People always look for new sources of motivation. And it’s no wonder why. We all need to keep up the momentum to get closer to the things we want to accomplish.

Fortunately, today, the internet is full of inspirational articles, powerful pieces of advice, self-help books, and the fascinating stories of success people share on a daily basis. Today’s instant access to the information provides a unique opportunity to discover one’s experiences and learn from his or her mistakes. It’s easier than ever to observe the way successful people make sure to achieve success at everything they do.

However, besides the great variety of things to do, your aspiration to join the cohort of self-made millionaires and get rich also requires you to follow a certain lifestyle. Morning routine, day plan, evening discharge, the necessary amount of sleep… All these factors contribute to success and appear to be highly effective when it comes to achieving your goals.

However, there is something standing beyond it all – habits. Among countless factors of success, the habits successful people cultivate on a daily basis is what proves to be the major prerequisite of massive wins.

Have you ever pondered what Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Oprah Winfrey have in common? Exactly. Good habits. Every single day they get things done and approach the life issues in a similar yet effective and proven way. And this is where the secret to success actually lies.

Here are 8 habits highly successful people attribute their successes to:

1. Telling Stories
This habit has never been considered significant enough. However, today more and more people start realizing that storytelling is the first habit you need to acquire. In fact, the ability to tell stories differentiates pros from amateurs. It’s not only about how good you are at capturing the attention of the audience and creating awesome characters. Obviously, these are very important things. But when it comes to presentations, pitches, and negotiations, good storytelling is crucial. The way you think and plan what you are going to talk about throughout the story is the foundation of success.

2. Planning Ahead
I have a good news for you. Everybody can achieve outstanding results. However, because of our modern ever-faster pace of life, hardly anyone can imagine planning on the go. The wealthy people, business leaders, politicians, economists, and startuppers are productive and prove to get things done because they follow a strict schedule. The prominent leaders and entrepreneurs design their schedule in advance. It provides them with a clear vision of how the work day or an entire work week is going to proceed. Here is the conclusion – planning is something the success is impossible without. Thinking about it this way will definitely help you become more productive and ultimately get closer to being a highly successful person.

3. Adapting
One habit. Huge difference. The ability to adapt has always been controversial no matter what part of life we are talking about. Regardless of someone else, I will tell you the following – successful people make sure that their content, appearance, style, and mission fit society’s preferences. Most people have “be yourself no matter what” principle and it makes adaptation enormously challenging for them. But if you want to succeed you have to embrace the hard truth – adaptation is the easiest and the fastest way to get the most outcome with least efforts. Moreover, it will allow you to think critically and estimate things objectively. Give it a try and soon you will see desired the results – people are attracted to you and they want to listen to you and follow you more often.

4. Analyzing Failures
What makes successful people persistent? Have you ever wondered why they talk about the enormous value of failing? Sounds counterintuitive, right? However, it makes sense if you think about this from a different perspective. Experience is the best teacher. However, it doesn’t come so easily. We need to take it. Instead of failing once again it’s better for you to make a huge inspection of your previous case.  So you will be able to find some hints there or to notice something you didn’t see earlier. Figure out at least three reasons why you failed and analyze them. Turn your bitter experience into valuable lessons.

5. Not Waiting For The Momentum
“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper” – E.B. White. The inspiration is for amateurs. Learn to act without meaningless postponement, just like great people do. You don’t need an inspiration to succeed. It’s never a prerequisite of the hard work, but rather its outcome. If you don’t feel like working, force yourself to it. That’s what the hard work is. You have to work even if the earth stops. And that is much easier than you think. All you need to do is to take the first step and keep going until you catch the flow.

6. Talking To Themselves
Mark Zuckerberg and Richard Branson describe it as the most efficient way to deal with the stressful situations. Almost all of us have used it this way at least once. But even if your self-control is outstanding you can’t hold everything in your head. Sometimes, it is easier to manipulate information through talking to yourself or writing down your thoughts on paper.

7. Keeping a journal
That’s kind of the opposite to the previous one. If talking to yourself can be more like an instant expression, keeping a journal is about reflecting your thoughts and feelings on a paper on the regular basis. And it definitely should appear in your daily habits list. People who keep journals feel more confident about achieving their big goals. As a result, they put more effort into what they’re doing and what they learn. The psychological unloading and prioritizing of the things that matter is much easier if you spend time wisely. It takes just 15 minutes every day to write things down.

8. Applying What’s Been Learned
Knowledge is worthless unless it is applied. All the successful people know it. Every project, idea or startup needs to evolve. And you cannot ensure the sufficient pace of evolution unless you do something meaningful. The successful people are great at testing new ideas and applying the acquired knowledge to life. Learn to get each piece of your knowledge involved. The more you practice the better you become at some particular things. Regardless of how good the results are, be sure – it’s worthwhile. That’s experience, after all. Now it’s your turn to take an action. 

These habits might look like they have nothing to do with the outstanding results. They indeed may seem trivial. In fact, their impact is difficult to overestimate in the long term. Mostly due to their compounding effect.

The successful people understand the true value of habits. Therefore, it’s no surprise why they invest so much time in cultivating the right habits.

The studies show that it takes up to 5 years to develop a habit and stick to. You’d rather start now.

Develop a good habit attitude. Then you won’t need to break a bad one. Make sure the habits you adopt are a perfect fit for the person you’d like to become and the thing you want accomplish. Learn the habits highly effective people focus on and use them to your own benefit to become successful.