Be it Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, they all have a few things in common other than being wildly Successful. One of them is their host of contradictory habits. Yes, you read that right, habits that are complete opposites of each other, and hardly a few can master the perfect balance between such discordant entities. To walk their shoes, you need to ace their control and follow in their footsteps and adopt these practices. Here are eight contradictory habits that you need to mimic in order to make an impact:

1.  They Are Highly Energetic and Calm

One trait that makes successful people stand out from the crowd is their high energy levels. They all seem to have reserves of incessant energy, which drives from the passion that they harbor for their work. Successful people know how to channel the energy and fully capitalize on it. They know when to stay calm and preserve their energy and when to unleash it, akin to a marathon runner. However, there is a caveat to possessing excessive energy, since it can make you hyperactive, thereby increasing the risk of a lapse in concentration and focus. However, this is a far cry from the truth when it comes to successful people. Despite being so energetic, they stay laser-focused on their goals. Task management tools can help you with that as well, if you decide to follow suit.

2.  They are Passionate and Objective at the Same Time

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear about passionate people? They are emotional, energetic and highly involved, right. This formula is not fully applicable to successful people, since successful people strike a perfect balance between passion and objectivity. Irrespective of how passionate they are about their work, they do not let it dictate terms. Highly Successful people are pragmatic and ensure that sense prevails in everything that they do, despite their passion for work.

3.  They Let Their Imagination Run Wild While Staying In Reality

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”—Albert Einstein

Highly successful people know the importance of imagination. They let their imagination run wild to come up with unique ideas and breakthroughs that revolutionize our world. What makes these people so special is their ability to innovate and imagine without losing sight of reality. No matter how imaginative they are, they always keep their feet on the ground and live in reality rather than following fantasies.

4.  They Are Rich But Live Frugally

While we might be excited about the latest iPhone, branded clothes, and luxurious cars, highly successful people are not. Warren Buffet still lives in the same house he purchased back in 1958. Mark Zuckerberg, founder, and CEO of Facebook drives an old hatchback Volkswagen with a manual transmission. He wears the same T-shirt for many days and shares why he do that when he said, “I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community”. Highly successful people know the importance of money and do not squander it on stuff that will soon become a liability for them.

5.  They Talk Less and Have a Lot to Say

If you closely analyze the smart people around you, especially their behavior in a group, you will notice that they prefer to listen more and talk less. Most successful people follow in this wake, but that does not mean that this would stop them from sharing their knowledge and experience with others. In fact, they are always looking for an opportunity to share their experience and knowledge with others. The world has given a lot of them, and they want to return the favor by giving back.

6.  They Work Hard But Are Also Playful

Did you know that Elon Musk works for 100 hours a week? Yes, you read that right, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. What’s even more interesting is the fact that he is not alone. Many successful people set the highest standards for themselves and possess a work ethic that only a few select can match. They know that all roads leading to success have to pass through the path of hard work, replete with pitfalls and rough patches. As the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” So, basically that should automatically make all these successful people dull? Obviously not, because they also play as hard as they work. Look at Richard Branson, you will surely find images showing him partying with his employees and friends, celebrating success and having fun.

7.  They are humble and Proud

It is quite amazing to see these successful people stay humble and still secretly be proud of their achievement at the same time.  They exult in the work they do because they take ownership of their work and they love what they do.  You will always see them praising their team and giving credit to them rather than stealing the limelight for success. They know that success is a team effort, which they could never have acquired on their own.

8.  They are Stubborn and Flexible

One trait that Jeff Bezos and many other successful people possess is that they can be stubborn and flexible simultaneously. Although, this is rather hard to explain and understand, we looked towards these successful people to explain to us how they can be rude and accommodating at the same time. Here is what Jeff Bezos had to say: “If you’re not stubborn, you will give up on experiments soon. If you are not flexible, you will pound your head against the wall and you will not see a different solution to a problem you are trying to solve.”

Conclusion

After reading this article, you might have realized that having some of these contradictory habits is not that bad as we might have initially thought. Many people have achieved success despite conflicting habits that should naturally clash together. As Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” The secrets of success lie in embracing these at odds habits and continue to improve.

Do you have any of these habits? Which discordant duo has benefited you the most? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.

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