9 Things Successful People Do Differently

I strongly believe as a successful leader you have to learn how to manage yourself.  It is hard for an outsider to give you feedback.  Discipline starts from you.

Here are 9 things successful people do differently as written by the Harvard Business Review. Successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

1. Get specific– Know what you want to accomplish. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there.
2. Set SMART Goals– Seize the moment to act on your goals. Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers. Decide when and where you will take each action you want to take.
3. Know exactly how far you have left to go – Check your progress daily, weekly and monthly.  Always know what you accomplished and how much is remaining.
4. Be a realistic optimist –When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence.  Set goals that you can achieve and that can satisfy you. One of the best management tips I received is that you need quantity of time to plan for the quality of a job.
5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed — that no matter what we do, we won’t improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.  Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.
6. Willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty.  Effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately.
7. Build your willpower muscle. – Be disciplined about accomplishing your goals. You need to regularly flex and use your willpower muscle.
8. Don’t tempt fate. Self Pity – Do Not Do it – No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it’s important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it you will temporarily run out of steam. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.
9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do – Stay away from negative thinking.

Milestone’s president is in regular contact with Chip Conley, author, coach, and successful hotel entrepreneur. See the training they put on together.