Best Things that Successful People Don’t Do

Prudence is a virtue. This does not mean being greedy or stingy either. It means being able to handle your finances responsibly. The rich steer clear of meaningless expenses. For example, they don’t pay for cable or magazine subscriptions when the very same content is on the Internet for free. They’re smart with their money and seek out value. Take a look at what you’re spending on in your life, and see if you can do without it or, get it somewhere else for cheaper or even free.

We all need friends, family members or colleagues you can trust and count on. We all need support. But the truly successful individual knows that the only person you can really rely on is yourself. Depending on others too much makes you afraid to take chances, and doesn’t build your self-esteem. Every successful person consults himself first, second, and third. Everyone else, last.

Life will throw many challenges our way. And if we’re paying attention, it’ll show us that what we’re currently thinking is either wrong or not working anymore. The successful person doesn’t fear reevaluating themselves and what they think and believe. They adapt, change, and go with, not against what life throws at them.

Everyone makes a mistake. Many in fact. Bad decisions are a natural part of life, and some of them, have dire consequences. But no matter how bad a decision we’ve made can be, the successful know not to dwell on it. They know that dwelling does nothing but keep them stuck. And in this fast-paced highly competitive world – you’ve got to keep moving forward.

One of the most important things for success is paying attention to details. Even the smallest of ones. When you’re trying to start a successful business, you need to pay attention to every facet of it. From the accounting to advertising, to how you craft your emails and even the time in which you reply to potential customers, you’re projecting a brand onto the public, and must constantly be aware of that fact and all its elements.

Mistakes will be made. This is inevitable. Eventually, something goes wrong, placing a serious dent in your previously well-laid schemes. You can’t control everything. But learning from your mistakes means finding what is worth salvaging from your unfortunate experience and then realizing what went wrong, so you can find a way to prevent it in the future. Successful people use their mistakes to work on themselves and change the things they have the power to change.

A good idea is like a car without a rearview mirror. People have nothing to look back on to compare it to. This is why most will put down your ideas, causing you to give up on them. But don’t. Successful people trust their instincts and go with their ideas even when they’re wrong. Eventually, they know that one will come that’s right. So ignore the naysayers.

You never know who you’re going to meet on your way up to the top. Do not, I repeat, do not make enemies along the way. That person working the reception desk you’re being curt to can eventually become vice president or CEO one day and will remember how dismissive you were. Successful people know this, and typically, is the reason why the higher you go, the better you get treated by those above you.

This one should be a no-brainer but needs to be reiterated. Never invest everything into one stock, investment, or idea. Always have backup plans, alternatives, contingencies etc. because there’s a good chance people may not be impressed with your idea, and back out with their stake in it. This shouldn’t discourage you, but rather, to make you wise to the fact that spreading out your resources is the best thing you can do.

At some point in life, we all found ourselves taking a risk in exchange in the hope for some greater gain. It’s fine to be an adrenalin junkie, living by the motto “high risk, high reward”, but be smart about it. Those that play the lottery are taking unnecessary risks because the odds are so out of their favor. Make sure if you’re going to take risks, big or small, that your odds of success are reasonably high.