people, especially morning habits, help you change your life?

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If you want to change your life, start by changing your daily habits.

Our character, attitude to work, level in life, career, health, physical appearance, and even business success are a reflection of our daily habits and choices.

And the difference between you and someone crushing their goals and dreams is how you spend your 24 hours each new day. How do you spend your time? Where do you spend this time?

Suppose you can spend at least one hour daily doing something that will improve your personal growth (change your life), although it may appear small. But at the end of the year, you’ll realize how powerful one hour daily can become.

Successful people understand this!

Hence, the common phrase “time is money.” So, if you want to become successful, start by changing how and where you spend your time (your daily habits).

After reading this blog post, you’ll know the most important things successful people do daily and how to implement these small changes in your life.

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11 Things Successful People Do Everyday

I’m always pro: “Don’t mirror your life to reflect what others do. Instead, learn the helpful things they do that you can implement in your life for growth, yet feel like you.”

When seeking to learn these daily habits of successful people, always know that we all have different realities.

What success means to me may not be the same for you.

For instance, success will mean different things for a stay-at-home mom and a career-driven 9-5 mom.

In the same way, success at this time in my life meant different things to me when I was a student at the university.

And this is where the principle of time and season comes into play.

Hence, always reflect and define what success means to you and the season where you’re at. That way, you’ll feel fulfilled when making these changes.

I explained how our “season” affects the goals we set and the habits we build in this blog post on getting your life together.

With that noted, here are 12 things successful people do every day.

1. Successful People Wake Up Early

In a random conversation with a friend, she asked Faith; you used to start your day at 7 am. Why did you change to waking early at 5 am? Guess my reply?

“Because I want to change my life.” LOL

As cliché as this may sound. I genuinely want to change my life.

Going to bed early and rising at 5 am daily has given me 3 hours extra to do something great for my business.

The most common daily habit of successful people is waking up early. The average CEO gets up no later than 6:00 am.

They wake up early and have a productive morning routine that helps them thrive.

Do you wake up at least one hour before time, or do you wake up 10 minutes before your time to leave for the day, rush into the shower, dress up, and leave?

If you do this, try this experiment. Wake up at least one hour before work, do something for yourself, and see how this will influence your day.

You’ll struggle for the first few days, but your body will pick up this new routine over time.

And when you wake up, by all means, avoid going on social media; that is one of the biggest “time stealers.”

Instead, include good habits in your morning routine, like reading, journaling, affirmations, and even working on your business.

Assuming you’re working 9-5 and want to start a side hustle like owning a blog or YouTube channel, selling digital products, or learning new skills so you can pivot at work.

An hour or two in the morning is a lot of time to change your life.

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2. They Plan Effectively and Set Goals

Do you set new goals daily, AKA a to-do list, or go with the flow and take the day as it comes?

One powerful daily habit successful people, like the founder of the cosmetic brand Mary Kay, swear by is writing down their daily goals.

“The best way I have found is a little pad of paper we issue called ‘The Six Most Important Things.’ I teach consultants to write down the six most important things they have to do the next day, every night before they go to bed.” Mary Kay Ash

A study by psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews found that people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than those who don’t.

Successful people understand that winging it rarely leads to success. They don’t leave their day to chance. They intentionally set clear goals and plan their day to achieve them.

If successful, people have a to-do list. Why should you go with the flow when you want to change your life?

Always write your goals. Writing down your goals helps you track what you should do because a goal without a plan is just a wish.

I know you’ve read and heard this phrase a bazillion times.

One hack I use to start my day productively is setting my goals for the new day the night before. In your planner, you’ll write down your goals for the next day at the end of business.

Avoid having a long to-do list; it only leads to procrastination.

Start with setting one main goal; you’ll begin your day tackling this goal and 2-3 other smaller goals. This hack works so well.

For example, if you want to start a blog, your daily goals could look like:

Write a draft for your next post.
Research SEO keywords.
Schedule time to design graphics.

When you set your daily goals, make them specific and actionable.

Instead of saying, “I want to exercise more,” say, “I’ll go for a 30-minute walk after work.” Instead of “I’ll work on my business,” break it into steps like, “I’ll create an Instagram post promoting my product.”

Also, use tools to stay on track. It could be a digital calendar, a planner, or a simple checklist.

Create systems to keep your goals organized.

3. They Exercise and Move Their Body

Nearly all successful people exercise every day.

Besides the numerous health benefits of exercising, especially as you age, like building the muscles.

Exercising daily also helps boost your productivity and clear your headspace; at least, this works for me.

I recently started going for an hour’s walk in the evening, which changed my life.

I stopped feeling pain in my legs due to sitting down to work at my desk, lost a couple of weight, and felt lighter in my head whenever I went for walks.

Work on your mindset if you feel exercising is a chore.

Instead, see it as an investment in your energy, mood, and focus.

You don’t have to jump into a hardcore workout or hit the gym every morning.

Start with something simple workout routine like,

Take a 15-minute walk daily.
Stretch in the morning while listening to your favorite music.
Do a quick YouTube workout (there are so many free ones).

Focus on doing this consistently before evolving into hardcore workout sessions. Whichever you decide, the goal is to move your body daily.

4. They Read

I have never seen anyone successful in their field who doesn’t read and learn something new daily.

Reading is a habit almost all successful people swear by.

Nonfiction books may be your least favorite; you’re not alone.

However, a healthy mix of nonfiction books will change your life.

Think about the areas of life you want to improve and find a good nonfiction book that tackles that area.

For instance, read these books if you struggle with following your goals through reading 12 weeks a year.

To tackle procrastination, read Eat That Frog.

Want to build good habits? Read Atomic Habits and The Psychology of Money to build better financial habits.

Reading daily helps you become better.

And if you’re thinking, “Oh, Faith, I barely have time to myself because I’m juggling life.”

I feel you, too.

But there’s always time.

You can create opportunities for this, such as the few minutes you spend mindlessly scrolling on social media, when eating, in your morning routine, etc.

Unlike an average CEO who reads 60 books yearly, you can start at your level. If you read one book monthly, at the end of the year, you’d read 12 books

I’ve been implementing reading into my simple morning routine, and it’s a game changer. Reading for at least 30 minutes a day changed my life.

5. They Eat Healthy

Besides affecting our weight, physical looks, and health, our food also affects our energy levels.

Successful employees understand how the food they eat impacts their productivity, mood, and well-being.

If you struggle with eating junk and other crappy food, consider including a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains in your diet.

Also, plan and prep your meals in advance. This helps in reducing the temptation to eat unhealthy fast foods.

Lately, I’ve been learning to eat slowly, helping to improve digestion and maintain energy levels.

6. Successful people Avoid Digital Distractions

Our phones, social media, and other digital tools are helpful and are also major distractions.

When you wake up, do you reach for your phone first?

At first, you want to check your emails and messages, and 2 hours later, you’ll realize how much time you’ve wasted. When put into something else, it could change your life.

Many successful people understand this and avoid checking emails or social media first thing in the morning to maintain focus.

They dedicate the early hours to personal development activities before engaging with their phones and social media.

A quick hack: Every day, block out all apps on your phone for one hour if you need to. If you don’t need your phone to complete the tasks, put it away and tackle something you’ve been procrastinating on.

Keep doing this daily for a week. And at the end of the week, reflect and see how much you’ve achieved.

7. They Practice Gratitude and Journal their Thoughts

Journaling is such a powerful habit, and I swear by it daily.

If you struggle with your mental health, consider including journaling, especially gratitude journaling, into your daily routine.

Successful people know the power of gratitude.

Building a gratitude mindset boosts your mood and reprograms your mind to notice opportunities, abundance, and the good things that naturally may go unnoticed.

Oprah Winfrey also keeps a gratitude journal; She starts her day by saying thank you and writing down five things she is thankful for

Once, in an interview, she shared how when she stopped this practice, it began impacting her mental health.

8. They are Positive

Successful people have a positive mindset and approach to life.

They believe failing to achieve something doesn’t define them; instead, it is a stepping stone to becoming better.

They take failures as lessons and feedback to achieve their goals.

In the end, what separates a successful person from others is their mindset.

What kind of mindset do you have? What is your approach to life?

One of these days, I was on a call with someone, and they mentioned, “We shouldn’t approach life trying to do something grand. Just take it small, smaller, smallest”.

I found that weird and only held my tongue from speaking in a way I shouldn’t.

If you approach life with a limiting mindset, you’ll find yourself only doing limiting things.

It’s okay to take life one step at a time.

However, don’t condition your mind to think small and negatively, especially if you have big goals you want to achieve.

Build a positive mindset, believe in yourself daily, and stop playing the victim. A victim mindset is another fast way to live a toxic lifestyle.

Start your day with Intentions. Get these perfect morning pick-me-up Free Printable and Digital Mindset Booster Affirmation Cards ↓

9. They Learn Something New Everyday

Successful people consume quality information.

They invest in knowledge and learn new things about their industry, life, and how to pivot.

To improve your career, life, business, and relationship, devote time to learning something new daily.

Back in university, I wanted to change my life. However, given where I’m from, getting a job immediately after school isn’t easy.

I knew I wanted to work from home and control my time.

Hence, I started spending much of my time researching ways to make money online.

A few weeks later, I stumbled on Pinterest (I didn’t even know it was a thing) and found Melissa Griffin; the rest, they say, is history.

Today, I run my own online business and have never had to “look for a job.”

If you want to change your life this year, commit to learning something new daily.

You can take online courses to improve your skill set, listen to podcasts, find mentors and others who are doing well in areas you desire growth in or take advantage of YouTube (a free university).

Don’t allow the day to end without learning something new.

10. They Take Action Daily

Taking action is one of the most important habits of successful people.

They understand there is nothing as waiting for the right time because there’s no perfect time.

Successful people set their intentions and goals and get right into it.

Unless, by sheer luck, you would become successful without taking action.

Maybe if you win the lottery (nonetheless, you still need to apply for the lottery, but this isn’t the right example).

Perhaps your parents will hand you a fortune.

So start taking action daily.

If you find yourself, suck in the endless loop of planning, dreaming, overthinking, and perfectionism.

Start by listing everything you need to do. Give yourself only an hour daily to handle one task.

At the end of one hour, you can stop.

When you keep taking action daily for an hour, you’ll see how much you’ve accomplished at the end of the month.

Your dreams won’t work unless you do.

Successful people understand this deeply. They don’t just set goals; they take deliberate action daily to achieve them.

11. They Build Connections and Put Themselves Out There

One of my favorite quotes is, “Bigger dummies have succeeded in doing the things you do better simply because they put themselves out there.”

Successful people put themselves out there, build connections, and constantly interact with these connections to grow their businesses.

They have a healthy cycle of friends; they attend summits and meetings and are not afraid to put themselves out there.

If you want to change your life, especially if you’re a business owner or in the service space, learn to put yourself out there.

Finally, while learning new habits, ensure to only do things that work for you. Incorporate new habits that can help you become the person you desire.

Each day, the choices, actions, things you do, where you spend your time, vote for the kind of person you want to become.

11 Things Successful People Do Every Day that are Life Changing