9 Unconventional Habits That Supersede All Others – Period! A not so common list of habits that will inspire you and guide you to big things and maybe even becoming a billionaire.
By Tim Denning Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We've all read a hundred and one posts on habits. The lists look pretty much the same and talk about similar ideas. This list I have for you is very different. It's the habits I've compiled from many millionaires and that I've practiced and executed myself, so I know they work. No rah-rah, quit-your-job and look-at-how-awesome-I-am talk. Just cold, hard habits that will hopefully scare the pants of you and make you take action.
Adopt one of these habits, and you'll see a significant change. Adopt them all, and you'll probably join the billionaires club at some point in your life. Read the list of habits, laugh, and say maybe next year, and I'm willing to bet you will remain unfulfilled. The choice is yours. I'm here to inspire and guide you; the rest is up to you.
Here are nine unconventional habits that supersede all others:
1. Believing in the impossible, regularly.
What you believe will determine most of how your life turns out. The number one habit you want to practice to be happy, fulfilled and successful it to believe that anything is possible. Drop the pessimistic mindset that society has ingrained in us and have hope. Have faith that anything that may seem impossible initially only needs a few, smart people and time to solve. I mean, if you are going to read Entrepreneur.com, then this habit is kind of non-negotiable.
Related: 5 Simple Mindsets Powerful Enough to Assure Your Success
What have you got to lose? The impossible is where all the joy lies, and it's what 99.9 percent of people are not prepared to do. Do you want the results of the 0.01 percent who believe in the impossible, or do you want to be like everybody else? The choice is yours.
2. Doing what you say you will do.
Everyone talks a good game, but doing what you say you will do is also rare. The habit you need to practice from now on is to talk only about things that you are actually going to follow through on. As my mentor once told me, if you want to go even further and become a millionaire then add this simple habit on top: don't just do what you say you will do, do more than people expect you to deliver.
Have you ever noticed how the things that will change your life and business the most are so very straightforward? That's because success and achieving your dream isn't as complicated as you may have thought. There's plenty of hard work involved but not a lot of complicated unknowns that require rocket scientists to solve.
3. Waking up at 4 am.
You've all seen the "early to rise' tip on some list of successful habits, written on some website, somewhere in the world. Let's drop the half-assed approach though and get specific. Yes, you need to wake up early. The question is, are you prepared to do something crazy, like wake up at 4 am? Four in the morning is when nobody else is awake and when you can do three times as much work. But it's not about working harder. It's about capitalizing on the time when you can be most productive.
4. Chipping away at your dream.
Go figure that your dream should be on your habit list. It's kind of counter-intuitive. Having a dream, a vision, a goal is great, so is having a car. Having something you want is not enough. It needs to become a daily habit where you take small steps to achieve that dream. It doesn't matter whether all you do is send one email for the whole day, as long as that email is a small step towards your dream.
Related: Why You Should Pursue Your Dream Even If Nobody Encourages You
Over the course of a month, this might sound like very little progress, but massive success generally takes at least one to two years, and small steps over a longer period of time will compound. Don't settle for mediocre; commit to chipping away at your dream every day without fail.
5. Giving for no good reason.
We've already said that how you think matters a lot. The way to practice abundance is to give for no good reason. Rather than wait till Christmas or the company fun run, give because you can. Practice giving money to things that matter to you, and that have the potential to move our world forward. The dollar amount doesn't matter it's all about the habit of saying, "Hey, I have enough so today I am going to prove that and give something."
Don't just think in monetary terms. You can also give your time, good looks, brains and social media prowess to causes that might benefit. Maybe you just start small and open the door for one person each day. That's still giving, and it's one way to begin the process of transformation towards a better you.
6. Solving a global problem.
Many of us are solving a problem, but is it a global problem that is seriously going to make an impact? This life you have been given is a one-time opportunity, so use it to make an impact that you'll be remembered for. Maybe it's just a change of words on your mission statement to take the problem you are solving for a small, select market, to a problem that affects every one of us. Be visionary. Be bold. Take things up a level; don't allow yourself to be ordinary. You deserve more than that.
7. Recharging with a hit of green.
This one's on the list because I've talked a hell of a lot about doing some pretty crazy, pretty enormous things. There is zero chance of you ever being inspired or taking action on these new habits if you don't have the energy to back it up. Being awesome takes high levels of energy, and for that, my friend, you need to recharge with a hit of green, also known as a green juice. This habit alone will make you feel incredible, and if nothing else, starting it will have got you to make one positive change that may spark something cool.
8. Meeting one new person per day.
Your network is highly valuable, and that's where a lot of your ideas, opportunities and fun (yes, I said it) will come from. I've recently committed to meeting one new person each day, and it's opened my eyes to what's out there. None of us has any clue just how many cool things are happening in the world, which we can be a part of.
Related: The 9 Things People Decide Within Seconds of Meeting You
The more diverse your network gets, the better the visibility you will have on what you could be doing that will inspire you even more. I've also seen how generous people can be, as I've expanded my network. The amount of times I've been given amazing gifts without even asking for them is quite special. To sum it up, I would say that growing your network has a lot to do with who you are and who you're becoming.
9. Coming from a place of love, always.
Not what you'd expect to see on an entrepreneur site. Bad luck, deal with it. Come from a place of love in everything that you do, and practice this habit daily. Do so, and you'll become unstoppable.
