The Habits of Highly Successful Women

Wouldn’t it be great to learn, know and practice the habits that make some women soar to great heights of success?

I would want to know. You see I dream of success of living life on my own terms someday.

Everyone wants a successful life.

But not everyone lives what can be termed a successful life. And in many cases, the reason they fail can be found in their habits.

As the amazing motivational speaker, Og Mandino stated, in this book ” we are all slaves to our habits. First, we build our habits, and after that our habits build us.” Read  Og Mandino’s book, “ The Greatest Salesman in The World to garner his life-changing wisdom.  It is a great book whose principles apply to life and not just sales.

We are, after all, all salesmen and women. If you remember ever trying to convince your mom to get you something you really wanted, even then as a child you were a salesman or woman.

So habits matter a lot. They make us or break us. And successful women or women who find success know this. For that reason and by leveraging these powerful habits, they manifest success.  I bet if you could ask any powerful and successful woman- Oprah or Michelle Obama comes to mind.

Now apart from those iconic women, there are so many other successful women you likely already know.  But if you need new examples of successful women, you can find them in so many industries.

Just scroll through Instagram. Here for is example is a list of 10  amazing real estate influencers you may want to know and learn from.

So what are these women and many like them doing that brings about all this success?

Let’s find out.

I have been poking around and analyzing the characteristics of highly successful women, and I have found that successful people and specifically successful women have certain defining characteristics.

Habits of  highly successful women

Let’s take a look at some of these telltale signs of successful women.

Successful  women are self-aware

Successful women are self-aware.  They are in tune with the inner workings of their minds, their strengths, and their weaknesses.  They know what they are capable of.

They know the areas they need to improve on. And they are quick to realize when it is time to hire out so they do not waste time struggling with things that they are not good at and likely cant do.

They Know when it makes sense to have someone do those things that just makes more sense to have someone else do for them. They know when the situation is more than they can handle, so they ask for help.

And also being self-aware they use their strength to their advantage while putting in place ways to overcome their weaknesses or minimize their effects.

Successful women are careful to surround themselves with the right people.

They cut loose those that are toxic or weigh them down. They know the personalities to stay clear of.

Successful women are aware of what they are passionate about. What drives them. They don’t waste time pretending. Why waste their time and someone else’s time. Time and resources can be better used.

Self-awareness is important for your success.  So, think, what makes you tick?

This post may contain affiliate links. So the full disclosure here. 

Success women have goals

Success requires goals. How else would you know what you are working towards?  Successful women set up goals that drive well-placed actions.

They implement  SMART GOALS.

Success requires well-thought action plans. Goals help you forge a path toward something. A successful woman formulates her goals and works on them. She sees them through.

Without goals, it’s like beating about the bush, being lost in a thicket, a maze, or forest.

Goals are a guide that helps you keep your mind trained so that you know how you will achieve that goal. Otherwise, you have this amorphous thing that is unwieldy and gets you running around in circles.

You can’t get anywhere that way. Successful women lay out clear action plans that lead to specific goals and their vision.

Related: 11 Simple Good Habits for a Happier Life

Successful women write things down

Think for example how many times you go to the store without your list and you come home with a basket full of things you didn’t mean to buy?

But you forgot the one thing you were going to buy. Okay, maybe  I am the only one. 

Goals and plans need to be written down and placed where you can see them daily.

Write the plans and your priorities for the next day down.

I find that when I write my to-do list the day before I am more likely to accomplish what I wrote down.

The key is making sure your list is not a mile long.  I

Successful women know that writing their intentions down is important.

They take their intentions seriously and when they write their intentions down, those goals, plans, or priorities get accomplished.

Start writing your to-do list every night. Plan out your week in writing on Sunday. Lay down your plans in writing, and you will find you will start to accomplish more.

They take risks

Now you know that success may require that you go way out of your comfort zone.

Successful women know this and are not afraid of getting themselves out of their comfort zone. But admittedly, some apprehension may be there, but they know how important it is to leave the comfort zone, so they forge ahead and overcome those fear.

The drive to succeed wins over fear.  Yes, success is not always comfortable. Or at least the process is not always comfortable. Sometimes when you have those  BIG SCARY HAIRY GOALS  they call for leaving the comfort of what’s familiar.

Successful women set some goals that scare them. But they are determined.

So they go after scary but smart goals. They take risks. They don’t let people tell them that perhaps they are a bit crazy to think they can do that big thing they want to do.

So don’t be afraid to think big and go after big dreams.

Successful people step out of mediocrity.  They abandon their comfort zone. They take the plunge. And most often, they succeed.

Life, as you know, is not static. Always changing. So a successful woman learns to keep on reinventing herself and pushing the boundaries.

They wake up early

Successful women are early risers.

If you have ever woken up early, before the rest of the household stirs, indeed before the rest of the world does, there is a sense of great tranquility in the air.

Everything is still and peaceful and in that peace, you are close to your innermost self. Your brain is sharpest.  It is easy to produce your best work then and it is easy to find true inspiration.

Your mind is also fresh and uncluttered with all the other chaos that can get introduced as the day wears on.

Not to mention if you are a mama, the kiddos are asleep and you get to do your best work uninterrupted.

So go to bed early, so you wake up early enough to this tranquil time that is the best part of the day. This is also a good time to write in your journal, to practice your daily affirmations that will fortify you and act as a driving force and sustenance as the day goes on.

A  successful woman starts her day early, taking care of the most important items on her list when she is at her best.

They keep distractions to a minimum

We are living in one of the most distracting times in human history. While technology has opened up the world of communication, distractions have also become part of our daily lives.

If you work online, you are likely to have even more distractions. Successful women know that in order to get to their goals they must limit distractions. So successful women close those excessive browsers.

They turn off notifications on their devices and keep their focus on the work that needs to be done. And while it is not easy to curb the urge to check your social media, your productivity depends on keeping distractions to a minimum.

The urge to check Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are great. We tend to want to know what’s happening out there at all times.  Sadly though, one can browse mindlessly for hours instead of focusing on the work that will change that bottom line.

Successful women block out time for various tasks. They don’t get sucked into the rabbit hole of endless social media scrolling.

When you block time for various tasks, you are able to give every task your undivided attention.

Juggling is mentally exhausting, and not much is done when your attention is all over the place.

They  are driven

Successful women are driven to succeed. They know good things usually don’t come free.

You may not always have to pay with cash, check, or card. but you always have to put the work in. So they do.

Successful women know that if they procrastinate they cannot accomplish what they need to get to the next step, to achieve those goals.

So if you envision success, be real with yourself and know that, especially in the beginning, you will need to put in loads of work.

Be driven to be a successful woman.

They take time to reboot

Successful women know that it is important to step away from work sometimes.

The body and the mind must rest at some point.  Successful women know the key to success is making sure to put some time aside to step away and practice some self-care.

They schedule a time to do little or big things that fill their soul.

Take care of yourself. Take breaks. Go to the movies. Sit under a tree and read a book. Okay, of course, you can read anywhere you want. Schedule time to be with your friends.

Practice yoga, and mindfulness. Taking time to care for yourself gives you renewed energy to come back to the work with more focus and energy. Successful women know the value of self-care.

They take time to play, as they take time to work.

It is all in the balance.

Related: Amazingly Simple Self Care Ideas for Moms to improve Mental Health

They plan and  prioritize

Successful women do not do things willy nilly. They always have a plan. Successful women, plan and prioritize. As the old adage goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  And as they plan they also prioritize.

And as such, they wake up every day knowing what is on the day’s to-do list.

Successful women have systems in place that help them to prioritize tasks. They may use a system, in which they take care of tasks that have a great ROI, or tasks that are urgent and need to be taken care of.

They don’t let important things pass through the cracks of busyness. Success women know to handle those frogs.

In other words, they eat their frog. They don’t, keep circling on that difficult thing. They meet difficult situations heads-on but candidly.

They avoid procrastination. 

They take care of tasks or situations that are big, hairy first, because they know when those are out of the way, they will have better clarity, and even renewed energy for lesser tasks.  Boss ladies tackle the highest priority of the day first.

They are always learning

Successful women never stop learning. They are lifelong learners. They know they need for learning because life is not static. Business practices are not static.

And can we say technology? The changes in technology are constant. Successful people know that in order to progress, they must keep up with new innovations, and they must study their competition. They know they need to learn to do better.

They know that one cannot grow if one stays stuck in the old way, using only the old knowledge.

A successful woman takes the time to learn new things. She is always improving on herself and her processes.

They Nourish themselves

You cannot run on empty. And successful women know this. They nourish their bodies with nutritious food. They take their health seriously.

What good is a success if you are too sick to enjoy it? And how can you be a go-getter when your body feels tired and sluggish due to filling it with foods that are just not good for you.

Related: How to stay energetic throughout the day

To be ready to go and get to your goals each and every day requires good health. If you eat and fill yourself up with the right nutrients, you will have more energy and better focus.

It is indeed one key to success, and successful women, make sure they fuel their bodies, and their minds the right way- with the right nutrition.

They avoid unhealthy comparison

You have I am sure heard that you cannot compare apples and oranges. Yes, they are fruits but quite different fruits.  So unhealthy comparison and bloggers especially can fall into this trap.

You know when you see that income report and you are thinking, Dang! She made that much money in her third month of blogging! Why can’t I?

Yea, the journeys are quite different. Maybe she had more time. Maybe she had prior skills in some areas you don’t. Or maybe she could afford that very expensive course.

Well, it’s not just unhealthy in blogging, it is unhealthy in many areas of business and life. Only learn from those who are more successful.

Don,t waste time comparing and feeling sorry for you because you will waste vital energy and you can get discouraged.

So successful women, know this. And instead of such comparison, they use strategy. They study those who are more successful. and they learn from them.

Successful Women sleep well

Burning the midnight candle is not the way to get ahead. Unless of course, you are a night owl. But if you are not, make sure to turn in at a decent hour. Successful women know how important sleep is and make sure they get enough sleep.

Being sleep-deprived is hard for your productivity. You are not able to be your best self and do your best work when going through the day feeling like a zombie.

There is a time for everything. Really there is. Give yourself a cut-off point, when you decide no more work. Start a  nighttime routine to cue your mind that you are preparing to go to sleep.

Making sure you are sleeping enough rejuvenates the body and mind. You feel on top of the world and you have so much energy to crash through those goals you have.

Work towards your success by getting enough sleep. This is one important characteristic of successful women.

They don’t give up

No one said success is easy. It is not. Sometimes the most successful people have encountered a massive amount of failure. Think about all those amazing people you have heard of in history.

Those who invented stuff like, I don’t know, the Wright Brothers. They didn’t just make an airplane that just flew off the first time. They failed and failed until they succeeded.

I am talking to myself here too. Successful women know that you can’t give up on your dream just because things are not quite yet taking off. You believe in your dream, in your vision, so you keep working on it improving it, and eventually, you will succeed.

This is where successful woman keep their vision in sight for motivation when things get hard. When failure hits hard and doubts knock them down sometimes. But they get up still, dust themselves, improve their strategy and press on.

Successful women do not failure define themselves. No, they don’t brand themselves as failures because something they tried did not work. No, they know that is not their identity.

Successful women do not let failure define them.  They know that failure is an episode, a moment or even a season that they use to grow.

They are not afraid to ask for help

It takes a strong woman to ask for help.  Knowing when you a no longer continue to do it and carry all the weight by yourself is crucial. Sometimes you can only go so far when you are doing it all alone.

Even when your business is in its infancy, you still need to ask for help. Especially then. it is just a different kind of help, because, at that stage, you may need to have someone to show you the way, the ropes, or help you when you get stuck.

So don’t be afraid to ask when you need help. Someone was where you are, and they know the pain and the way to get you unstuck. So go on and find a mentor or two. just don’t waste time following all the many teachers on the internet.

They are focused

Successful women stay focused on their vision, on their goals, on the tasks task that needs to be done to get them from where they are to the next step on their journey.

And you probably don’t need anyone telling you how hard this is.  There are many things that call for our attention on any given day or hour.

Deciding to ignore those things that will not advance your success, is key to your success. And to succeed, we have to learn to tune out the noise in our very loud world. Listening to all the noise will derail you and slow you down.

Pick the things that matter. Tune out everything else and focus on those. Successful women are masters at tuning out the excess unnecessary noise that can crowd out their path to success.

They see the big picture

You must envision your success. What does that look like for you?  Is it being the master of your day, without heeding to the call, of a 9-5? It is for me for sure.  And I am keeping that vision on sight daily, indeed, hourly.  So successful women have a vision. They see what they want and then they implement steps towards it.

They outline the steps needed to get them to that dream they have. And you can do the same.  Create a mental picture of your perfect life. Then outline what is needed to get to that point.

Then start implementing one piece of that puzzle at a time. Do you need financial freedom? What can you do to get to that figure you envision? Anything is possible.

Dream as big as you want. Successful women are not afraid to dream big. They see the big picture, and then they work backward towards it.

They are grateful

Success women know the power of a grateful heart. They practice gratitude and as such, they don’t take anything good in their lives for granted. Start practicing gratitude daily.

Make it a part of your morning routine, and you start to appreciate the good things in your life that you may take for granted. This makes one a much happier person.

And when you appreciate what you have, and appreciate those around you, it is like you have this magnetic power and you attract good things, success, and more.

They take effort to network and Connect

You cannot do it all alone. Successful women know this and so they seek connections and networking opportunities. It is in these networking opportunities that ideas can be bounced about, and learning can happen, and opportunities for advancement can oftentimes be found. And successful women know this.

You may be an introvert and their many successful introverted women, but they still seek those connections because they are crucial to growth. Afterward, they can retreat and immerse themselves in self-care to recoup.

Go after those networking opportunities if you aim to get to the higher ground of success.

They keep track of growth

Keeping track of growth or lack of is important. And successful women know this. So they track everything. They attack the workings of the systems they have in place.

They track profit, losses, and time. By learning what is working and what is not then they know if they met certain goals or not. They know what to improve, and what needs fine-tuning and perfecting the systems that are working.

No success is made blindly. Success women, learn, implement and track.

They give back

Giving back is a beautiful thing. This helps you appreciate the true blessings in your life. And the universe sees and listens.  Successful women know the value of giving back. They help those in need.

It may be in monetary form or even in time. They participate in their society or even their world. They help those less fortunate. There is always someone who can use your help.

Tell me, which of these habits of successful women do you practice?  I would love to hear how such habits have boosted your success. Which one are you yet to try? Which one would you like to try or add to this list? Please, share in a comment below.

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