There’s a ton of research around how setting habits can help us conserve energy because it reduces the number of decisions we have to make in a day. However, not all habits are created equal and so we’ve asked our community to tell us about the habits they have been most effective for them.

Sasha Ledawn | The Encouragist

Perseverance, radical honesty, and courage. I don’t always get things right. I don’t always make the right decisions. I tend to fail A LOT and fail often, but that never stops me. I persevere anyhow. If I have a vision for it or an opportunity, you can be sure that I am going to take the chance. I never care about the odds against me. I’m courageous in that way. I’m also quite honest with myself and with others. I don’t sugarcoat things or dodge the elephant in the room. If everyone is blissfully ignorant, you can be sure that I will be the one who will interrupt that with blatant honesty and a faith-filled perspective. Read more>>

Sherricka Day | Youth Mentor, Community Advocate & Art Enthusiast

Alexa please play, Work by Rihanna. I believe that in order to be successful, you have to work, work work work work work! You have to be consistent, you have to be persistent. You have to take keep going, I am up sometimes way after I clock off from my 9-5 to start my day with my business. I may be tired, but it’s a good tired knowing that the work I am putting into my business will pay off in the long run. Read more>>

Felicia Garris | Event Planner & Wedding Coordinator

Habits that I feel helped aid in my success would definitely be, having a positive attitude, networking, organization, and research. Having a positive attitude and being grateful with life, and my career path, has afforded me the pleasure of working and networking with some amazing clients. I’m also always reading, and researching. There’s so much more to planning an event, than meets the eye, and because of that i want to always be able to provide my clients with the most update information on pricing and what vendors in their communities have to offer that best fit their needs. Read more>>

Shaniqua McNeil | Nurse & Dash of Sunshine Owner

Creating habits have been fundamental in the journey to the success of Dash of Sunshine. When I started to create daily habits, I noticed things that would stress me previously wouldn’t anymore. This goes hand in hand with being disciplined. Both are fundamental life skills as well.a couple examples are that I started by using my Sunday to plan my IG posts. Planoly has been my best friend. With being the owner and only employee of Dash of Sunshine, I would run all over the place trying to process and ship orders ASAP. I had to slow down and be realistic with myself. If i received orders everyday, the post office used to see me everyday. Read more>>

Alyssa Fobb: Owner & Operator

I contribute much of my success to creating balance in my life and practicing self love. I start every morning fresh by practicing meditation and yoga. I then follow that up by focusing on positive attributes about myself and the world around me. Success to me is how I feel about myself and once I began incorporating these practices in my life, the game changed! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By creating balance and becoming conscious of myself, success seemed to follow in my personal life and in business. Starting my morning balanced helps me to be present on the job and my best work is reciprocated as a result. Read more>>

Adren Cook | Event Coordinator

Based on my personal experiences there are many habits, some bad even, that go into success. For starters, it is important to remember why you started your journey. In my case, a bad habit I had to grow out of was allowing challenging moments to discourage or dwindle my momentum and drive. This, however, did help me to get into the groove of reminding myself of why I began and what my passion is. Event coordination is one of the top five most stressful jobs for a reason. Every obstacle in this field has forced me to make a habit of embracing my mistakes. Instead of beating myself, I am grateful that I had a learning opportunity to better myself and my business. Read more>>

Alima Albari | Brand/ Talent Manager & Photographer

I contribute much of my success to creating balance in my life and practicing self love. I start every morning fresh by practicing meditation and yoga. I then follow that up by focusing on positive attributes about myself and the world around me. Success to me is how I feel about myself and once I began incorporating these practices in my life, the game changed! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By creating balance and becoming conscious of myself, success seemed to follow in my personal life and in business. Starting my morning balanced helps me to be present on the job and my best work is reciprocated as a result. Read more>>

Anthony Bell | Graphic Designer

Over the course of these last 6 years, I’ve grown to realize what works and what I should get rid of. Understanding and studying the habits of successful businessmen and women allowed me to make serious changes around 2015. The first habit I learned was to affirm myself at the beginning of every day. I’ve grown to appreciate and intentionally work on my personal growth and self-development. I’ve seen tremendous benefits and results ever since. A few other habits I can also attribute to my success are consistency, focused thinking, spending time viewing or reading things that inspire me, and setting daily goals. Read more>>

Tabatha Clements | Cupcake Sensei

Always having a positive attitude no matter what the circumstances are. I have made it a habit/a practice to always remain happy, cheerful and humble regardless of what life throws at you. You may not always have the most pleasant encounters with people, but always remain positive. There are so many day to day issues that we all face, some worse than others, but try to always maintain a positive attitude. I am a firm believer that treat your business and employees with dignity and pride, they will treat your business with the same dignity and pride and more. Read more>>

Maya Rose Phillips | Student Success Mentor & Tutor, Graduate Student, Miss Black SC USA

The habits that I feel helped me succeed the most is always staying true to myself and the woman I’ve been called to be. Coco Chanel said, “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself” and I apply this to the “beauty of life & success. Its a rare and special kind of internal beauty that a person can possess when being 100% authentically themselves. I’m passionate about succeeding and with great reward also comes great sacrifice. By keeping positive habits on my daily-to-do list, whether big or small, it can significantly contribute to your goals. Being named after Dr. Maya Angelou, my favorite quote is, “My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”. Read more>>

Deshawnda Garnett | Owner and operator of True Wellness, LLC

We all want to succeed. We all may even ask ourselves, why is it one person succeeds where another fails? For me, my habits for success are sticking to my core values and making sure everything that I do with my business aligns with them. I also continue to stay focused on one goal and continuously building a positive mindset. I have an accountability partner, and with her I able to stack on track and persevere to accomplish all goals I set for True Wellness to grow. Read more>>

Michaela Thompson | Thought Coach & Business Owner

Establishing the habit of making personal development a daily part of my lifestyle has had the greatest impact. Studying the habits, behaviors, decisions, successes, and failures of successful people that have what I want gives me an edge to cut my learning curve. Also feeding my mind with positivity and things that makes me stronger keeps me distracted from negativity. It is impossible to lose when you are constantly improved on bettering yourself. The second habit I would say helps me succeed is re-evaluating my goals and schedule often. When I see something is not working or producing results I immediately change it. Read more>>

Alannah Vincent | Artist

Morning devotionals and making my bed every morning. Making the bed is a small task and may seem like it doesn’t matter much but it gives me a sense of accomplishment first thing. Also, I believe spending those first few quiet moments with God every morning helps me throughout my day. Read more>>

Shikera Dinkins | Owner/Founder of Microblading by the Archepreneur and ArtAsf Mobile Sip & Paint

Changing my mindset to being more forward thinking and proactive brought everything i have now into fruition. Determination, Focus and Dedication played a major role in my Success. Losing the habit of procrastination that many aspiring business owners posses in the beginning.. the I’ll do it tomorrow or next month…or I’ll take that class when I get time… the, I’ll get that license or patent soon. The what if’s and the maybes… yea, I changed that habit. I no longer allowed those things to occupy my mind space. Once I decided to handle the little things at that moment instead of putting them off for later new opportunities for growth opened up for me in abundance. Read more>>

Chenitha Reddick | Trombone Artist/Instructor

The most important habits that helped me succeed is being consistent, diligent, and never giving up when I need to get something done. Never procrastinating. You have to push through until its done, then figure out a way to make it better after that. Staying positive and self-motivating is very important, too. You’re not always going to have people around to motivate you, so you have to be fluent in doing it on your own. Read more>>

Grace Aldridge | Mom, Equine Wellness Instructor, Ranch CEO

I’m diligent about structure, format, punctuality and routine. These characteristics make me a natural planner, chaos preventer and handler, organizer and delegator. I am also a note-taker and calendar keeper which goes hand in hand with staying on top of details, follow ups and due dates. Read more>>

Kristal Lewis | Owner & Baker

Some habits that I believe have helped me be successful are remaining humble, providing superior customer service and practicing purposeful prayer. My main goal is to make sure I am providing the best customer service I can possibly give. That’s so important to me! I want anyone who decides to order a dessert from my business to feel like they’re making a smart decision. I always treat people how I’d want to be treated if I was supporting their small business. Also, I pray about every decision I make concerning Sweet 52 Ave. This is my baby and I need to make sure it’s healthy and thriving so it can grow and expand! Read more>>

Aline Marin | Wedding Photographer

Planning and putting effort into your workflow management. It will be a forever work in progress to me but it feels incredible making “done” on that to do list and moving on with your day! Read more>>