Success. There is more than one way to measure it, and there is more than one way to define it. According to Tracy, however, there is only one way to achieve it: through good habits and consistent action.

Good Habits

Habits are at the core of almost everything you do. They determine whether you stay focused or reach for your phone, whether you wake up early or sleep until noon, and whether you achieve your most important tasks or procrastinate endlessly. So, to be successful, you must develop success-creating habits. Some of these habits include:

• Successful people believe in their ability to succeed.
• Successful people practice positive thinking. Remember, you become what you think about.
• Successful people practice self-discipline. They have “the ability to make [themselves] do, what [they] should do, when [they] should do it, whether [they] feel like it or not.”
• Successful people set goals that are realistic, simple, and specific.
• Successful people think about their goals and regularly assess their progress.
• Successful people plan their days, prioritize their to-do lists, and stay flexible to accommodate for the unexpected.
• Successful people concentrate on tasks that are essential to achieving their personal, professional, and financial goals.
• Successful people finish a task before tackling a new one. Naturally, this boosts productivity. It also generates a spark of confidence and motivation, both of which are essential to career fulfillment.
• Successful people effectively manage their time, and they understand that time is their most valuable resource. They know when they are most productive throughout the day, and they plan to complete their most important tasks during this time.
• Successful people focus on results and outcomes.
• Successful people operate in “winning environments.” They maximize their productivity by organizing their workspace, minimizing distractions, and making sure that everything they need to succeed is within reach.
• Successful people take sole responsibility for their actions and outcomes.
• Successful people know that “happiness comes from when you believe in what you are doing, know what you are doing, and love what you are doing.”

While certain habits (like those above) create success, others obstruct it. The most successful people recognize and avoid the following bad habits.

• Successful people don’t let fear of failure stop them from taking action.
• Successful people don’t waste time on unimportant or unnecessary tasks.
• Successful people don’t complain.
• Successful people don’t procrastinate.
• Successful people don’t give in to distractions.

On your journey to develop good habits (and avoid bad ones), remember to be patient. Habits are neither learned nor unlearned overnight. Rather, developing new habits requires mindfulness, repetition, time, and effort. At times, this can be frustrating, but don’t let that stop you. After all, the better your habits, the closer you’ll be to maximizing your productivity, performance, satisfaction, and success.

For a step-by-step guide on how to develop new habits, see this post.

Consistent Action

If you want your future to look different than your past or present, you need to “take action, and take action now.” View every day as an opportunity to move closer to achieving your goals, and then take that opportunity! Remember, even small steps have the power to produce large results over time.

Personal development is a process, a pursuit, and (most importantly) a choice. When you choose personal development, you choose to improve and transform yourself through conscious effort as well as conscious work. You make decisions about the person you want to become, and you take a step toward becoming this person every day. In the end, this process will leave you with an increased potential for success, a preparedness to capitalize on opportunities as they present themselves, and a higher quality of life.

To help you choose personal development every day, we’ve included some helpful tips below:

• Start each day by reading, writing, or doing something that is “motivational, inspirational, and educational”
• Focus on the positives (thoughts, feelings, ideas, attitudes, etc.)
• Think about your goals, and think about them often
• Have both short-term and long-term goals
• Develop good habits
• Ditch excuses and exceptions
• Constantly look for ways to improve
• Constantly look for opportunities to learn
• Build your personal skills, or your “soft skills”
• Expand your network
• Step out of your comfort zone
• Track your progress as you move closer to achieving your goals
• Bring your vision to reality with a personal development plan that defines “the kind of person you want to be, skills you want to have, and accomplishments you want to achieve” (for an example of an effective personal development plan, see here)
  

If you’re considering a midlife career change, know that you’re not alone. As said by Tracy, “people change, adapt, move on, lose interest, gain perspective, and shift priorities.” And that’s okay. Whenever the time comes, navigate your next career change “in the least stressful and most seamless way possible” with the following tips.

Consider

Reflect on the positive and negative aspects of your current position in order to gain a clearer picture of the “changes you’re hoping to see in your new career.” 

Clarify

Clarify the career move you want to make. Do your research and learn as much as you can about prospective careers. For a more fulfilling career, look for “something that you want to and enjoy putting effort into.”

Consult

Discuss potential career moves with family, friends, and people in your professional network. Ask for their honest feedback and use it to determine which career(s) you’d be the happiest in.

Connect

Reach out to your connections who have experience in the career(s) you’re considering. A firsthand perspective is especially valuable in this context, as it yields a more informed decision.

Create

While considering a career change is one thing, making that change is another. To get the ball rolling, create an action plan. This process includes specifying your goals, setting deadlines, and taking action. For more on how to create an effective action plan, see this blog post.

Create (again)

Midlife career changes often take time, and it’s essential to account for this if you want to transition successfully. Create a budget “that helps you stay on track to continue providing for yourself while searching for your next incredible opportunity.” If your budget is tight, stay in your current position until you secure an alternative source of income that can support your lifestyle and needs.

Concentrate

Focus your efforts and prepare for your career change. Identify specific roles and companies in which you’re interested, update your application materials, and remain conscious of what you share on social media. Additionally, “consider using your free time to hone in on developing your skills for your new career.”

Change

When you leave your current position, leave with grace and gratitude. Be careful not to burn any bridges, because you never know which connections will resurface in the future. Lastly, be open to new connections and advice as you officially begin your new career.