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

If you have a bad habit you’re trying to kick or an impulse you are trying to resist, give some thought to the times and situations in which you are most vulnerable to temptation and how you can avoid them if possible.
Tackle major willpower challenges one at a time. (If people stuck to just one New Year’s resolution per year, they would be a lot more successful.)
Avoid thinking you can have “just one” or “a little bit” of something you really enjoy but shouldn’t have. It is easier to skip it entirely. Less fun, but much easier.

Willpower gets depleted with use. When the tank is empty, give yourself a rest before tackling a new self-control challenge.
You can speed up your recovery by doing something to lift your spirits, rewarding yourself for good behavior, or by just thinking about someone you know with lots of self-control.
Your willpower muscle will grow with regular exercise. Before taking on a goal that requires lots of willpower (e.g., quitting smoking, radically changing your diet), start by strengthening your muscle with regular, less strenuous workouts. Add a few willpower challenges to your day (e.g., making your bed, sitting up straight, taking the stairs instead of the elevator) and build from there.

you want to build more willpower, start by picking an activity (or avoiding one) that fits with your life and your goals—anything that requires you to override an impulse or desire again and again—and add this activity to your daily routine.

The other way in which willpower is like a muscle (and the really great news for those of us struggling to get our impulses under control) is that it can be made stronger over time, if you give it regular workouts

Just as well-developed biceps sometimes get tired and jellylike after a strenuous workout, so too does your willpower “muscle.”

Are there aspects of your job that you feel you aren’t good at it? Take a moment to think about that. Be honest.
Now, deep down, do you believe you can become good at them, or do you think you are stuck just as you are? If it’s the latter, your belief has been doing you a great injustice, because it’s wrong. Remember that improvement is always possible.
Challenge that entity thinking whenever you catch yourself succumbing to it! When you focus on improving and developing your skills, you naturally become grittier in pursuit of your goals.

Incremental theorists, on the other hand, tend to blame setbacks on more controllable factors—insufficient effort, using the wrong strategy, poor planning