9+2 things successful people do differently

Posted on 23. Mar, 2011 by ger in New Ways to Work

I’m usually wary of blog posts like “N tips to accomplish your goals”. All too often they’re filled with reheated motivational cliches. Heidi Grant Halvorson’s recent post on the Harvard Business Review Blog is different. Heidi recommends “9 things successful people do differently”. I’m going to add two more to her list.

First, here are some examples from Heidi.

Seize the moment to act on your goals

“… decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance … Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300%.”

Know exactly how far you have left to go

“Check your progress frequently – weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.”

Be a realistic optimist

“Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.”

Focus on getting better, rather than being good

“Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed … As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.”

Mitch McCrimmon, one of the commenters on Heidi’s post, added a 10th recommendation.

Review and celebrate successes

“We need a sense of making progress, not just a feeling that there is so much more to do.”

Finally, to turn the volume up to 11, I’ll add another related recommendation.

Break a goal or project down into bite-size chunks

Richard Wiseman conducted a large-scale scientific study a few years ago into the psychology of motivation. The more successful participants broke down their high-level goals into a series of sub-goals. If you use this technique you’ll achieve small successes that build up to audacious accomplishments.

Learn more

  • Read Heidi’s blog post or check out her new book Succeed, which is getting great reviews on Amazon
  • Read Richard Wiseman’s book 59 Seconds
  • Try Goshido, a new cloud-platform, which helps people: focus, communicate, and do their best work.

Can you recommend other good ideas?