8 Mental Habits the Most Successful People Learn to Break

It's not what you learn, but what you unlearn that matters.

Sometimes, success comes not from what you learn to do but what you learn to stop doing.

That bit of wisdom comes from Sandja Brügmann, serial entrepreneur and founder of the Passion Institute, a recently launched online educational program and consultancy for executives and entrepreneurs. "Once we have developed understanding of how we interfere with our visions and goals, then comes the challenging process of unlearning and changing specific behaviors," she explains.

Unlearning is hard work. "It requires one to move out of automatic behaviors and into conscious understanding, where we take control of our own actions and lives," Brügmann says. "It requires confronting uncomfortable feelings and an attentive vision for a different business life." In fact, she says, it takes many of the same skills that entrepreneurs need to succeed in their businesses. "It's a real act of self-love at a deep level," she says. It's also what you need to do to become a transformational leader.

What are some of the behaviors we all need to unlearn to become effective leaders? Here are the ones Brügmann says she encounters most often.

1. Pleasing
2. Being fuzzy about boundaries
3. Not speaking your mind
4. Avoiding failure
5. Letting fear hold you back
6. Negative thinking
7. Getting really, really busy
8. Looking for your power outside yourself

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50 Habits That Prove You Were Born to Be an Entrepreneur

Most aspiring entrepreneurs feel it in their bones -- they were born to be an entrepreneur, to the point where nothing else in life could satisfy them. They’re dissatisfied as employees, followers or consumers. They want to create, build and grow their own enterprises, and they’re filled with the passion of their own ingenuity.

Here are 50 habits that born-to-be entrepreneurs can’t help but show. How many do you possess?

1. You can’t sit still. You’re always itching to come up with something, and do something great.

2. You’re always coming up with ideas. Good or bad, the flow of ideas never stops.

3. You can pinpoint flaws in other ideas. It comes naturally to you.

4. You marvel at successful business owners. Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are just a few of your heroes.

5. You get excited when you see a successful business in action.Whether it’s a local bar or a supermarket franchise, you can’t help but smile when you see a good business.

6. You constantly think of ways to improve your employer’s business.When you’re at work, you only think about how it could be better.

7. You hate being told what to do. You’re resentful of taking orders.

8. You love to learn new things. How tos and tutorials are what you’re all about.

9. You take things apart to see how they work. Remotes, toasters, phones -- you love to see the inner workings.

10. You dream of wealth. Money isn’t everything, but you can’t help but have it on your mind.

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13 Habits of Exceptionally Likable People

Too many people succumb to the mistaken belief that being likable comes from natural, unteachable traits that belong only to a lucky few—the good looking, the fiercely social, and the incredibly talented. It’s easy to fall prey to this misconception. In reality, being likable is under your control, and it’s a matter of emotional intelligence (EQ).

In a study conducted at UCLA, subjects rated over 500 adjectives based on their perceived significance to likeability. The top-rated adjectives had nothing to do with being gregarious, intelligent, or attractive (innate characteristics). Instead, the top adjectives were sincerity, transparency, and capacity for understanding (another person).

These adjectives, and others like them, describe people who are skilled in the social side of emotional intelligence. TalentSmart research data from more than a million people shows that people who possess these skills aren’t just highly likable, they outperform those who don’t by a large margin.

We did some digging to uncover the key behaviors that emotionally intelligent people engage in that make them so likable. Here are 13 of the best:

1. They Ask Questions
2. They Put Away Their Phones
3. They Are Genuine
4. They Don’t Pass Judgment
5. They Don’t Seek Attention
6. They Are Consistent
7. They Use Positive Body Language
8. They Leave a Strong First Impression
9. They Greet People by Name
10. They Smile
11. They Know When To Open Up
12. They Know Who To Touch (and They Touch Them)
13. They Balance Passion and Fun


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100 Life Hacks from 100-year-olds

What's the secret to a long and healthy life? All centenarians have their own habits and morning routines they swear by. From whiskey shots to daily naps to ice cream, here's what some very old people credit for their lengthy lifespan.

In 2011, HUFFINGTON POST INTERVIEWED A CENTENARIAN NAMED RUTH. SINCE THE AGE OF 92, RUTH HAS COMMITTED TO WEEKLY PILATES CLASSES. SHE ALSO HAS A MEAN SENSE OF STYLE.

1. "Don't look at the calendar. Just keep celebrating every day."

2. "Invest in quality pieces, they never go out of style."

3. "I make myself go out every day, even if it's only to walk around the block. The key to staying young is to keep moving."

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8 Things You Should Not Do Every Day

It's for your own good. Cut these things out of your day and you'll see gains in productivity--not to mention happiness.

If you get decent value from making to-do lists, you'll get huge returns--in productivity, in improved relationships, and in your personal well-being--from adding these items to your not to-do list:

Every day, make the commitment not to:

1. Check my phone while I'm talking to someone.

2. Multitask during a meeting.

3. Think about people who don't make any difference in my life.

4. Use multiple notifications.

5. Let the past dictate the future.

6. Wait until I'm sure I will succeed.

7. Talk behind someone's back.

8. Say "yes" when I really mean "no."

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9 Habits of People Who Build Extraordinary Relationships

The most extraordinary professional relationships are built by ordinary actions like these.

1. Take the hit.

2. Step in without being asked.

3. Answer the question that is not asked. 4. Know when to dial it back.

5. Prove they think of others.

6. Realize when they have acted poorly.

7. Give consistently, receive occasionally.

8. Value the message by always valuing the messenger.

9. Start small... and are happy to stay small.

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9 Daily Habits That Will Make You Happier

Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it's almost impossible to make others happy if you're not happy yourself.

With that in mind, here are nine small changes that you can make to your daily routine that, if you're like most people, will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:

1. Start each day with expectation.
2. Take time to plan and prioritize.
3. Give a gift to everyone you meet.
4. Deflect partisan conversations.
5. Assume people have good intentions.
6. Eat high quality food slowly.
7. Let go of your results.
8. Turn off "background" TV.
9. End each day with gratitude.

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