MINDSET MAKEOVER
Follow these practices of successful people
There's something about cool, successful people that is fascinating. They make it look easy, although it likely is not.
What are they doing that the rest of us aren't. Here are a few things I've noticed about them that we all can put into play in our own lives:
They’ve done awesome things I don’t know about
Why don't I know about the awesome things they've done? Because they just do them. And if I ever do find out, I'll find out from a casual conversation or even accidentally. But not through social media.
Why? Cool people see the experience as what matters — sharing that experience with as many people as possible often negates the greatness of it, and frankly can be tacky and make people look like braggarts.
Great experiences can help fuel success by giving us a mental boost and opening us up to new things.
They don’t think work-life balance; they just think life
Drawing a line in the sand to create an artificial work/life boundary never works.
Why? You are your business. Your business is your life, just as your life is your business — which is also true for family, friends, and interests — so there is no separation, because all those things make you who you are.
Cool people find ways to include family instead of ways to exclude work. They find ways to include interests, hobbies, passions and personal values in their professional lives.
They relentlessly seek new experiences
Novelty seeking keeps cool, successful people fresh and excited about life.
As noted psychiatrist Dr. Robert Cloninger says: “Novelty seeking is one of the traits that keeps you healthy and happy and fosters personality growth as you age. ... if you combine adventurousness and curiosity with persistence and a sense that it's not all about you, then you get the creativity that benefits society as a whole.”
Embrace your inner novelty seeker. You'll be healthier, you'll be generally more satisfied with life, and you'll be a little cooler.
They do nice things, just because they can
Magnate Richard Branson once gave me half of his sandwich. Famed coach Jimmie Johnson stayed late so I could interview him. Investor Mark Cuban stopped to chat with an intern.
Most of us are fairly nice, especially when we're expected to be. Cool people are nice even when no one would expect them to be. Not because they have to; it's just in their nature.
They constantly try to prove something, to themselves
Many people have a burning desire to prove other people wrong. There's nothing wrong with that; it's a great motivator.
The coolest people are also motivated by something deeper and more personal. Their drive, commitment and dedication spring from a desire to prove something to the most important person of all, and that is themselves.
They find happiness in the success of other people
Great entrepreneurs answer the question “Can you make the choice that your happiness will come from the success of others?” with a resounding “Yes!”
They enjoy personal achievements, but they really enjoy seeing other people succeed, and they work to boost others. They are not envious of others and don't rake people over the coals as a way to hide their insecurities.
They see money not just as a reward but also as a responsibility
The coolest wealthy people I know see money as a way to grow their business, to reward and develop employees, to give back to the community and to help others.
And they do so without calling attention to themselves because the true reward is always in the act, not the recognition.
They’re entrepreneurs, whether in fact or in spirit
Success is difficult to achieve no matter what the pursuit.
That's why we all fail sometimes. And when we do, it's easy to decide events were outside our control. It's easy to feel depressed and wonder, “Why don't I ever get the opportunities other people get?” or “Why can't I catch a break?”
In short, it's easy to think, “Why me?”
People with a successful mindset ask, “Why not me?”
The coolest people I know don't assume successful people possess special talents or gifts. They see successful people and think: “That's awesome, and if she can do that, why not me?” And then they do it.
They don’t think they’re cool
Social media makes it easy to do your own public relations. You can blow your own horn, bask in the glow of your insights and accomplishments. With a little time and effort, you can seem larger than life.
Cool, successful people don't. They know their success is based on hard work, persistence and execution, but they also recognize that key mentors, great employees and a huge dose of luck also play a part in their success.
That's why they're humble. That's why they ask questions and seek advice. That's why they recognize and praise others.
They don't focus on highlighting how far they've come because they're too busy thinking about how far they still want to go.
Jeff Haden is a ghostwriter, speaker and the author of “The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win.”