For the last few years as I have built my business, as I have gone from like hobby blogger to six-figure business, one of the things that has really gotten me very excited and has completely changed the way I see my life, in general, is studying the ways that successful people think differently. So why are there people who are able to make a whole lot of money? Why do some people struggle? Why do some people “get it” and some don’t? Here are 5 ways successful people think differently.
They’re comfortable with risk.
The number one way successful people think differently is that they are comfortable with risk. Take me for example. I come from an immigrant family. My parents fled the Cuban Revolution. As children when you’re raised at an immigrant family, and you’re raised in a family that had to flee their home country, you are raised to not take risks.
So when I started learning about credit cards, for example, I had a friend who had to twist my arm for me to get a travel rewards card because I was terrified. Now credit cards and I are BFFs, and I haven’t paid for a flight in five years because of all the points I have.
I’ve been able to make investments in my business because of credit cards. And, by the way, I’ve never carried a balance from one month to the next. No, I am not someone who was born being comfortable with risk, quite the opposite. I personally have been very risk-averse my entire life. It’s only in learning to get comfortable with risk and taking risks, and then coming out the other side okay that I’ve been able to realize that risk is necessary for success.
I have seen this as a very common pattern among very financially successful people. They know how to take calculated risks. If something doesn’t work out, they take ownership of it and move on. So for you, start with like a small risk and then move your way up.
They don’t dwell on failures.
Another way successful people think differently is by not dwelling on failures. You don’t succeed without failing. It’s impossible. I think part of what holds people back is they wanna make sure that they are going to succeed. If you don’t take action because you’re afraid of failing, you’re basically a guaranteed failure because you’re going stay exactly where you are, whereas if you do take action, and you happen to fail along the way, there’s still a chance that you’re going to succeed. And if you fail, you learn from it and you move on. So pick your poison. Which one do you want?
Something I’ve noticed with very successful people is when they do fail they don’t really tend to dwell on it for very long. In fact, they don’t really give it more energy than it actually deserves. That’s not to say that they don’t get disappointed. What it means is that they’re able to find the lessons in the failure a lot faster so that they can move on.
They know who to spend time with.
Very successful people know that who they spend time with is very important. They know that they need to surround themselves with people who are going to take them higher or help them take their lives to the next level. Or the surround themselves with people they can learn from. the other thing I mean is surrounding yourself with people that you can actually learn from. If you want to go make more money, start hanging out with people who are making it, start absorbing what it is that they do, start learning from them, and ask questions.
On the flip side of that, if you’re hanging out with people who do nothing but drain your energy, these are not people who want to see you succeed. Those types of people do exist. Successful people know this and that’s why they purposely put themselves in rooms with other people and other individuals who are living life at another standard. And at that point, they don’t have a choice but to start moving up to that standard themselves. This is why successful people are particular about who they hang out with. It’s an energy thing.
They don’t compare themselves to others.
While successful people are still human and may have moments of comparison, they know that the only thing they can control is themselves. So that’s what they focus on. They don’t get envious of people on Instagram. There is no comparing themselves to people who have been in the business twice as long as they have. They focus on their own work ethic and keep it moving. They’ll continue to compete with themselves, not with other people.
They put a value on their time.
Successful people think differently because they know how to put a value on their time. They know that the most valuable thing they have on this planet is their time because they’re not getting it back. At the end of the day, we all are gonna die, and successful people are very aware of this. They know that their time is their most valuable resource, and they are able to literally put a dollar sign on that.
For example, think about Oprah. Oprah knows the value of her time. She doesn’t cook, clean, or do the menial tasks that she isn’t getting paid, and paid well, for. It’s not worth her time. Just this last tip will completely revolutionize your entire life if you’re able to really start acting in that way. If you want to be successful, you have to put a value on your time.
So there you have it, the five ways successful people think differently than the average person. These examples aren’t new, but they are important if you’re ready to lead a more successful life.