There are many variables that can influence if you’re deemed successful. There are many blog posts about it too. Studies that have proven what successful people are doing and when they do them. Usually these posts are linked to being a millionaire or something else as equally prestigious.

What if you don’t determine success through wealth? Are you successful for having a family? For loving your job? What about succeeding by completing your bucket list?

There are millions of ways that you can determine yourself as a success.

When I see a post that says it can show you the path to becoming a millionaire, I tend to look at it. Not because I would like to be a millionaire, not that it wouldn’t be nice, but because wealth allows us to see a clear path to the success we envision for ourselves.

When you see a post saying successful people do X, Y, and Z, try doing this. Envision you as a success, whatever that means to you. Running a marathon, getting married, being promoted at your job, being the first in your family to graduate high school, whatever it is that drives you. I want you to put yourself in each situation that these successful millionaires is promoting to you. Ask yourself how it is relevant to your success and modify accordingly.

Here are a few of the successful traits that can be modified for your success.

Wake up Early

I am not an early bird.

Successful people tend to be up at 6 a.m. or earlier. Getting up earlier means going to bed earlier and getting enough rest. While everyone has a different morning routine, most success stories point to people exercising, meditating, making a priority list, spending time with family and reading.

While everyone prioritizes something different, waking up early can help you jump start your day before anyone else without the hassle of anyone else. Some people might ask if staying up late could lead to the same results, but after a long day of working, dealing with family, chores, and more, it isn’t the same as doing what you need to first thing in the morning.

If this could help you with your successful ambitions, try starting your day 30 minutes earlier. Stretch, read, write out your priorities for the day, anything that could help your day run smoother.

If you’re doing great with 30 minutes, see if an hour would make an impact. Keep increasing your time until you are accomplishing everything you want to be accomplishing before the rest of your world wakes up.

Budget

I believe this is helpful to everyone. Budgeting and sticking to a budget allows everyone to experience freedom from finances.

If you have trouble sticking to a budget, try out apps like Albert or Mint. Both are great for beginners and user friendly. If you have questions about your finances, I definitely recommend trying Albert. Albert allows you to ask professionals about any inquiries you might have regarding an array of topics. Whether you should refinance your student loans, look into lowering your cable bill, how to cut spending, Albert is there to help with it all.

While you might have a budget in place, you need to stick with it to be effective. Without a budget, you aren’t controlling your money, your money is controlling you. Sticking to a budget allows you to pursue your dreams of success easier and possibly sooner than if you weren’t budgeting.

If you can’t fathom budgeting your entire life, try budgeting aspects that are prominently taking your money. For me, that tends to be eating out and books. Keeping an amount of cash that I can spend on those two areas has helped me be more aware of my spending habits and spend less than if I were to just pay with a card.

Look at my previous post 5 Financial Accounts I Swear by for a complete review.

Plan ahead

Now having a whole life plan can cause some people to freak out. I’m not suggesting you need one. It is helpful, however, to envision your goals.

For many people, I suggest having a plan for about 5 years. You don’t have to start there. Start with a month or less if you need to but try to have about a year long plan at the end of envisioning your plan.

If you aren’t much of a planner, you are becoming more passive to your environment. The reason successful people plan, like budgeting, is to make their ideas shape the environment they are in rather than letting an environment shape them.

You can make your plan in any shape you want. Compile a vision board, write a list, make a video recording. Do it in any way, shape or form that keeps you motivated and accountable.

Think big

Many successful people, especially millionaires, tell others to think big. What does that mean?

Thinking big is crucial to an entrepreneur’s mindset. Many people refer to entrepreneurs as trailblazers in new industries, similar to Mark Zuckerburg or Elon Musk. I want you to think of entrepreneurship as a way of doing something different than your environment. Such as being successful as a freelance writer when the rest of your family is working at the family’s diner. Nothing is wrong with either occupation, but it takes a different mindset to make your own path.

I want you to think of the biggest dreams you can think of that would make you happy. It can be a new job, a family, a million dollars, anything.

Now think of how you can achieve that goal. Anything goes. If you want a family, look at all the possible ways you can create your own family. Should you adopt? Foster? Have 10 animals? Be a single parent? Goals can take many forms. If you have a goal, understand all of the possible ways you can accomplish those goals.

While you’re thinking of all the ways you can accomplish those dreams, make a path that those dreams could take. Break down each of those goals you want to achieve and find micro-goals to go along with them. Losing weight is a pretty coming resolution, so if that’s your goal, you might break it down to eating right, seeing a nutritionist, hiring a personal trainer, the list goes on. While you’re narrowing your focus on your goal, you’re mapping your way to success by breaking down your goal. Your seeing the big picture while also focusing on bite-size pieces.

Live Frugally

This one can be seen by many success stories. Mark Zuckerberg is known for always wearing the same thing, gray shirt and jeans. Elon Musk was living off of $1 a day before Tesla was created. There are a million other stories like it.

Frugality allows successful people to not obsess with new shiny things. It also helps you stay out of debt. When you aren’t tempted to buy a shiny new car, you are able to put money towards your real goals.

Take Zuckerberg’s t-shirts. Staying consistent in his clothing choice allows him the ability to know exactly how much to spend on clothes when he needs them. He’s able to budget, make an easy decision that won’t impact his big ideas, and he can plan ahead by knowing when he might need replacements.

This isn’t to say, you need to have ineffective things. If you’re car is on it’s last leg and investing in it is more than it’s worth, find a reasonable car that will bring more stability to your life. Maybe you look at your situation and realize taking the bus is more economical for you than having a car in the first place.

The term frugal is different for everyone, depending on your situation. Find where you could cut back and live within your means by doing so.

Associate yourself with like-minded individuals

People tend to attract like minded people. If you have a passion for writing, you’re bound to have a few friends that you associate with exclusively about writing.

Having like-minded friends helps you focus on your goal. Those friends have similar goals so they are able to support, understand, and relate to events that you are going through.

Making your goal a priority is already a focal point for friends that are like-minded to you. If you associate with these people on a regular basis you are able to focus on your dreams and bounce any ideas or concerns that you might have regarding the route that you are going at the present moment.

This doesn’t mean you can’t have other friends or acquaintances. I’m more focusing on how this subgroup of friends are able to relate and understand your process in achieving this particular goal.

Success is seen in many forms, but so is the journey in achieving it. Everyone has a goal that they hope to be successful with; these are just a few habits that will hopefully help you achieve your goals quicker and more seamlessly.