Becoming successful at work, or at home, can be challenging. So many different elements can contribute to success or failure that it can be hard to identify where to focus your energy. Boosting your success can be almost elusive especially if you are not sure where you should spend your time.
There is no point in trying to spin your wheels just to go nowhere. It’s important to know that the steps you are taking to become successful will to work. Here are six important steps to boost your success.
1. Give and Send Praise
When was the last time someone said that you did a good job? Do you remember the impact it had on your day? Most people get a positive boost in performance and satisfaction when they receive praise. The same is true when sending praise to other people. Livepurposefullynow.com suggests that if you want to be successful, you give praise often.
The key to frequently giving praise is to make sure it is heartfelt and genuine. You don’t want to give a false sense of encouragement. People don’t trust praise that they feel is unwarranted. Find people you work with, either in the office or at home, to praise daily and see how it improves your success.
2. Create Daily Rituals
Daily rituals give you a sense of purpose. Whether you’re an employee, a stay-at-home mom, a CEO, or a student, daily routines help limit distractions and can make you feel confident and energized.
A morning routine such as having a checklist or creating a priority order list can increase productivity and success. Once you have established your morning routine, you set the right tone to start off your day.
3. Learn to Say NO
It may seem counterintuitive to say no to become successful, but learning to say no can be one of the best things you can do to become successful. Saying yes all the time leads to low self-esteem, exhaustion and often depression or burnout.
Let people know what you can do and what you can’t take on at the moment. Success.com says that competent people know that saying no is healthy and will lead to better success.
4. Learn Delayed Gratification
Our society is built on instant gratification. Unfortunately, instant gratification has been shown to be one of the worst indicators of future success. In 1972, the Marshmallow Experiment involved young children who were placed in front of marshmallows with the promise of the second marshmallow if they could wait 15 minutes for the researcher to come back into the room.
This study followed up with the children 40 years later. Researchers found that those study subjects who were able to delay gratification by resisting the temptation to eat the marshmallows enjoyed higher success rates.
INC.com highlights how these people who delayed gratification not only had better social skills, higher test scores, lower substance abuse rate but they also were less obese and better able to deal with stress. All of these are indicators that they were more successful in life. It is never too late to teach yourself how to delay gratification.
5. Stop Quitting
Success is uncomfortable. Many times before you succeed, you will be at the most uncomfortable you have ever been in your life. Forbes notes that the very moment you want to quit is probably the precipice of success.
So many times people will only go so far and then quit. Stop quitting when it gets uncomfortable, and you’ll find life is exceedingly more rewarding than it would’ve been if you quit.
6. Learn Work Life Balance
Life Hack interviewed some of the most successful CEOs and asked them what their key to success was. The CEO of Nike said that finding work life balance was a constant battle. However, those who were most successful had found a way to balance work life and home life.
No matter what your definition of success is, these six steps can help get you there. Remember that your success may look different from anyone else’s, but it is still success.