Psychology Says If You Already Do These 15 Things, You're More Successful Than You Think
Give yourself more credit if you've already achieved these goals.
Valerii Honcharuk | Canva If you already practice self-sufficiency, maintaining healthy relationships, continuously learning, managing your finances responsibly, taking care of your physical and mental health, setting goals and working towards them, adapting to change, and showing kindness and compassion toward others, you're likely more successful than you think, even if your achievements might not seem outwardly grand.
The ability to adapt to changes and bounce back from setbacks is a key element of success. Some people will inevitably succeed in the coming years, while others will not. Let’s not waste time and understand why you will succeed in life.
If you already do these things, you're more successful than you think:
1. You focus on one goal at a time
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This means you focus most of your energy and effort on developing a single project or goal. In contrast, others might spread their time across several different tasks or initiatives, often juggling multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
You can achieve a deeper concentration and expertise in that area by dedicating most of your time to one thing. This focused approach can lead to significant progress and mastery within a specific domain.
2. You see boredom as an opportunity
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Others see boredom as an indication to, yet again, start something new. Feeling bored can indeed be interpreted as a signal to confront and work through internal resistance. It essentially prompts one to explore deeper needs, desires, and potential areas of personal growth that might be avoided.
This view sees boredom not as a negative state to be avoided but as an opportunity for self-discovery and positive change. Psychologists in a 2022 study argue that boredom signals that our current activity doesn't provide enough stimulation or meaning, prompting us to seek new experiences or engage more deeply with our lives.
3. You do, while others plan
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You're not just sitting around thinking; you're making things happen. You take action and actively participate in a situation, while others make elaborate plans or strategize without actually doing anything. This emphasizes the importance of taking the initiative and not just passively waiting for things to happen.
4. You have a system in place to achieve goals
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Research from a study published by the British Psychological Society heavily supports the idea that having clear, specific goals, whether singular or multiple, paired with a well-defined system or plan to achieve them significantly increases the likelihood of success.
This is primarily due to the Goal-Setting Theory, which highlights the importance of clarity, challenge, and commitment in goal-setting. Individuals with clear goals tend to exhibit greater motivation, focus, and persistence in reaching them.
5. Your have a healthy sense of urgency
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Others are in either "ordinary" or "retreat" mode. Establishing a sense of urgency means trying to change the status quo, pushing employees to stop being complacent, and helping them see that it is critical to move forward sooner rather than later. Urgency is the opposite of complacency.
6. You understand yourself and speak your truth
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Other people will continue to strengthen and embellish their masks. 2022 research heavily emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and speaking your truth as crucial elements for mental health and personal growth.
Understanding your thoughts, emotions, and values allows you to express yourself and authentically build healthy relationships with others. Key concepts include self-reflection, mindfulness, and the potential challenges of expressing your truth in different social situations.
7. You understand the significance of money
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Others see the pursuit of money as gauche, instead solely aiming to reduce expenses. Financial success is more about how you behave than what you know. Balancing risk-taking and optimism with humility, fear, and frugality is essential.
Your money mindset can affect your financial decisions and success. You can identify your money mindset and work to change it healthily through education, self-awareness, or seeking support from a financial expert.
8. You understand the concept of compound interest
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Applying the concept of compound interest to work output means that by consistently building upon your skills and knowledge over time, you improve your current performance and create a foundation for even greater productivity and achievement in the future.
The positive effects of learning and experience accumulate exponentially, similar to how interest builds on investment over time. Fidelity Investments explained that, like reinvesting interest, consistently adding new skills and knowledge to your repertoire allows you to leverage those skills to tackle more complex tasks and achieve better results in the future.
9. You aren't seduced by social media
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This refers to the concept that individuals have varying levels of susceptibility to the influence of online information and social media. Some actively manage their online exposure, while others become deeply entangled in the digital world, often due to factors like social comparison, validation seeking, and algorithmic manipulation.
10. Your source of learning is mostly through experience
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Others learn primarily through books and blogs. A 2019 study found this aligns strongly with experiential learning theory, which suggests that people learn best by actively engaging with real-world experiences, reflecting on those experiences, and then applying the insights gained to new situations. This is often considered the primary way humans acquire knowledge and develop skills throughout life.
11. You take notice of your emotions, but you're not dictated by them
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Most others react to their feelings like a boat in a storm. Emotional regulation involves actively identifying and acknowledging your emotions but consciously choosing a thoughtful response rather than impulsively acting on them.
12. To gain ground, you do what others would consider unreasonable
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Most people will do what is reasonable and stay in one place. To achieve significant success, you may need to take actions that most people would deem illogical, extreme, or even impractical, often pushing beyond the boundaries of what is considered 'normal' to reach your goals.
13. You see yourself as the video game designer of your life
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The idea of life as a video game is a philosophy that compares life to a game with rules, objectives, and experiences. In this analogy, the creator of the universe is the 'game designer' who establishes the rules and game loop of life, such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
14. You are humble and give credit to others
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Others are proud and will not take action for fear of putting their image at risk. Pride can hold you back by clouding your judgment, preventing you from acknowledging your mistakes, hindering your ability to learn and grow, damaging relationships, and creating a barrier to vulnerability. It stems from an inflated sense of self-worth and a resistance to admitting shortcomings, giving credit, or accepting feedback from others.
15. You do whatever it takes to get from one step to the next
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Others will make allowances and make ground only if they are lucky. This is primarily driven by a combination of factors, including motivation, goal-oriented behavior, the desire to overcome obstacles, the "just get started" mentality, and the positive reinforcement loop of achieving small wins, which releases dopamine in the brain, encouraging further action.
One final note — Winners know that the odds of success are stacked against us all. By taking action, not coasting, embracing pain, and obsessing over success, your odds will greatly improve. Success is in your grasp.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.