Successful women kick ass not only because they work hard, but because they stick with habits that get them where they’re trying to go. These habits aren’t shocking or even particularly difficult — the only surprising part might be how simple they really are. Any woman who wants to run the world has mastered the following:
- Waking up early. I know it sucks, but there are literally dozens of studies that back this one up. People who wake up early consistently get more done than those who sleep in. Successful women are no exception to this rule. Get up, get out and kick ass.
- Not apologizing so damn much. Apologizing is a paradox where if you don’t do it enough, you look like an loser, but if you do it too much, you look weak. Finding that happy medium is something successful women rock at. If you really do something wrong, say sorry, but don’t apologize just because it seems like the right thing to say.
- Taking risks. Comfort levels are meant to be expanded, and you’ll never get to your full potential by staying within yours. Successful women know that you won’t ever get the big payoffs without the big risks, so take a leap.
- Saying no. Being a yes woman is not a sign of success, it’s a sign of weakness. Successful women know that they should push their limits, but not take on more than they can handle, even if that means they have to let people down every once in a while. If you’ve reached your limit, pass this time. Trust me.
- Talking themselves up without gloating. Successful women are proud of their accomplishments and don’t shy away from taking credit, but they also know that boasting burns bridges and that doesn’t get you far in life. Learn to be proud of your accomplishments and OK with recognizing your awesomeness.
- Accepting failure as a part of life. Successful women didn’t get there they are overnight, and they didn’t get there without some failures. It sucks to come up short, but those experiences are part of learning how to do things better, faster and stronger. Take the failures in stride and learn from them so next time you nail it.
- Admitting when they mess up. Part of experiencing failures is admitting you may have made a mistake. Peers and leaders alike will respect you so much more if you admit your mistake and rebound from it rather than trying to blame someone else and sulking. It won’t feel awesome at first, but you’ll be able to bury the mistake so much faster if you just own it.
- Leaving the naysayers behind. Successful women know that people will always try to bring them down, so they’ve learned to ignore those people and leave them behind. No successful woman has time for that BS! If someone is trying to tell you you can’t make it, tell them to STFU and keep doing you.
- Never stepping on people to get where they’re going. So this one isn’t so much a habit as it is a rule. Stepping on people is not how you get anywhere good if you have an intention of staying there. Treating people like crap doesn’t get successful women to the amazing heights they’ve reached — in fact it’s the opposite. Take deserving people along for the ride so you aren’t alone at the top.
- Showing appreciation for those who helped them along the way. If someone helped you get a leg up, thank them! It’s important to show appreciation for the people who stick by you, but don’t forget to thank yourself for believing in you, too. You deserve it.
- Playing as hard as they work. Successful women know that the hard work doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t come with some play, too. Work hard when you need to, but reward yourself for it, even if it means a wine-sipping pedicure or a weekend vacation. #workhardplayharder
- Sticking to priorities, no matter what anyone else says. No matter what anyone else says, you have your goals and visions and they matter to you. It’s your life and you only get to do it once, so go after what you want. Successful women do, so why don’t you?
