My Success Checklist (16 things I do for success + happiness)
I’ve spent countless hours researching and listening to business leaders, successful artists and even zen mindset masters. This post echoes some of their biggest tips. This is the ultimate success checklist.
These are the exact things I’m doing everyday to reach and realize success. I can tell you firsthand, they work.
So I hope these ideas and concepts help you as much as they continue to help me.
And as with most things in life, these ideas will likely change as I continue learning myself. So I’ll definitely keep this list updated with any new concepts worth sharing.
Alright, enough small talk – let’s get it.
Let’s explore the most essential things to do to be successful.
1. Define Your Success
This is a pretty reasonable place to start.
But since success means something different for everyone, spending some time thinking about what success looks like for you is important.
I personally don’t like to attach success to some imagined number or metric. I feel like this results in the law of diminishing returns (and postpones present moment happiness to some future event).
So I like to attach success questions like:
Did I work towards my goals today?
Getting 1% better everyday is a great strategy
Am I better than who I was last month/year?
Am I able to do what I want, when I want and where I want?
Having financial security and doing what I love helps here
Success isn’t a finish line, and it doesn’t look like some large leap forward like overnight virality.
So for me, it’s consistently showing up, adding value and being happy with or without any material accolades.
So what does success look like for you?
2. Have Exciting Goals Attached to Values
Doing things willy-nilly can work sometimes. But having focus, strategy and intent is probably better most other times.
So having a clear vision or goal is a great benchmark for success.
It’s a great reminder for daily motivation and helps to guide your decision making and time allocation.
And attaching your goals to your core values is even better.
For example, my artistic values include things like creativity, authenticity and growth. So my goals tend to highlight these values.
This makes goal setting and taking actions to meet my objectives much more meaningful (and easier).
So define your goals, and do a quick litmus test if they align with your core values or purpose.
(If you’re not sure what your core values are, you can take a free test at personalvalu.es – it’s the same test I took a while back!)
3. Stack Skills (+ never stop learning)
Never stop learning. It’s a learning mindset (and consistent action taking) that separates greatness from average performance.
The great thing about stacking skills is you become better, smarter and more differentiated.
For example, I’m a musician and artist and I have songwriting and music production skills to make creative assets.
But I also know how to do SEO (search engine optimization) and content marketing, which allows me to grow this blog about mindset, motivation and creativity.
SEO, marketing and music production can feel pretty separate from each other.
But that’s the cool thing about stacking skills – you usually end up making unique connections and have some interesting skill overlaps.
So whatever interests you (or whatever you think might interest you), explore those topics and dig deeper into the ones that resonate.
Keep doing this and fast forward 1 or 2 years and you’ll be surprised at the scope of your talents.
4. Find Your Unfair Advantage(s)
This one segues perfectly from the skill stacking discussion above.
But you should identify what differentiates you and makes you unique – you should know what your unfair advantage is.
There’s actually a whole book on this topic by Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba.
But the main takeaway is this:
Most of us have an unfair advantage – that thing that makes us unique and gives us an edge – but most people don’t use it to its fullest (or don’t even realize they have it)
Your unfair advantage could be anything – some unique skill or talent, some special type of knowledge or experience, a personality trait or even some cultural point.
The biggest hurdle is identifying what it may be (or what you want it to be).
For example, one of my unfair advantages for this blog (at least, I think so) is using my musical and artistic framework to offer unique insights and advice on success, motivation, creative entrepreneurialism and mindset.
So look at your hobbies, past experiences and circumstances – are there any interesting overlaps or things that could be leveraged as some type of differentiation?
5. Learn to Think In First Principles
First principles thinking is a bit of a buzzword these days. But for good reason!
Essentially, thinking in first principles means thinking like a scientist, and is the process of breaking down complex problems or things into their component parts.
From here, it’s easier to find solutions, understand the function of something and innovate.
For example, we can use first principles to reverse engineer our goals from big ideas into smaller actionable steps.
Because let’s be honest, big goals are awesome, but they can sometimes feel a bit intimidating, out of reach and even unorganized (or lacking a clear direction).
So here’s a quick and simple way to break things down (so we can feel closer to our goals and success):
Identify a clear macro goal
Identify core micro goals necessary to meet the macro goal
Break down each micro goal into smaller nano goals or tasks
Continue breaking things down until you feel happy
Work daily chipping away at the smaller nano tasks and micro goals
Stay flexible and open for change with new data
6. Build Habits + Take Consistent Action
Building habits is essential for success. Taking action is essential. So we need discipline.
I don’t know who said it first, but there’s a phrase that often motivates me: imperfect action beats perfect inaction every day of the week.
So take focus away from perfectionism and instead place it on things like forming new habits and the compound benefits of taking small actions over time.
Because success requires consistent effort and daily action.
So here are some tips for building new habits, taking action and cultivating discipline:
Get motivated – study neuroplasticity and the power of your mind
Track your progress daily
Hang around more people who have habits and discipline you’d like to emulate
Just do something (the activation energy principle)
7. Turn Your Skills + Interests Into High-Quality Value
What’s one thing that most successful (and happy) people have and do?
They add unmatched value and have an unshakable passion for what they’re doing and the difference they’re making.
This combination (of using your passion(s) to create high quality value for people) is powerful.
If you can turn your skills, interests and talents into unique, high-quality value for people – and you can show up everyday – you’ll build a passionate audience.
This is success.
And once you have that attention, monetizing it is the next natural step, which creates more success.
From here, things snowball.
This is success that was built with purpose, vision and value (not some overnight viral video).
Of course, reaching this point can take some trial and error, failure and patience. So don’t get discouraged.
Just be aware of this success tip and try to cultivate it as you continually build out your life.
8. Learn How (+ when) to Sell
Knowing how to sell and market yourself (or your product/service) is an essential skill.
It’s sort of a mixture of hard skills (like how to run social media ads) and soft skills (like how to communicate your value proposition most effectively).
I believe most people have vast amounts of unrealized potential and monetary success. But understanding how to turn their unique knowledge and interests into monetary energy is the hangup.
It’s also believing in yourself and not underselling your services or products.
I definitely still fall victim to this trap. I blame it on my old friend, imposter syndrome.
Luckily, there are endless resources and tools available online to reframe your mindset, build new marketing skills and grow entrepreneurially.
So spend some time learning how and when to sell.
9. Listen More + Surround Yourself With the Right People
Learning to listen more than you speak is an amazing asset. After all, when we talk, we’re just repeating what we already know.
I accept the fact that everyone knows something I don’t know. Everyone can offer an interesting insight or some unique angle.
Listening boosts relationships, conversation and makes you more present.
Beyond this, who you listen to is also important for success.
This relates to the idea of stacking the cards in your favor.
But essentially, successful people like to spend more time around people who inspire them or mentors that can teach them.
If your inner circle isn’t motivated in the same ways as you or if the people in your life have a different mindset that isn't growth-oriented, it’s going to be much harder to grow yourself.
So audit these areas to match your success goals:
Your inner circle
Who do you spend time with?
Your outer circle
Who do you listen to and what type of content do you consume?
Your environment
This includes things like your room and its design, sounds and smells
10. Be Process-Oriented (+ patient)
There are no finish lines. That would be super boring.
Like, you finally reach that coveted macro goal, and then…what?
So practice loving the journey and the process. This makes striving for goals actually more fun than meeting them.
Similarly, goals often evolve, develop and segue in interesting ways.
Personally, my goal posts are always moving around and new ones are always popping up as I learn and grow.
This is success. It’s a never ending journey filled with ups and downs. And yes, we meet goals and check items off our lists on the way up, but the work is never “done”.
So learn to love the process and your journey of coming up – it’s a sure way to start feeling successful (and happier) much quicker.
11. Fall In Love With Failure
Success looks like an iceberg.
Most people will only see the tip of this glacial mass sticking out (i.e., the success), and will miss or ignore the huge chunk of ice beneath the surface (i.e., the late nights, failures and days spent rolling in some proverbial mud).
So the idea here is to simply (simply, hah) reframe setbacks, mistakes and failures as positive things.
Embracing your mistakes as important learning opportunities is key.
It takes practice and a lot of awareness for your emotions and reactions to things, but it’s one of the strongest soft skills you can develop for success.
So don’t feel discouraged or negative about past problems or failures. If you’re striving for success, there’s at least one guarantee: you’ll have plenty more failures along the way.
Every successful person has accolades of impressive setbacks. You can use this as motivation.
Besides, how boring would it be if everything just went on perfectly and without a hitch?
It’s not a very good or inspiring story – and lacks a lot of important lessons that failures teach us.
So don’t hope for a viral video to reach “success” – fail your way forward, with a happy grin.
12. Learn How Money Works
I think most people connect success with money. It’s a bit limiting as a good definition, but that’s fair enough.
So understanding truly what it is and how it works is pretty important.
Or rather, viewing it in a different way than most people – from a wealth, financial and gratitude mindset.
The first thing that’s super helpful is to better understand the history of money. For example:
What is fiat currency?
How did money and trading evolve throughout culture and civilization?
Why was going off the gold standard an important event for national and global monetary systems?
What is inflation and how does it impact the value of my cash?
What is Bitcoin (objectively) and what role could it play in the future?
These are big questions, and I won’t cover them in this post. But I invite you to dig deeper down each of these rabbit holes to have a better grasp on what money and fiat currency is.
Beyond these hard facts, we have something more intangible (but equally important).
It’s our relationship and perspectives on money.
I like to view money as having energy. I like to practice gratitude and happiness around my money (even when I don’t have enough of it).
Because, from a global perspective, I can appreciate how lucky I am and how much I actually make.
Another good resource to check out is Ken Honda and his ideas around “happy money”.
It’s almost spiritual the way he talks about our monetary wealth, but it’s a great perspective to have. Our emotions with money should be positive – which is way more conducive for receiving and attracting more of it.
Now let’s expand on this topic of money a little more – let’s look at the importance of investing for success.
13. Invest + Put Your Money to Work
Once you understand how money (and inflation) works, investing is often the next step.
Of course, this section is definitely not financial advice. You should do your own research and speak with a financial professional about this. I am definitely not a financial advisor.
But most (probably all) successful people invest in some way.
We invest for many reasons, but a few of the big ones are:
To outpace monetary inflation, so as to grow (or at a bare minimum maintain) the value of your cash
To grow your wealth over time using the power of investing and compound interest
To diversify your portfolio and wealth
So if you haven’t learned about investing yet, it’s a good idea to start. I’m not saying to go out and start buying stocks or assets all willy-nilly, without researching (or based on one blog or TikTok).
Please don’t do that.
Just become aware of things, and start learning about the world of investing and its opportunities and importance.
Some common investment classes and types to explore more on are:
Real estate
Stocks, ETFs, bonds, options trading
Mutual funds
401(k)s
Cryptocurrencies
Precious metals
14. Build Multiple Income Sources
Now that we understand money and how to invest, we want to also focus on our cash flows.
Just watch a few episodes of Shark Tank, and you’ll realize it’s one of the most important aspects for a successful, investable business.
So it should be similarly one of the most important aspects of our personal success.
We can view ourselves as a personal brand and business. We have balance sheets, inflows and outflows and debts and assets.
Building out multiple sources of income (with a big focus on passive income streams) is one of the best ways to reach wealth, financial and time freedom.
It’s similar to diversifying an investment portfolio. Because some years, stocks and the S&P 500 will do great. But in other years, it won’t.
But that’s OK, if you have other alternative investments, like real estate or even treasury bonds.
It’s the same for income.
If we rely on only one cash flow source (which you’re trading your time for money in), then reaching wealth success is very difficult.
Ideally, we want to have multiple money-making channels which can work together and make you money while you sleep.
This takes some time, knowledge and skills. But thanks to the internet and digital automation, this goal is now a reality for anyone willing to put in the work and time to learn how.
I won’t go into how to grow multiple income sources, but here’s an example of some of my current income streams and potential future goals:
Freelancing/consulting
Active (trading time for money)
Affiliate sales
Passive
Ads
Passive
Digital product sales
Passive
Royalties
Passive
Sponsorships
Passive
15. Start With You (don’t rely on “success” to be happy)
We all know the adage (that we tend to ignore), but here it is anyways: money doesn’t buy happiness or success.
This is perhaps one of the most important tips on this list.
Because being mindful, self aware and happy with yourself before “success” is way more powerful than waiting for success to be happy, or for some imagined number to hit your bank account.
And it’s hard.
It takes practice, focus and often a change in mindset or personality.
But I can promise you, if you commit to feeling successful (before you reach your goals), you’ll be in complete control of your life, happiness and well-being.
I know for me, my self care as an artist is crucial to my growth and success.
So here are my top tips to start feeling successful and happy with yourself and your life right now:
Start a meditation routine
Practice gratitude
Zoom out and appreciate your progress
Don’t compare yourself to others (only to yourself and who you were before)
Practice visualization and feeling the emotions of future success before you actually reach the goal
Take breaks and have self care days
16. Prioritize Your Health (+ your unique requirements)
Health is everything. It’s one of my core values actually (in addition to things like creativity, uniqueness and growth).
So prioritizing it is one of the most important aspects of success.
Because let’s be honest, if you had to choose between $100 million with millions of followers or your health and wellness – well, the choice is obvious.
$100 million, of course.
…
Right?
Jokes aside, our physical, mental and emotional health is crucial. This circles back to #15 above, but I focus on this every day above anything else.
Hustling and working hard to reach goals is great, but it’s critical to check in every once in a while and listen to our bodies.
For me, I maintain my health by:
Getting in some light exercise everyday
Walking, push ups, yoga, snowboarding in the winter, biking, etc.
Meditation
I aim for about an hour a day (spread out, not all at once…)
Making time to do the things I truly love
Not all work is fun, but most of it should be (that’s the goal)
Eating healthy foods that agree with me
Understanding my body and my unique genetics and requirements
This is precision health, and it’s the future
I think it’s important to highlight precision medicine specifically.
This is basically personalized healthcare, and we’re at the moment in history where radical changes are coming (and available right now actually).
For example, The DNA Company will analyze and give you a full workup of your genetic profile and give you your ideal diet, supplement recommendations, exercise and environmental conditions based on your genes.
That’s pretty awesome.
It’s actually a really inspiring concept, so I recommend checking out this video from Tom Bilyeu where he interviews the CEO to learn more.
It’s an hour and 45 minutes long, but well worth it.
So, taking everything into account, I have one question for you:
What do you do for success?
(Let me know in the comments of any other things you do to be successful, I’d love to read them!)
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