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Ready to succeed in 2023? Try these tips from the top! We take a look at some of the advice from people who are leaders in their chosen fields to discover how they have successfully achieved their goals. Could you add some of these success tips to your routine in 2023?
From setting goals that reflect your own passions to remembering to smile – here are some of the tips for success from some of the most successful people in their respective fields.
#1. Do what you love
Michelle Obama’s Becoming was an international bestseller and her latest publication, The Light We Carry, is set to follow in its wake. Packed with insights and ideas for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s uncertain world, it makes our must-read list for 2023 (Link to another January blog).
Michelle spoke to Essence magazine to share some of her advice about being successful. “I think that in order to be successful, women have to figure out what they’re passionate about first. No matter what you aspire to, you’ve got to love what you do in order to be successful at it.”
She continued, “I also encourage women to set high goals for themselves and be confident in their ability to achieve them. There were people who told me Princeton was out of reach and that going to Harvard Law School would be too hard. I’m so glad I never listened to them – and it helped me to learn to trust in myself above all else.”
#2. Form daily habits that lead you to your goal
Barack Obama has some equally good advice once you’ve set your goals. He told a San Diego leadership conference that success is made easier by forming daily habits that get you towards your goals.
Obama explained he used this technique to help himself give up smoking. By developing habits that made it less likely that he would smoke, he was able to lead himself away from the bad habit he wanted to shake. Obama told the audience, “The secret to change comes from daily habits.”
#3. Make life easier for yourself where you can
President Obama is one of the famous faces who share another common leadership strategy. It’s a surprisingly simple choice shared by leaders such as Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg: wearing a “uniform” to work.
We make around 35,000 decisions each day. Eliminating the unnecessary ones is a great way to reduce what best-selling author and psychologist Roy F Baumeister calls “decision fatigue”. Whether its Obama’s conservative suits or Richard Branson’s blue jeans, giving yourself fewer decisions to make early in your day helps to get your day off to a flying start.
#4. Resilience is key to achieving your dreams
Bestselling author JK Rowling said that “being able to pick yourself up and keep going is invaluable if you’re going to survive your work being publicly assessed.” The Harry Potter author famously received many rejections before her stories finally made it onto the shelves of bookstores.
Tennis great Serena Williams is another successful woman for whom success has not come easily. She explains, “I just never give up. I fight to the end.” This never-say-die spirit has enabled Serena to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles – more than any other woman or man during the open era in tennis. She told GQ Sports, “When I go down a set, I have to forget it. ‘OK, it’s not over, you’re still in it, you have to fight for it.’ Stay present.”
#5. Be nice to those around you
While indefatigable hunger for success is clearly a common trait of those who are most successful in their fields, there is another trait these characters share: taking time to make the people around you feel good.
Musician Ed Sheeran has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in history. He told Capital Radio, “The main thing you have to remember on this journey is just be nice to everyone and to smile. Always appreciate things because they could be gone tomorrow.”
