[Disclaimer] I’m not one to go around spewing how successful I think I am or how I excel above the norm. [/Disclaimer] Aaron at Today Is That Day, a personal development site that fits very well within my niche has tagged me in an interactive research project ^[1] .

Compose a new blog post listing the top 5 to 10 things that you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things that you do at least 4 or 5 times every week. Anything less than that may be a hobby that helps you out, but we are after the real day in and day out habits that help you to be successful.

Here are some of the things I do that I feel keep me on my path towards success:

1. Stay hydrated

This is what I believe to be the most vital part of my good health. Drinking at least 2 liters of water a day helps me stay energized, focused and happy! I consider it to be liquid motivation ^[2].

2. Write down good ideas

I used to have a problem with things going in one ear and out the other, I mean who hasn’t? I’ve adopted a strategy to cope with all that – I write things down. Whenever I get an article idea, a new goal I’d like to achieve, or anything I’d like to do – I write it down. Sometimes I even blog about it. This keeps me from forgetting it and gives me a great place to reflect whenever I’m trying to decide what my next action will be.

3. Exercise

Without exercise I would be a mushy puddle of lard (good thing i’m not!). We all know the benefits of exercise ^[3], right?

4. Strategize

Each day I take time to just sit down with a piece of paper (or Microsoft One Note) and plan. I plan my next day ^[4], week, month and year. I plan out how I will actually achieve my goals ^[5]. I don’t like leaving these specifics to chance, so I decide what my next action will be. It’s also a great method to overcome procrastination ^[6] – and planning is one of the best ways to avoid being late ^[7].

5. Study

Yes, I’m still in school. Graduate school is not as easy as college, so I have to devote some time to digest the information in small chunks. Studying on a daily basis allows me to do this.

6. Seek information

Every day I’m either reading a book, reading personal development articles or talking to people that inspire me. It keeps my brain active and my mind set on growth. In essence, I’m studying for life.

7. Surround myself with positive people

I recently moved to be a little closer to graduate school, so I’m not as close to friends and family as I used to be. This does not allow me to see my “master mind group” and my best friends in person. I’m still connected via phone and internet so I get my daily dose of inspiration and good laughs from these wonderful people.

8. Spend time looking at my vision board

I spend a considerable amount of time creating my vision board ^[8]. It helps me fixate on the things that are coming to me in life. Just a few minutes of looking at it, and tasting victory does the trick for me.

9. Feel alive

I’m not even sure where I picked up this habit, but I’ve recently read about it again in Tuesday’s With Morrie. Whenever life happens and causes you to experience an emotion, really let yourself feel it. I do this, and it helps me to take it all in and then let it all go. Imagine really feeling the pain instead of bottling it in, but being free of it after just a few moments – it helps me have a clear head and no regrets.

10. Help a person

It doesn’t have to be anything big. Some days I’ll just hold a door for someone, sometimes I’m asked for advice so I have to do my best to step up to the plate; there’s also that infamous donation contest ^[9], and I think my biggest contribution is this self help ^[10] website into which I put in my heart and soul.

Thanks to Sania Wyatt ^[11] for double tagging me – this was a fun post to write.

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