Habits of Highly Successful People

I’ve been taking notes in my phone for years. I have a note for advice from each mentor in my life, I have an on going note of inspirational quotes, I have one for books, music, movies, I have a note for EVERYTHING. Over the past year I’ve started a new, ongoing note of motivation and the tips that I try to live by to set myself up not only to achieve success and the goals I’ve set for myself, but to be the best possible version of myself that I can possibly be. I’ve gathered these notes from various books I’ve read, motivational talks, youtube videos, and just random chats with my husband (also an entrepreneur). All of the notes I’ve taken are things that I believe in and that have helped me to quickly accomplish some goals that I’ve previously thought to be impossible. As I’ve evaluated my life over the past year I’ve decided that I ultimately hope for my family to have financial freedom, to not have to answer to anyone (such as employer), and to be in charge of my own time. Everything that I have written in this post has helped to propel down the path to achieve these things.

I have hesitated to hit the post button on this one because a lot of my tips may be slightly controversial or “extreme” to some people, but I wanted to share for the percentage of people who may need a push in the right direction to propel themselves toward their best life.

How to be successful at anything you do Style by Julianne Winter 2018

Outfit: Sweater // Top // Jeans // Belt // Shoes

TRIAL, Error and Succeed

This is one that I’ve heard from many successful entrepreneurs. You have to try and fail more than a handful of times. If you aren’t at least making an effort to start your business, or work on that idea you had, you’ll never know if you could have actually DONE it. Failing is also one of the best ways to learn. Not only are you learning what not to do, you area learning how to do it better the next time. If you try, fail and then give up you are accomplishing nothing. Try, fail, and then implement your new knowledge when you try again. Chances are you’ll learn something new. Odds are you’ll fail again, but how do you know if you don’t even try?

Example: scroll back to the beginning of my Instagram feed you’ll see my change my theme and style many times over the course of one year. I used trial and error to come up with what works best for me to grow quickly and efficiently on social media. I don’t stick with a theme for long if it is not proving results which is why every month or so you see a new theme on my feed!

Focus On One Task A Day

I always try my best to not fill my day with menial tasks. I prefer to give myself one, big, reachable goal each day whether it’s edit all of my photos from my photoshoot that day or create a blog post from start to finish. I try to prioritize my tasks from most important to least important. The dishes and laundry will be there tomorrow but if you put off that blog post one more day, you’ll put it off forever. I put my mind to one main task and GRIND. IT. OUT. Once it’s done I can focus on my smaller to-do’s. I’m always asking myself how each of my actions will bring me to my ultimate goal, (this is a method of reverse engineering your success) chase after those things with every ounce of your being.

Ignore Useless Information

When Dustin, Stella and I moved in November, we chose to get rid of our TV. We decided we didn’t want to be distracted in the evenings by mindlessly watching The Real Housewives of whatever, and wasting valuable time that we could be spending on our individual projects and working toward reaching our goals. TV is an example of “useless information.” It is important to constantly be filling your mind with information that will help you perfect your craft. There are nights where I take breaks here and there but I still try to read books or listen to podcasts during my down-time that are feeding me important information.

Don’t Re-invent The Wheel

I’ve learned to mimic my mentors and other people who have achieved successes that are similar to my goals. You don’t need to re-create the wheel to achieve success. Teaching yourself all of the minutiae from the ground up takes so much time. Learn from other’s failures and achievements and propel yourself to the top faster using that information.

Mental and Personal Health Is Key

I am constantly working on my personal health and mental state. School pushes you to go to college and get that Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 job but when you switch your mindset to think differently you can LIVE your goals. Don’t give in to the standard, constantly pursue what you want and fight for it. Follow your own path, constantly nourish your mind and throw yourself into your goals. This goes hand in hand with living a healthy lifestyle. I’ve found that when I work out daily, eat healthy meals at home, and am super conscious about what I am putting into my body, that my mind is so much more clear, I am efficient and can work much harder. I am still working on perfecting my routine and I sure love a frozen Twix bar every once and a while, I am by no means perfect, but working toward being more aware of these little things has helped me be much healthier in the long-run.

Don’t Waste Time

One piece of knowledge that I gained from one of my most important mentors is that there is never a “good time” for anything. Successful people waste no time in getting started, there is no such think as the right time and there are no good excuses. Timing will never be perfect and you will end up waiting forever and never get anything done! Start now, and don’t look back. You won’t regret it!

Do Not Associate With People You Don’t Emulate

Only surround yourself with people you strive to be like. Make it your goal to gather friends and mentors who are better than you, achieving higher goals and can teach you something new. A lot of my goals may seem crazy or unattainable to most people. Constantly think about your goals, live your goals, surround yourself with people who embrace your goals and support you achieving them.

If you have a tip to share that has worked for you, I want to hear about it! Leave me a comment below. Ultimately what I’ve decided is that if I can’t believe in myself I will never achieve anything. I have learned that I must believe I can achieve my goal, no matter how huge or outlandish… if I don’t I will wholeheartedly fail, and I have many times in my past! Once I changed my mindset and started to live by these tips, I have been creating success for myself that I never thought possible! I still constantly reference the note in my phone with all of these tidbits to keep myself on track. It is absolutely not an easy process, but it is necessary to stay on the path to achieve what I want in life.

xo

How To Get Out of the Instagram Comparison Trap

Stick around to the end of the post for a motivational list I compiled from my most influential mentor.

It comes in waves. Every few months I will hit a road block in momentum with my blog and begin to spiral, losing motivation exponentially by the day. This is mostly in part due to my own over-thinking and perfectionistic personality getting the best of me. I always want to be the best at what I do and I am the first to admit that I get stuck in the trap of comparing myself to other bloggers big and small. I find myself feeling dare I say, *jealous* that they are getting to work with some of my favorite companies, or that they’re able to afford a professional photographer, or that they have the means (or connections) to go on amazing vacations, that they have so much more time in the day to dedicate to their business and for whatever reason seem to be thriving in all aspects of their lives.

First off, I can say all day “oh, but Instagram is just a highlight reel,” or “they’ve been doing it for longer.” There are so many ways to justify my feelings when in fact the only thing that is true is the fact that I am comparing myself to someone whose life is COMPLETELY different than mine! How is it even fair to myself to measure my personal success based off of another blogger who looks different than me, has a different style, lives in a different state, lives a completely different life? Comparison is toxic, but it is human nature and impossible to avoid no matter what you tell yourself. Sorry!

Although it is impossible to avoid these thoughts of measuring ones success to your own, I have found some methods of making it easier to push through these mental ruts and continue down a productive path instead of spending valuable time frittering away scrolling through social media, and wishing I had what someone else had. I tried to keep this brief, I know by now you can see how much I enjoy rambling. My best blogs tend to be the mind dump blogs, so bear with me! Here we go with the tips in no particular order of significance.

You may also like to read “How To Grow Your Instagram: Tips and Tricks”

  1. Write Down Your Goals

    This may sound super obvious, but I have always been one to fly by the seat of my pants. I didn’t start writing my goals down and really thinking about what I was trying to achieve long-term with my blog (now business) until recently and it has been a game changer for keeping myself on track! First, I write down the overarching goal, then I break the goal down into manageable mini-goals and tackle each of the mini goals one at a time. This has helped me realize that my kinda scary, really huge, mountainous goals are in fact attainable, and much less intimidating. Instead of working for months to cross just one item off the list, I can cross off a goal every few weeks which is such a confidence booster and keeps me motivated on the bigger picture instead of stuck on feeling like I never get anywhere. Growth is slow, it’s a marathon not a race.

  2. Create a Routine

    Especially since having a baby and becoming a stay-at-home mom, I have realized that nothing gets done unless I stick to a schedule. The more I stick to my personal daily routine, the easier it is to convince myself to sit down and work. I have dedicated a daily time block to work, and if I skip out on it during the scheduled time, I may not ever find more time to get things done for the blog. Of course there is flexibility, and some days don’t go exactly as planned, but that’s life and adjustments are made to the schedule. If you all are keen on me getting into more detail about my daily routine just let me know!

  3. Think About Your End Game

    I have to give the hubby credit for this one. I was telling him about my blogging rut and my struggle with feeling not awesome about my content, and he asked me to tell him exactly where I saw myself in 5 years with my business. He wanted me to spell out my day for him from what kind of coffee I ordered to how many people I might have working for me, to where my office would be, to what kind of work I would be doing myself vs delegating to others. Every. Single. Detail. I was caught off guard because I hadn’t ever really thought about the direction I was taking my business since it has been a hobby for so long, I always just got inspired, took pictures, posted them and talked to you all in the comments! That was it!

    The reason why it is important to know exactly where you want to be is not to end up exactly there, but to have something to work toward, reverse engineering your life, essentially. Each task you accomplish should be working toward that “end game” goal. Even the smallest details matter so much, it’s kind of like a dream board but spoken out loud. It’s up to you to become the person you want to be, in that position with those successes. Since I was able to tell him exactly where I wanted to see myself in 5 years I am now able to dedicate each piece of work to this “dream” and work towards something that feels a little more tangible since I can see it in my mind, instead of blindly flailing.

  4. Remember Why Your Content is Unique

    Your content is unique because you are unique. There is no other “you” out there and as long as you stay true to your personal style, and values, people will find you. It is much more fun to follow someone who is genuine and honest, not trying to emulate another blogger. I feel so cliche saying this because, well, DUH. But I still have to tell myself this, constantly. Compare yourself to others, because you will… but then move on and dedicate your time and energy to being yourself and sharing who you are instead of trying to be something that you will never be! I like to remind myself how valuable each minute of my day is. What is my worth and how much am I willing to invest into worrying or self doubt? I would much rather invest into learning, bettering myself, creating content that is true to me and working toward my goals.

Last but not least, I wanted to include a list of the tips for success that I learned from my mentor and great friend. We no longer work together but I still look up to her and I reference this list daily to keep myself balanced and motivated. Copy and paste this, put it in the notes of your phone and pull it up when you’re feeling unmotivated and remember that you have the full control to be successful in whatever you desire to do!

J’s Tips For Success:

Network

Utilize your resources

You can do anything you want

Take risks with your business

No risk, no reward

Don’t overthink things

Always portray good body language (no crossed arms or legs)

Delegate: trust but verify

Fake it ‘til you make it

Never apologize unless you are truly at fault

Never say “it’s fine” if it’s not

LEARN from your negative experiences, don’t let them drag you down

Don’t second guess yourself

Take personal feelings out of the equation

The things that make you uncomfortable will make you a stronger leader

If you made it to the end of this post, YOU are the real MVP and I LOVE YOU! Drop me a comment so I know how awesome you are!

I really hope this mess from my mind made sense to you all. I probably should edit my posts before publishing them because sometimes I’ll go back and realize how all over the place I am with my thoughts and remember that not everyone is in my head and able to decipher my ramblings. If you have questions or comments don’t be shy! I love chatting with you lovelies on Instagram or email!

Thanks for stopping by.

xo