Success is not an overnight thing, and it is not accidental. Successful people got to where they are because of the efforts and skills that they developed over time. There may be a lot of other factors that lead them to their successes, but the personal factors play vital roles. 

As I watched the many successful people I know, I have observed similarities that I could say immensely helped them reach their successes. One of the factors I see is their good habits. What are these habits? 

1. They prioritize. One of the most distinguishing habits of a successful person is prioritization. They identify their one thing every single day, the most important thing to focus on, then they ensure never to allow themselves to be distracted. They only move on to the next task once they have completed their top priority. They know that working on two or more tasks simultaneously or thinking about other things while faced with a different task would more likely lead to mistakes or incompletion. 
2. They take action. There is not one successful person I have known that is not a doer. They are all action-takers. They are not passive. Whether they face complicated or straightforward challenges, they do not stop working or finding a solution. They may doubt the type of action they should take, but they have no doubts about taking a step forward. They ask for help, but they do not wait for other people to do something or solve the problem for them. 
3. They continue learning. One win does not stop a successful person from growing or accomplishing more. They do not rest on their laurels and remain where they are. Instead, a successful person continues to learn to grow more and achieve more. Successful people continue to equip themselves with knowledge and skills for them to achieve their goals in life. They believe that the more they learn, the more they grow. And the more they grow, the more they can help others too.
4. They learn from their mistakes. Committing mistakes is not a big deal with them. They know that every master was once a disaster. They understand that it is part of the process. Nobody is perfect. All successful people have stories to tell how they overcome their mistakes after experiencing them. A successful person does not shy away from it. They accept the fact that they made mistakes, then assess where they went wrong. Afterward, they try again and make sure never to commit the same mistakes again and again. In other words, the more they commit errors, the more they improve inch by inch.
5. They assume a positive attitude. Success is positive. Besides effort, skills, and other factors, it requires personal belief for it to be achieved. A successful person believes that success is possible despite the odds. What a person thinks and speaks, they attract. That is why successful people always think positively and speak life even when faced with many challenges. 

We all have different ideas on how to achieve the success we are aiming for. To each their own, as they say. Many successful people around the world may have different habits and different quirks. These habits, though, are what I found common among them. Do you think this observation is accurate? 

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Life is an everyday battle that could easily sway a struggling person towards negativity. This daily battle could lead one to give up, go with the flow, and stop struggling altogether because doing so would be easier after all. 

There is no telling who tends to succumb to such surrender. There are people who never experienced anything strenuous for most of their life that when they start to experience difficulty, they will tend to give up right away. There are also those who have experienced many challenges already that they begin to think of everything as too much, so they eventually give up, no longer believing there is hope for them to experience comfort. 

However, life would not be as beautiful to live if it were all easy, with flowers and rainbows through and through. It won’t even be appreciated as much if there are no difficulties that come with it. Success is sweeter when it has been fought hard for. 

However, it is understandable to feel hopeless when the circumstances become too much to handle when things don’t seem to work out the way we want them to when problems arise. It becomes tiring, and sometimes it seems that the most logical way is to give it up and let things be. I’ve had my fair share of such feelings, but when I’ve almost convinced myself to give up, I am reminded of the following:

1. My dreams (mission). When I think about my dreams, I remember that I am a man with a mission. I have a mission that is bigger than my comforts. If I give up, I wouldn’t be able to materialize such dreams. I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my purpose in life. 
2. Previous wins or experiences. When I think about my previous accomplishments, I remember that I am capable of winning and overcoming challenges again and again. I remember that the sense of fulfillment outweighs the pain caused by the struggles. I remember that every battle is worth it, after all. 
3. Other people’s experiences. When I feel like giving up, I think of the people who kept on even when rejections and failure came more often than they can count until success came. I realize that if I give up now, I might only lack one more step and that my initial efforts would be in vain. 
4. People who look up to me (believe in me, love me). I decided to be a trainer and coach because my mission is to help other people achieve excellence in sales and life in general. When I feel like giving up, I think of the people I serve whom I push to always give their 100% effort in what they do. When I think of them, I remember that I have people who need my example. I remember that if I give up, I am failing myself and also failing and risking the dreams and hopes of the people who believe in me.  
5. Acceptance of life’s uncertainty (yo-yo of life). When I remember that life is uncertain and that it is uncertain for everyone, not only for me, I become less hard on myself. By accepting this reality, I become more resilient instead of easily giving up. 

These reasons might not be enough for some to hold on when they are on the brink of giving up, but let these serve as examples that we can find ways to keep on keeping on. We may find that life is a battle, but we are given the ability to win it. Since life is a battle, we should fight it with all that we’ve got every day. Reminding ourselves of why we should not give up when overwhelmed with challenges is one way to fight the battle. 

What are your reasons for fighting your battle and never giving up?

Does having high self-esteem equate to being narcissistic? Thinking that you are superior to others and not accepting making mistakes are signs of narcissism. On the other hand, having self-esteem means respecting yourself and believing in your abilities.

When you boost your self-esteem, you are helping yourself grow as a person. Never allow other people to tell you otherwise and label you as self-centered. How are you going to boost your self-esteem? Here are some tips that work for me when I doubt myself. 

1. Appreciate your strengths. The very first thing you need to do is value the blessings you already have. You might not have what others do, but you have your strengths. 
2. Celebrate your wins. Celebrating your successes will keep you reminded of the strengths and blessings you have. Knowing that there are upsides in life will keep you have a positive attitude and make you confident that things will always get better.   
3. Keep on developing yourself. Of course, developing your self-esteem is not only a matter of believing in yourself and your strengths, but you also need to help yourself to develop further. Knowing that you have equipped yourself with more knowledge and skills will give you an appreciation of yourself. 
4. Remember your past wins. There are times when nothing seems to go right with whatever you do. Inadvertently, it affects your self-esteem because most people tend to get fixated on mistakes even if they’re minimal than the successes. When you encounter situations like this, look back on the things that you accomplished in the past, may they be big or small. 
5. Embrace the fact that nobody is perfect. No person is perfect, and one who thinks he can be is narcissistic. When we accept the fact that we have weaknesses, we learn to appreciate our strengths more. In addition to that, we also become more motivated to develop ourselves further. 

These tips are ways we can do for ourselves to boost our self-esteem. With focus and determination, we can do these for ourselves. However, we cannot discount the outside elements that may affect us, like other people’s opinions. Although these challenges are difficult to overcome, we also have the control not to allow ourselves to be brought down by such negative elements. Do you agree with these tips?

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Throughout my younger years, I had been led to believe that claiming a positive outcome ahead is like inviting the opposite to happen. Because of that belief, I developed the fear of voicing out my goals and dreams for the future, lest I attract opposing forces that would sabotage my chances of reaching those objectives. I silently prayed for my plans to happen, but I never said them out loud. I just kept them to myself.

Back then, I only depended on the knowledge of my elders to guide me through life. Just like most of the children of my generation, I was never one who questioned authority. Yet, as I grew older and got the chance to access more sources of knowledge, I discovered that my belief was farther from the truth. I have summed up the knowledge I learned in favor of keeping a positive attitude in life. 

1. What we think and say, we attract. Contrary to my early belief about jinxing the outcome of what I hoped for if I get ahead of myself, thinking and speaking positive words can give you the energy that can dispel negative energies that could prevent a positive outcome. 
2. What we feed ourselves, we allow to nourish our hearts. Positive words are like healthy food for our hearts like negative words are like poison. If we keep on feeding ourselves with positivity instead of doubts, fears, and other toxic emotions, we would probably flourish through our journey in life.
3. What we imagine, we conjure. If we always think or talk about the result we hope for; we are subconsciously conditioning our mind and all parts of our body to act in such a way that would make things happen rather than prevent them from happening. When we think or speak negatively, then we are likely sabotaging ourselves. 
4. When we are positive, we become problem solvers. Instead of wasting our time dreading the outcome, we gravitate towards finding a solution or an alternative that we could take. Dreading results from negative self-talk and mindset, while taking action is the result of having a positive outlook. 

Amidst all these, we need to remember that being optimistic does not equate to being unrealistic. Does it mean we should not accept negative results? Of course not. We hope and work for the best outcome, but we accept, make plans, and try again when it does not happen. Isn’t being positive better than being bitter? 

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