By Jeffrey Benjamin

Your daily habits determine your destiny.

You are the sum of your thoughts and actions. You can make a difference in your life. I will share the first 10 of the 21 habits for success with you in Part 1 of this series.

1. Focus on action. Great ideas without action are useless. Lots of people have ideas; few take action. It is not what you know, but what you do that counts. Take into account the wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”
2. Accept frustration. Frustration is usually experienced right before you achieve success. Think about it. Tying your shoes used to be tough and frustrating but that never stopped you.
3. Do your best. No, not try your best. There is a difference. Trying doesn’t get things done. Do your best and the universe will take care of the rest.
4. Maintain your integrity. Your success will be short-lived if you jeopardize your integrity. The first president of the United States of America, George Washington proclaimed, “Few men have the virtue to withstand the highest bidder.”
5. Take charge of your happiness. Never let anyone but yourself be responsible for your happiness. Thomas Jefferson penned it right in the Declaration of Independence, “…that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Ultimately, happiness is a state of mind that only can be gifted by you.
6. Lead yourself. Leadership is not about barking orders, holding a fancy title, or telling people what to do. True leadership is about leading yourself, not others. And, once you are able to leader yourself, you are more apt to lead others. If you can’t effectively lead yourself, don’t expect others to follow you.
7. Earn respect. Yes, you have to earn it! Demand respect and you will never command respect. One of the best ways to get respect is to give it, without being fake or kowtowing. Another super way to garner respect is to do what you say you are going to do.
8. Guard your time. No one gets any more hours in a day. We all get 24 hours. How you decide to use your time determines your life. Give your attention to the most important priorities. If you don’t what your time priorities are, expect to wase time on unimportant matters.
9. Make lots of mistakes. Just don’t make the same mistake over and over again. If you don’t allow for error, how do you expect to succeed? Your greatest mistake can lead to your ultimate achievement. More mistakes lead to more success. Failure is the way to every success.
10. Take accountability. You never get fit if you expect someone else to exercise for you. No one can do this for you. You must be responsible for the results in your life. You renounce your success when you blame others for your failures. When in doubt, take responsibility. To be incredible, be accountable.

Life is a do-it-yourself project. Put at least one of these habits for success into practice to get a result in your personal and business life. Next month’s issue will share the remaining 11 habits to success.

Best of success to you!

Jeffrey Benjamin is the founder of Breakthrough Training in Reno. He is the co-author of Real Life Habits for Success. Contact him at www.breakthroughtraining.com.