You hear Millennials talk about the “Grind”, the hard work or hustle to make money and solidify their position in life. But what skills are they learning in school or in life to prepare them for success and ensure that their “Grind” doesn’t end up being a frustrating dead end.

While luck and genetics can be precursors to success, there are certain learnable behaviors which everyone should develop to make success more likely.

These are small tweaks to your daily routines that could potentially result in huge payoffs.

1. TALK TO YOURSELF

Talking to yourself like you’d talk to a friend in the same situation can help you deal with stressful experiences. Specifically, use the pronoun “you” or your first name instead of “I.” For example, “You can do it, John.”

2. KEEP A JOURNAL

Writing down your thoughts and emotions will help you deal with stressful events. It’s the act of just getting them out of you.

3. MEDITATE, SERIOUSLY THIS WORKS!

I hear constantly that people get frustrated because they think their mind is supposed to just shut off when they meditate and if it doesn’t then they they are not doing it right. WRONG! 

It takes years of practice to get to yogi status. Mediating (in the beginning) is more about breathing and getting yourself centered, relaxed and focused. Many successful people start their day with at least a quick meditation to be able to handle stress or to jump start their creativity.

We suggest finding a guided mediation on YouTube, putting on your headphones and do a quick 10 minutes before getting out of bed.

4. MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS

Successful people are emotional people like others.  But, they manage their emotions smartly.

As psychotherapist Amy Morin told Business Insider, mentally strong people are acutely aware of how their emotions influence their thoughts and behaviors, and they monitor the fluctuations in their emotions throughout the day. 

5. READ AND KEEP LEARNING

Just read what you are interested in and start with a few pages a day.

Investing legend Warren Buffett reportedly spends about 80% of his day reading. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg pledged to read a book every two weeks in 2015. Tech billionaire Elon Musk has said that he learned how to build rockets by reading books.

6. WORK ON YOUR COMMUNICATION

Successful people “are good communicators and they consciously work at it.”
You can start improving your communication behaviors by checking out these seven key skills of master communicators, including using the appropriate tone and body language and being direct and candid.

7. LEARN AND PRACTICE SELF-CONTROL

Successful people understand the importance of discipline and self-control. 

In fact, the classic “marshmallow study,” led by psychologist Walter Mischel in the 1960s, found that kids who were able to delay the delicious gratification of eating a marshmallow wound up more successful as adults.

8. STICK TO A ROUTINE

Successful people have specific routines and rituals set for the start and end of every day.

For example, John Paul DeJoria, cofounder of Patron tequila and Paul Mitchell hair products, starts every day with five minutes of quiet meditation and Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor of The Huffington Post, reads a book before hitting the hay each night.

9. THEY CAN BE ALONE WITH THEMSELVES

Successful people “have some ‘me-time’ every day.”

According to Morin, the psychotherapist, mentally strong people don’t fear alone time because it’s a chance to reflect and replenish their energy. She recommends taking a few minutes every day to be alone with your thoughts to process what’s happening around you.

10. BE PERSISTENT

People RARELY get “it” right on the first try. I always tell my kids, the difference between a pro and a novice is practice if you want to be the best at your “it” then keep doing it even if you fail at first.

That goes along with theories from a neuroscientist and a psychologist, who say that your first thought is hardly ever your best one. Successful people know that, so they keep coming up with ideas until they finally hit the jackpot.