See how successful people do things differently than unsuccessful people:

1. Their lives are defined by their goals. Unsuccessful people’s lives are defined by their fears. Most people live their life in a way that avoids their worries. Successful people make decisions based on accomplishing their goals, not avoiding their fears.

2. They apply their time toward long-term objectives. Unsuccessful people are motivated by day-to-day concerns. The average person is only concerned with making it through the following week. Successful people take action each day to provide benefits months, years, or decades in the future.

3. They seek success. Unsuccessful people seek comfort and base their decisions accordingly. A successful person moves toward success, whether the route is comfortable or not.

4. They take responsibility. Unsuccessful people have an endless list of excuses for their mediocrity. Successful people assume responsibility for everything that goes wrong in their lives. When you take responsibility, you have the power to change your situation. Blaming others is a form of powerlessness.

5. They continuously improve their results. A successful person wants to be better than they were yesterday. Average people maintain average results and are satisfied with this level of performance.

6. They read books. Unsuccessful people gravitate toward TV and other non-value-added forms of entertainment. Reading the right books is one of the most effective ways of boosting your knowledge. Would you instead learn something new or waste your time?

7. They are comfortable with failure. Successful people might not like a failure, but they can deal with it. Ordinary people avoid failure at all costs. This is similar to the previous point on fear. An inability to deal with the fear of failure is one of the things that makes unsuccessful people unsuccessful.

8. They have a plan for the day. It’s not possible to get the most from each day unless you have a plan for it. Ordinary people wake up and let the day decide for them what might happen. If you don’t plan your day, you’re avoiding success.

9. They surround themselves with the right people. Successful people spend time with others that help them to become better. This could be a mentor, someone they could potentially do business deals with, or simply someone they believe has the right connections.

10. They have positive, effective habits. Good brushing and flossing habits lead to healthy teeth. Good exercise and diet habits lead to health and fitness. Good success habits lead to high levels of success. What do your habits lead you towards?

As you can see, there are clear-cut differences between successful and unsuccessful people. How many of these items can you identify with? What changes would you like to make?