A shortlist of habits extremely successful people have

Since we are talking about habits this week, let's start with some fundamental definitions.

As a noun, a habit is a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

As a noun in another sense, a habit is a long, loose garment worn by a member of a religious order or congregation.

Need some help deciding what habits to lean into for the new year? We are here to help with that.

Inspired by a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, I have compiled a list of habits that wildly successful people share.

Habit #1: Manage your stress

Your inability to relax is one difference between you and a top CEO. Are your business endeavors causing you to snap rudely on the phone, dish out harsh orders, or let stress constantly show? Most leaders learn to keep their cool under pressure.

I encourage you to throw out stress in the new year and pick up stress management instead. If you strain to run a small restaurant without catching a headache, imagine running a multi-billion-dollar company. If you cannot handle your small business's day-to-day operation without cracking, how can you expect it to grow past where it is now? As a leader, you need the habit of withstanding a level of pressure others cannot.

Habit #2: Stay resilient

Successful entrepreneurs share a common mentality that nothing can get in their way. They do not let minor setbacks take away from the bigger picture, which lets them manage a large team efficiently. They are resilient to emotional outbursts, to pandemics, and to changes in their teams. Leaders of successful enterprises make a habit of never giving up.

Habit #3: Lead with optimism

It helps to begin the year with an optimistic mindset and to motivate your employees to be the best version of themselves. Optimism is a habit serious entrepreneurs should have, and it separates great business owners from merely okay ones. Be a positive presence in your employees' lives. Many leaders treat optimism and encouragement as part of the job and habitually make it a point to motivate their teams.

Habit #4: Make time for yourself

This whole time we have been leading up to this moment. Out of all the habits discussed, optimism, resilience, and staying calm, this one matters most: self-esteem and self-efficacy that come from looking after yourself.

Being in constant control of your emotions is not possible, and the pressure business owners feel to conform to that standard is often unhealthy. That is why this point is the most important learning of all.

Top leaders make time for themselves.

I am writing this in the new year so business owners everywhere know that we are in awe of what they do. You keep your business running while practicing optimism, resilience, and keeping your cool as regular habits. We want to encourage every business owner to add making time for yourself to the list of new habits to try this year, because that is what extremely successful business owners do.

If the people running the largest companies in the world can make time, so can you.

In short, a habit is something you can put on as part of a ceremony, and it is also something you do every day. Both definitions work here. Put on the habit of resilience, confidence, and optimism, then start a more literal habit of a hobby that brings you happiness. These four things are the key habits extremely successful people have.