5 Things High Achievers Have in Common

High-performance strategies.

Why do some achieve more than others? They produce more output; they have more energy — they get more done. Not only are they productive, but their productivity leads to success.

First of all, they dream big.

If you don’t have something in your future that scares you, you aren’t dreaming big enough. What is your dream, and can you see it? What purpose or calling do you have scratching at you that you need to pursue?

My dream was to get paid for my writing.

The first month I put my writing out there — Medium — I made money. I realized I wasn’t dreaming big enough. I needed to take a hard look at my ambition and give it an upgrade.

Now, I want to write a book, and that scares me. I have an idea for a website, and that scares me.

When you think of your dream, it should scare you a bit. Growth happens outside your comfort zone, not when you are safely in your routine, going through the motions. A routine does propel your goals forward, but the dream needs to be there first.

There is a difference between saying, “Wouldn’t it be nice to be an author someday,” and seeing your dream — going to sleep every night visualizing a line of your most faithful fans waiting for you to sign your latest bestseller.

See the dream and then make the strategy

You need to see the outcome first and work backward, adding the strategy.

Once you determine the outcome, write the date you want to achieve the dream and then start at the beginning. Write each step you’ll have to take to get to the outcome.

Write each task on a calendar. Review your strategy quarterly and make sure you are reaching your daily and monthly goals.

Writing strategies, tasks, or your most important thing to get done daily makes it easier to tap into your goals when life interferes. The vision has to be tapped into every day, even if you only visualize a small part of the dream. Looking at a calendar daily will allow you to tap into the dream.

Create tools to sustain your purpose

We all use strategies to maintain our mission and reach our goals.

Making small changes in your life can help. I put out my workout clothes every night and keep my sneakers in my car. This slight shift frees up brainpower for other things I want to do, like write.

Moving my body increases my energy for the things I need to get done every day. More energy equals more output. My achievement rate is high in the area of exercise — five to seven times per week — because I’ve made the adherence level low and attainable by putting my clothes out each night.

When you feel like creating a lot, or you’re getting a lot accomplished, like exercise, that is a signal that your achievement strategies are effective.

High achievers show up differently

They show up fully with their whole body; their body and mind are turned on and ready to produce.

You know when you meet a high achiever because their being fills the room. They are here, now. Being present, fully aware. They show up with a higher source of energy — you feel energized around them.

Think of a powerplant. When a power plant doesn’t have enough energy, it generates more. It takes energy from one source and transmits it into a higher source. Highly successful people work out at least five days a week for more energy which translates to output.

Think of the opposite kind of person — drama queens or energy vampires—they try to make meaning out of nothing and suck energy from you.

5 things high achievers have in common

Ambition

Ambition is the major difference maker — the ability to climb up and out. Call it hunger, desire, a will for something more and better, if the word ambition doesn’t work for you.

I like the word ambition. The dream of that thing that I want.

Ambition changes your behavior. When you want something, you work harder to get it. You put the strategy in place to reach your ambition, desire, or goal.

Belief

You have to believe you can. You need the confidence that you can do “the thing.” Believe you can do it, even when others doubt you.

Be OK with people judging you. Guess what? They’re already judging you.

Don’t allow other people to belittle your dreams. When they do, turn down the volume of their voices in your head.

You may not always be able to remove toxic relationships from your life; it’s difficult and unnecessary to be like, “Bye Mom. Peace out!” but you do have control over how loud those negative voices sound in your head. If you have them running on a loop in your head, you have control to push stop on the tape.

Have confidence in the belief that you can. Belief drives behavior.

Competency

The more skill, knowledge, ability, talent you have (this has to be developed and learned), the more you’ll achieve, and the faster you will achieve it.

Competency drives behavior.

Do you know how to do the thing? Do you have the knowledge you need to accomplish your dream? If you don’t know how to do the thing, say, publish a book, learn how.

Educate yourself. Take a class, find a mentor, read a book, listen to a podcast. It has never been easier to get information.

Discipline

I can’t stress this enough, following your dream can’t always be a grind. You can’t reach a goal if you resent it.

When I first started writing on Medium, I was writing so much I began to hate writing, it became joyless. That isn’t the outcome I wanted. Because it made me want to stop writing.

You have to find joy in the journey, even while being disciplined in pursuing your goal.

It won’t always be easy, but remind yourself it’s the journey that matters most, more than the result.

Find the joyful effort of mastery.

If you joylessly follow your dreams, it won’t be pretty for anyone. Success in life is being successful in all areas, not just in your work.

If you are grinding through your work and hating it, not only will your work suffer, but your relationships will suffer also. Be curious. Discipline is the gateway to mastery. Practice enough discipline, and the mastery will take care of itself.

Environment

High achievers shape their environment with the intention to facilitate their success.

The environment includes every aspect; your partner or spouse, your friends, where you work, where you hang your hat, what state you live in, what you have in your refrigerator.

We can shape our environment, for most, it’s in our control. Shape and structure your situation in a way that makes you happy, and facilitates your achievements.

Your dreams may scare you, but you only have one life to go after them.

The above five strategies can make them come true faster. There is no time like right now to go after what you want.

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Jessica is a writer, an online entrepreneur, and a recovering Type A personality. She lives in Los Angeles with her extrovert daughter, two dogs, and two cats.