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Not many people love it, and almost no one just likes it. Waking up early to catch the worm on a regular basis is not the easiest thing in the world. However, there are countless benefits to waking up earlier than scheduled, having a healthy morning routine can all be the first step to reaching success. Get started today with these morning routine tips:

The Obvious: Breakfast

Touted as the most important meal of the day, breakfast can have a big impact on how the rest of your day goes. Starting off the day with a healthy and balanced meal can guarantee you have enough energy for anything you are up for. Fruits, whole grains, and eggs are all nutrient rich foods that will keep you full and focused. Try and stay away from anything with too many carbohydrates; foods like bagels or donuts have a tendency to slow people down after the initial sugar high ends.

Meditate

When was the last time you had a few minutes to yourself? Our lives have never been busier, so it’s important to take a step back and let yourself focus on where you are in your life. Even fifteen minutes of guided meditation (Cydcor recommends the app Headspace) can make a world of difference. Being able to find moments of tranquility and relaxation during a hectic schedule will help you find success.

Staying Informed

No matter what your source of news is, take a few minutes each morning to catch up with the world. What is everyone talking and caring about? This not only helps to keep you informed, but also allows you to learn things that can be helpful for the rest of the day. Maybe it’s bringing up a new social app at lunch for coworkers, or learning some new tips on making the most of the workday. Being able to be caught up in the world as its benefits, and they show well at work.

Exercise

To stay cool and relaxed under pressure is something that all successful people need to be able to do. One way to improve this is to exercise in the morning. Try going for an early morning jog or doing a few push-ups before breakfast—anything to get your heart beating a little faster. The physicality of the activity will get your energy up for the day, clearing your mind and allowing you to focus on the most important things. Did you know that Apple CEO Tim Cook hits the gym every morning at 5 a.m.?

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“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” – Douglas Adams, author

When you look to offer a service or product for consumption or use, you want to offer your clientele something that you believe in, and that has been created with authenticity. A well-treated customer who has been approached with care and earnestness is a customer who feels appreciated—and it is these customers that are much more likely to purchase a product from someone they feel has their best interests in mind.

Know your product and service inside and out. Understand what goes into it, how it’s crafted or how it will be executed so that you can explain easily and without stress how your product is worthier than the competition’s product. It’s imperative you believe in what you are looking to sell. Showing a competent knowledge will not only make it easier to describe and illustrate how it can benefit your potential customer, but it will also allow the customer to feel that you are confidence in what you are offering.

A huge portion of job satisfaction comes from how we feel about ourselves at the end of the day. This can be attributed to how we treat our customers, and whether we are authentic in ourselves and our services. Being authentic to one’s self drives the beliefs necessary to make a huge difference in our lives, and the lives of customers.

As Bruce Barton, an American author once said, “The essential element in personal magnetism is a consuming sincerity - an overwhelming faith in the importance of the work one has to do.”

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Having clear and excellent communication skills is crucial for any business professional. A person must be able to articulate exactly what they mean if they want work to get done correctly. You may think you have a genius idea, but if you can’t articulate it well, it will be difficult for your team to jump aboard. Communicating clearly can make all facets of business a little easier. Here are a few tips to regularly communicate more concisely:

Brainstorm the Idea

Try to avoid expressing an idea to others too soon after inception. Flesh out the idea fully to ensure it makes sense and is understandable for others. By putting in extra effort to think of all the different possibilities, you can avoid presenting an idea that just doesn’t work. Think about it for a bit, and if it still makes sense, move forward!

Write It Out

Write down the idea and read aloud it yourself. This will create a visual and auditory representation of what you’re trying to communicate. If it sounds right and makes sense, you’re on the right path. If it doesn’t, you may have to go back to the drawing board.

Feedback

Need a little assurance before communicating to your team? Present the idea to someone you trust, such as a co-worker or friend. They can give you another layer of feedback, and bring whatever you’re trying to say to the next level.

Simplify the Message

It’s not a good idea to start rambling when it comes to communicating. If it’s too confusing, many people may tune out and miss out on what you’re trying to get across. Simplifying the message can ensure that people get the most important pieces of information first. After you’ve formed a simplified message and can finally introduce it to others, be sure to….

…Ask if People Need Clarification

There have been countless times when I’ve assumed I understood a request, only to find out later that I didn’t fully comprehend what I needed to do. Be sure to ask if what you’ve just described is clear to everybody. It can add another layer of understand for some, as well as fill in someone who may not have been listening as attentively as they should have been. It also guarantees that what you’ve said is made crystal clear.

Communicating more clearly is something that all business-oriented individuals struggle with. It doesn’t have to be impossible. Just keep in mind that clear communicators make sure their ideas are fleshed out and will make sense to as many people as possible—the first time they explain it.

Cydcor recently wrote on Life Hacks for Left-Brain Thinkers, but what about those of us who identify as “right-brain” thinkers? People who excel in creative arts, love to experiment and tinker and learn better when things are explained visually are considered “right-brain” dominant. However, along with these positive attributes, right brain dominant individual are often thought to be easily distracted and unorganized.

Being a visual-spatial learner means your brain learns best through visual clues and observation. Long, complicated mathematical problems or block-text can often cause right-brained individuals to tune out.

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Right-brain dominant people often like to work in groups, but it’s also good to give your left brain some exercise as well. To do so, encourage yourself to work alone whenever possible. While team tasks can be great creative opportunities, it’s also important to learn how to be able to tap into your left-brain by giving yourself some quiet space to focus on the task at hand.

Visual-spatial learners don’t do well under pressure. Give yourself as much time as possible to finish a project, and avoid procrastination by scheduling this time and ensuring ample opportunity to get things done without time pressure setting in.

Encourage yourself to draw webs and links while taking down notes, rather than writing things in a more linear fashion. Draw pictures if it helps illustrate a point—even something as a simple doodle can reinforce the information.

Managers can assist right-brain thinker by showing the whole picture for facts that need to be memorized, versus just handing out a document for them to read and memorize. Visual supports such as pictures and maps help with ideas and facts. In addition to providing information verbally, use colors, charts and other visual aids to help them commit information you need to know by memory.

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Those who identify as “left-brain” thinkers tend to be more on the analytic and logical side of the spectrum of thought. Law, finance, engineering and the sciences are some of the many industries that those analytical types tend to fall into. But in an age of innovation, those more systematic thinkers might need a kick-start for creativity to keep up. While there are distinct verbal and analytic styles of thinking associated with different hemispheres of the brain, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t able to delve into more creative areas.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the population believes left-brain thinkers struggle with creativity or aren’t able to generate new ideas. While one might become set in a pattern, it is still possible to break out of this limited method of thinking.

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Author Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code describes in detail what physically happens to the brain when someone develops a new skill. In order to properly build up your brain to receive and keep new thought processes, knowledge and skills, Coyle calls for a need of what he names deep practice, which is exactly what it sounds like: practice. Learning and performing a new action involves firing an electrical signal through a neural pathway. Every time this happens, it thickens the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. The thicker the myelin sheath around the neural pathway, the more easily and effectively we use it.

What are ways we can “hack” our right-side brain and begin to let it out of the box? Some tips to start thinking creatively are simple:

Sign your name in the way you’ve developed, then re-sign it—backwards. Just the mere motion of attempting to break out of what you would normally do fires the right brain hemisphere. Try signing your name in different writing styles. Upside down. In a spiral. In loops. Repeat this until you are able to sign in all different designs and directions.

The right hemisphere aids in your ability to move in an unfamiliar way—such as dance. Just as we must take steps to learn new moves—a yoga position, a straighter posture, or running style—our brains must use a similar process to learn how to think differently.

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Begin the art of deep practice by conquering any unaccustomed task, attempting challenges and feeding stray information into your right brain's database. Before you know it, you will see new ideas begin to emerge.

"If you work just for money, you'll never make it, but if you love what you're doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours."

-Ray Kroc, businessman

Money is not the be-all and end-all of success. First, love what you are doing and take full gratification in pledging yourself entirely to your work and the needs of your client or business. This outlook on your work can transform the level of success and happiness you achieve throughout your life.

"The secret to productive goal setting is in establishing clearly defined goals, writing them down and then focusing on them several times a day with words, pictures and emotions as if we've already achieved them."

-Denis Waitley, author and motivational speaker

Creating a clear plan is key. Start by envisioning yourself experiencing success every day of your life. You are more likely to commit to keeping promises and staying on your goal path by visually focusing on them daily.

"It is not what we get. But who we become, what we contribute... that gives meaning to our lives."

-Tony Robbins, life coach

A large part of being successful means remembering others in your lives and how each person helped you get where you are today. True happiness and self-satisfaction is not measured by material wealth or possessions. Rather, it is the way you influence others and how you developed your character that makes life significant.

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."

-Helen Keller, author

Why do some things happen one way while other things happen differently? In order to fully understand why events occur the way they do, you must experience them first hand. Never just take someone else’s word for it; go out and live life to the fullest.

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When it comes to handling stress on the job, studies have found that 90% of top performers in the workplace are able to overcome negative reactions by managing their emotions in times of stress. The odd thing about stress is that it is an imperative feeling to have in order to make decisions, as our brains are wired in the way where it may be difficult for one to take action if not under at least some level of this emotional state.

It’s easy to let stress overwhelm you, and as the research suggests, it’s how one manages such stress that can be the key toward success.

The University of California in San Francisco has conducted multiple studies into how people handle stress. Their research shows that one quality many who handle stress well have in common is their ability to say “no.” Always saying “yes” can place heaps of seemingly unending responsibilities onto a person and can add unnecessary strain on both workload and emotions. Know and understand when you cap out on the job as far as your tasks, and be sure to communicate to your team or managers when you feel you are at the peak of your capacity. Don’t be afraid to speak up!

Exercise is an important factor in keeping stress under control, as when stress comes up at work, it’s usually the first thing that goes in one’s routine. Get your body moving at some point during the day--even ten minutes can greatly help release tension and get you motivated to conquer.

Another huge step in managing stress involves managing the negative self-talk one might engage in. Ruminating on negative thoughts, even ‘what ifs’ that might have occurred can compound stress unnecessarily.

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Musical leaders are responsive and energetic, always aware of changes in their own industry, adapting accordingly, and knowing what their audience understands and expects from them. There are a great many things one can take away from the stage into an office workplace.

Adapt

An old adage reads, “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” Musicians often have to respond to surprises and adversity, since music like freestyle and jazz is all about how you react and adapt. Making a business run smoothly is always the goal; however, hurdles often can come and disrupt your plans; learning how to acclimate and react swiftly can often save a company.

Support

The best musical artists in the world know how to bring out the very best in their bands and support teams involved in setup and stage presentation. While there are times to rock out as a soloist, always remember to take a step back and let others on your team shine. As a leader, it’s important to understand that if your team did a fantastic presentation or project, see that they rocked out together, and let them know you appreciate their collaboration. Work with your team to encourage creativity in the workplace and showcase examples of solo excellence as well as teamwork.

Check out these 8 Great Work Habits on Cydcor's SlideShare today!

Audience

Musicians often create music first and foremost for themselves, but the ultimate goal is to let it be heard to a larger audience. Knowing the audience is key, especially once musicians become known for a particular musical genre. If they are known for rock ‘n roll, but play a new slower jazz piece in the middle of a concert, their audience might be less than thrilled. Your clients are the same. Know your own audience and the expectations they have for the service you are providing. Always work to provide them with something they want to keep coming back for, whether it be a fantastic product or simply great service.

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To run successful business, it’s essential to reach out to prospective partners and clients on a regular basis. However, many of us dread the idea of walking into a room and introducing ourselves to strangers—so making those initial connections can be tough.

Networking is a great opportunity to make business contacts and recruit new prospects. While it might seem like a difficult task, in reality it doesn’t have to be an uncomfortable experience.

To ease yourself into a “networking mind-set,” speak to people everywhere you go. This is a great way to practice conversation, as well as your active listening skills. Get into the habit of chatting with folks without the stressor of needing to do a sales-pitch or the pressure of fellow colleagues around you. This will help you get comfortable with more casual conversation and will make it much easier when the time comes to go to a convention or event.

Make a positive impression by having an upbeat attitude, as people wish to work and connect with those who are confident as well as optimistic. This assertiveness will increase your chances of a lasting impression; however, always remember to remain genuine. Being overly gung-ho or coming across fake can turn off those around you.

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Follow up with those you connect with. At many events and opportunities, business cards can be rapidly exchanged. Keep track of those cards and when you have a new contact, be sure to contact with them via email or connect with them on a social site such as LinkedIn within twenty-four hours. A simple, “It was fantastic to chat with you yesterday!” can go a long, long way.

In a business environment, we all try to put our best foot forward when interacting with our co-workers, managers and clients. However, not everyone is immune from traits that might be off-putting, either consciously or subconsciously. In order to achieve long-term happiness and achievement, it is critical to be self-aware of not only your best traits, but also of ones that need improvement.

Negative Thinking

A lot of pessimists in the world consider themselves realists rather than “negative minded thinkers.” However, for others it can be difficult to be around those who speak incessantly of problems and issues, and who are stubborn to see the positive side of situations.

Being pessimistic is one thing—but remaining in a perpetually negative mind-set can frustrate those around you. Think carefully about how what you say might be phrased in a less negative light and try to see a problem as a new challenge to take the lead on.

Validation

Everyone loves to be appreciated and acknowledged for his or her efforts and accomplishments at work. However, those who constantly strive for validation are exhausting to be around. Those individuals get caught up in the need to prove their worth and to win those around them—to the point that they can over-attach to projects and be unintentionally draining.

It isn’t about what you achieve in the eyes of the group. It is about the journey, what you’re learning, and how you help those around you. Support comes from your team, and with a great assembly behind you, they will all learn and grow in the process.

Perfectionism

Author Michael Law once said, “At its root, perfectionism isn’t really about a deep love of being meticulous. It’s about fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of failure. Fear of success.” There is a lot of truth to those statements, and as a culture we tend to reward perfectionists for setting high standards. And perfectionists frequently are high achievers; however the price they pay for that success can be a source of great dissatisfaction.

Underneath it all, perfectionists have a high drive to succeed, however they need to realize the at times that “perfect” is an unrealistic goal. Such an effort towards perfectionism can often get in the way of the bigger picture, so figure out what “good enough” is, and be happy by letting go of unnecessary and unproductive pressures.

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Great businessmen and women know how to lead, inspire, and motivate their team—and more importantly, they know when to seek advice. No one has all the answers, and the best leadership experts agree that they’ve honed their skills through experience, advice and mentorships with others in the biz. So what do top experts say about leadership?

Michael Talve, the Founder and Managing Director of The Expert Institute:

"My best leadership tip is to think of leadership as a responsibility as much as an opportunity. Effective leaders understand that they are responsible for everyone that they are leading, and consider that responsibility as the main concern of their position. If you ever lose empathy for, and dedication to, the people you are leading, you are not being a leader."

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Frank Sonnenberg, author of Follow Your Conscience

"Leaders with character are highly effective. They have no need to pull rank or resort to command and control to get results. Instead, they're effective because they're knowledgeable, admired, trusted, and respected. This helps them secure buy-in automatically, without requiring egregious rules or strong oversight designed to force compliance."

Jeff Harmon, author of The Anatomy of the Principled Leader and founder of Brilliance Within Coaching and Consulting

"Repeat the words, 'It's not about me!' every day, multiple times a day. Don't make your leadership about being in charge, being right, getting promoted, or looking the best. Make leadership about the cause of the organization, serving the legitimate needs of those you're leading, and not taking yourself so darn seriously. You'll have people lining up to work for and with you and the results will follow."

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Peter Barron Stark, a consultant, speaker, and author

“When you're leading a new team or joining a new organization, honor the new team/organization's past, and then build them a bridge to the future. Too many leaders inherit a new team and want to tell everyone how much success they had in the past, and how good their old organization/team was. When leaders disrespect their new team, team members start asking each other the following questions: If your old organization or team was so good, why did you leave? If your old organization is so good, why don't you go back?"

Do you have any favorite leaders or leadership quotes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!