My wife has a successful routine. She won a golden lion in Cannes for her MTA live map project a few months ago. I’m pretty proud of her. I’m happy that I can support her creative life as she does the same for me.

I’m curious about behavior in general. My wife’s mind got my attention a long time ago, but we never spent so much time together as in 2020. We live in a 667 square feet apartment in New York City. You got the picture.

I decided to write down 5 aspects of her habits that, for me, are what make her a success.

1. Self-knowledge

Many successful people I know try to understand themselves. They study archetypes, have a coach, a mentor, a therapist, etc. They never think they are ready. They know their limitations and are always open to considering feedback.

2. Homework

Successful people try to understand their motivations and always come back for more. They look for the next achievement. They investigate things they don’t know and are always trying to learn more about their expertise. They look for excellence, and they show their work.

3. Competition

The successful people I know are super competitive with themselves and with others. They like to win, no matter the competition and no matter the award. I honestly don’t know if you are born this way or learn to be competitive.
Maybe you won once in life and like it so much that you repeat the things you did to feel like a winner again, almost like an obsession.

4. Mentors

Not everybody is lucky enough to get a mentor. Some companies provide a mentor program. Successful people are more likely to use their mentors as a tool to thrive at work and in life.
Asking for help is not easy, but as they know they don’t know everything, they are more open to put other ideas into action.

Most of us just get reactive with negative feedback. It is natural to protect ourselves, but you don’t always need protection. Self-knowledge helps with distinguishing when accepting help.
Successful people don’t want to be another person. They want to be their best version, so coming after someone’s path doesn’t sound like a fraud. It sounds smart.

5. Awards

I never heard my wife saying she was doing something thinking about an award. I never saw her craving a nomination. She just does the work.
I’m not saying that she doesn’t get happy when she wins something. She gets as pleased as she can, but she knows happiness is just a fling among consistent work. She doesn’t crave awards because awards don’t make her come back every day to do the hard part. Awards are not her motivation.

Build your successful routine

I know each person is different. Last week I wrote about the “human factor.” I try to copy some of her habits sometimes, but I’m not the same person, so I respect my limits and do my best.

If you are trying some of those habits, please consider your reality. You don’t have to do anything you are not comfortable with. You can have burnout, and no one is looking for that. Be aware of your needs in the first place and respect your timing.

I saw my wife repeating those habits over and over again. I understood that success is a marathon, so you have to prepare yourself, be resilient, and stand up after falls. Falls are part of the game. The trick is to understand how you keep moving forward after a setback.

Ps: Trying the habits above is your choice. I’m not saying do it.