5 Things Truly Successful People Just Don’t Do, Says A Business Coach
If you want to be a successful person, you may want to take these things into consideration.
Polina Zimmerman | Pexels Have you ever noticed that successful people just have a different kind of energy? Obviously, they had to work hard to get where they are now, but this goes beyond that. The entire vibe is different. They have clearly leveled up in their own lives, and by being around them, you feel like a little bit of that elevation rubs off on you, like it’s contagious. It makes you want to be with them and learn from them.
Virtual assistant and business coach Jessica Hawks understands this super well. Not only has she been around people “with net worths that would make you gag,” but she’s also an extremely successful entrepreneur herself, making seven figures. She shared some of the things that set successful people apart by explaining what they don’t do. If you follow her advice, you might just find yourself on the path to greater success, just like you’ve been dreaming of.
Here are 5 things truly successful people just don’t do:
1. Drink a lot of alcohol
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This may surprise some people. After all, aren’t successful people blowing all their money on lavish parties every other day? According to Hawks, apparently not. “Obviously, this can’t be a blanket statement for every single successful person, but the people that I’ve seen that do not drink alcohol are significantly farther ahead,” she revealed. She said many of the successful people she’s familiar with avoid alcohol altogether or make sure to only drink in moderation, “and their social events do not revolve around drinking in any way.”
Writing for GoodRx, Dr. Nicole Andonian explained that there are many benefits to not drinking alcohol, some of which you’ll notice right away. For example, you won’t fall victim to alcohol poisoning or the risky behaviors that can come with drinking. On the longer-term side, you’ll notice increased immunity, better heart health, lower cancer risk, and a healthier liver. It can even benefit your mental health. This doesn’t mean you have to cut alcohol out completely, but it may be a sign to be more mindful about your consumption of it.
2. Criticize their appearance
It’s so easy to be self-critical, especially when it comes to your appearance. There’s so much pressure in our culture to look a certain way and be perfectly put together all the time. Successful people kind of just ignore this, Hawks said. “It’s like they kind of just don’t care,” she stated. “I think that this psychologically has to do with a lot of things, like being detached from their identity and having solution-oriented thinking, focusing on what they can control.”
Psychology professor Tara Well, PhD, said that spending time criticizing your appearance, of course, affects your mental health, but it impacts much more than just that. “Researchers have found that self-objectification actually reduces our awareness of bodily sensations and emotions,” she said. “We begin to see ourselves as things when we look in the mirror — instead of as real people.” We all have flaws and imperfections, but that doesn’t mean we should spend all our time picking them out and focusing on them. Doing so is damaging, and it’s not how a successful person would act.
3. Pay attention to how much they work
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This may sound pretty unrealistic for the average person. And, honestly, it is. But Hawks said that the successful people she knows aren’t worried about keeping a strict schedule and don’t care if they put in extra hours. “This is the point often of starting a business, is that you actually enjoy what you do and you integrate it into your life,” she said. “It’s like they view that as, ‘No, I’m gonna do what I need to do in order to get where I want to go, and, in fact, if I’m stopping for extended periods of time, then I’m typically losing momentum.’”
Of course, if you’re working nine-to-five, you’re going to be pretty aware of your schedule. And, for most people, work-life balance is actually an important concept. There is such a thing as working too much, especially when your work doesn’t seamlessly incorporate into the rest of your life like it can for some entrepreneurs and/or workaholics. This may be one part of Hawks’ formula for a successful person that you’ll want to take with a grain of salt. It’s not bad if you care about how much you work.
4. Show off their money
It’s easy to think that if you were successful and wealthy, you’d definitely be going on some shopping sprees. But Hawks said successful people don’t really “spend money just to show off.” Just like with everything on her list, she said there were exceptions. “But for the most part, the people that I’ve seen who actually have money are more worried about investing in things that save them time,” she said. “And if they’re buying something luxurious, like a house or a car or chef or whatever, it’s because they actually enjoy that thing, or it’s … giving them something in their life that they did not have previously.”
It might seem like there’s no need for you to save up money if you’re wealthy, but you never know when the tables could turn. Bankrate contributor René Bennett shared some of the benefits of saving money instead of spending it. They included having enough in the bank for emergencies, contributing to your retirement, meeting goals faster, and having greater flexibility. These are things that anyone can enjoy and benefit from, regardless of how much money they have. Wealthy people still have emergencies arise and have financial goals they want to work towards. The most successful people are smart and know it’s important to always have money on hand.
5. Make excuses
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“Probably most importantly,” Hawks said, “they do not break the promises they make to themselves. There is no consistent, like, ‘Oh, I forgot this,’ or making excuses as to why they can’t do something. In fact, that is, like, viewed as a negative thing.” This is something we can all relate to, regardless of how successful we are by the world’s standards. Isn’t it so easy to make an excuse for something, saying you just forgot about it, or meant to do it but didn’t? Successful people hold themselves accountable, and we could all benefit from doing that.
Writing for Headspace, Dr. Claudia Aguirre noted, “Psychologists place excuse-making in the ‘self-handicapping’ category — that is, it’s a behavior we express that hurts our own performance and motivation.” Dr. Aguirre said there are some excuses that are actually good, like the ones that decrease your anxiety and depression levels. “Once out of these parameters, you’re looking at detrimental excuses,” she added. “These excuses ultimately undermine one’s accountability, which makes other people see them as deceitful, ineffectual, and self-absorbed.” If someone is constantly making excuses and breaking promises, no one is going to trust them. Nobody wants to be that person.
Being “successful,” at least as our society defines it, may feel like it’s a long way off for most of us. However, there are things we can learn from the examples of successful people. Doing these things will make us look more trustworthy, protect our health, and boost our confidence. That’s always a good thing.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
