When I was a little girl, I was a fairly starry-eyed kid who had lots of ambitions. I wanted to build space ships with my friends and fly to Jupiter. And as we worked on these “rockets” in my garden underneath the blanket of stars, we actually believed it was possible. We were seven years old, and we believed anything was possible.

As I got older, I had to water down my ambitions. My grades were poor, and I struggled through college. By the time I was 21, I was stuck in a dead-end career I hated, and I was going no where. I no longer thought it was possible for me to earn more than $20,000 a year, let alone fly into space! The final frontier seemed a million miles away as I trudged home each night under those same stars, exhausted and pessimistic.

One of the reasons why I had grown to lack ambition was because I was surrounded by unsuccessful people. My parents had never encouraged me to test my limits, and neither had my friends. Everyone was of the idea that successful people are decided at birth: Either you’ve got it or you haven’t.

In my mid-twenties, I was so sick of my job that I decided to start reading up about successful people. I read their biographies, blogs and essays in an attempt to see if they really had something magical that I couldn’t replicate, or whether they had just learned how to be a success.

And it turned out that they had, indeed, merely learned how to be successful. How? By mirroring the traits of successful people who had come before them!

Successful people are just like you and I. They are flawed human beings, and they often don’t even have a degree or a diploma. For proof, take a look at Oprah Winfrey. She came from a broken, impoverished home and grew up in a bad neighbourhood. Yet with all the odds stacked against her, she became one of the most powerful and inspiring females in the world today. There was no MBA and no PhD. There was just guts and determination.

There are two things that separate successful people from unsuccessful ones: They take action, and they think differently.

In this article, I’m going to focus on the latter and show you 10 ways successful people think.

Focus only on what matters

“The person who chases two rabbits catches none.”

– Confucius

24 hours is not a long time, especially when you sleep for at least 6 of them. Successful people have learned to trim the fat, cutting out unproductive tasks from their lives that add no value.

Make a list of the things you need to do, and then filter out anything that adds no value.

Focus only on what is going to benefit you in some way.

They Know That They Create Their Own Lives

“If you don’t make your own plans, someone else will fit you into theirs.”

– Tony Robbins

Successful people aren’t prepared to let other people create their lives for them. Instead, they know they have the power to build the destiny they love – and they go ahead and do it.

They Bounce Ideas With Others

I’ve met many stubborn, secretive people in my life who refuse to share their ideas with others until the idea has been fully realised.

But what happens is that the idea has only been approached from one, biased, narrow viewpoint. As such, the chances that it’s going to appeal to lots of people are slim.

Successful people invite feedback to their ideas because they know there will always be something that they missed, and which someone else will point out.

They Are Curious

Leonardo Da Vinci wasn’t the most successful person of all time, but he was one of the most curious. A scientist, artist, mathematician, inventor, theorist, author and musician, he was a true polymath who had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Owing to his breadth of talent, he was able to find employment anywhere.

Successful people today have taken on Leonardo’s blueprint and used it to their advantage. They are inherently curious and want to know everything. Instead of focusing on one subject, they look outside the box and expand their knowledge base so that they become more successful.

The more you know, the more you can achieve

They plan their days

I have friends who call me out for always planning things. They tell me I lack spontaneity and adventure. Maybe, but I tell them that there is always times for spontaneity and adventure, but when it comes to working, it’s better to plan ahead.

Successful people are more productive than anyone else because they map their day out beforehand. They know what their priorities are, which means they cross off the big tasks first and work on the little ones last.

In this way, they are accomplishing everything that needs to be accomplished within a good time frame.

They hang out with new people all the time

Successful people know that it’s important to leave you comfort zone now and then and hang out with people who are different from you and your friends.

Hanging out with the same people over and over again will dull your mind and keep your horizons very very narrow.

Seeing things from a different perspective is important.

They Know How To Quieten The Mind

Some successful people use meditation or prayer to quieten the mind, while others have different methods. But they all know that it’s super important to clear your mind from all the clutter that has been building up.

To much information in your mind is going to lead to distraction and a foggy outlook. Recharge your batteries by finding some peace and quiet each day.

They Are Positive Thinkers

Positive thinking really can boost your outlook. If you dwell on negativity all the time, your life will become negative.

Positive thinking changes the forecast for a project, but it also rewires your brain. If you think you can do something, you’ll have a 100% better chance of actually winning than if you weren’t so sure.

Positive thinking also gives you the energy needed to stay motivated.

They know they have time

We’ve all had that friend who pours cold water on our plans.

“There’s no time,” they say. Perhaps you’ve used this phrase in the past, too. I certainly have!

But successful people know that it just isn’t true. There is always time.

They’re not scared of failure

When I was working on my rocket ship as a bright-eyed seven year old, failure didn’t come into it. I was destined to succeed.

As I got older and my grades suffered, I grew scared of failing. I grew so scared that I even stopped trying.

Successful people see failure as a teacher that helps them to grow by learning from their mistakes. They know they will fail because everyone fails, but they use these failures as exercises.

How successful people think? What are your tips?

Stay happy!