Top Healthy Habits of Successful People

While not every successful person exhibits all of these habits, we’ll take a look at some common success strategies, including the importance of:

• Taking time to relax.
• Keeping a positive attitude.
• Getting an early start each day.
• Eating well.
• Always expanding your knowledge.

All your ideas in one place

Keep your thoughts, content, and lists handy with OneNote

Learn more

Taking time to relax.
Your physical and mental health are important, and you’ll never be able to enjoy your success if you’re too worried about keeping endlessly busy to maintain it. Whether it’s a daily 15-minute deep breathing exercise, a weekly yoga class, or a monthly massage, find something that helps you achieve a better work-life balance.Taking that time for yourself will help you to feel rejuvenated and ready to get back to work when it’s time. Relaxation takes your mind off the stresses of work for a time and prevents long-term burnout, which can have a plethora of negative effects on your health.

Keeping a positive attitude.
Keeping a positive outlook doesn’t mean that you have to spend every day bouncing on your toes. It does, however, mean that you try to look for the good in things. Try to find as much positivity in everything you do to promote optimism in your life. Being positive helps to bring more positivity into your life. No, you can’t speak things into existence, but it sure helps to look for positivity when you can. On the other side of the coin, those who look for negativity will always find it. Even a pessimist can find a flaw in a rainbow (“It’s not a FULL rainbow.”), while an optimist can find positivity in a pile of animal droppings on a hiking trail (“We might get to see some wildlife!”).

Getting an early start each day.
People have been saying, “The early bird gets the worm,” since the 17th century. We know you don’t eat worms, but a worm can be anything! Think of the things you could accomplish if you woke up a couple of hours earlier every day. Let’s say you start work at 9 am every day, so your alarm goes off at 7:30 to make sure you have time to shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and make a 30-minute commute to work. If you woke up at 6 am every day, you’d have two full hours to get in an hour workout and read for 30 minutes before starting your morning routine. If you prefer to work out in the evening, spend that extra time in the morning going through relaxation routines, go for a walk, or beat traffic and get to work early.

You’re probably not itching to get to work from the moment you wake up, but spending an hour alone in a quiet office can do wonders for productivity.

Tip: If you’re not much of an early riser, try getting to bed earlier. Set an alarm to remind you to turn off the TV, close your book, or put away your phone, then get ready for bed. Then comes the hard part: don’t go back to what you were doing or start another activity. Head straight for bed so you’re ready to get up the next morning without hitting the snooze button.

Eating well.
Part of being successful means that you have the energy to get things done. It takes eating well to have the energy you need to get up and get moving. One thing that successful people have in common is that they prioritize healthy eating habits. Do they eat takeout from time to time? Of course, they do. But you can still eat takeout, whether it’s for yourself or as part of a work function, without overeating. Make healthy choices when eating, and you’ll find that you’re generally more energized and feel better about expending the necessary energy to get things done.

Always expanding your knowledge.
Successful people are never content with their skills or knowledge. This doesn’t mean they’re not happy about the things they can do or what they know. Rather, they’re always trying to improve. Prioritize time every day to read at least some of a book to learn more about how you can get better at your craft, learn a new skill, or grow in your passions. Some of the world’s most successful people (Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, and others) dedicate hours to reading every day, so they can grow their wealth of knowledge. You can do the same if you take the time.

While not every successful person prioritizes all of these healthy habits, you’ll find that many of them do. Everything from healthy eating habits to getting enough sleep ensures that you have the energy to put in the work needed to find success, however you’re seeking it.