8 Ways To Tell You’re Truly Serious About Career Success

We’re all after the same thing in life: happiness. And, for many of us, our level of success defines our happiness. Success is very appealing and almost every human being fantasizes about it. But, daydreaming about success and actually attaining it are two different things. Some people don’t take the steps necessary to achieve what they say they want, often out of fear. Others cut through that and excel at what they truly love doing.

For those who do achieve success in their career, relationship, or some other area of life, the results and the feelings from that can be addictive. So how do you know if you’re truly serious about achieving success?

Here are 8 telltale signs:

1. You are constantly working on achieving goals.

You work tirelessly on achieving your goals, leaving excuses behind. The present moment is all that you have and you know that it can define your future. If you use it to the maximum, not taking much time out for rest, relaxation or fun, then you’re obviously truly serious about achieving success (and maybe you need to cool your jets a bit).

2. You are unapologetically following your passion.

Following your passion is perhaps the best thing you can do for yourself. If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll be happier and therefore feel, in some fashion, more successful. Aligning your wants and needs may not be possible 100 percent of the time, but striving to achieve that is a worthwhile goal. It’s also clearly an important trait of the achievement-obsessed in this world.

3. You have a long-term goal.

You are hyper-focused and you’ve created a long-term goal for yourself. It acts as an invisible force that guides many of your actions. You’re trying to carefully plot your life and put your goals on a piece of paper. By doing so, you know you’ll increase the odds of reaching your goal.

To enhance your chances of achieving success, don’t just set one big goal. Instead, opt for smaller, more frequent goals. Why? It gives you more instantaneous feedback on your ongoing progress and it’ll also allow you to adjust course if necessary.

4. You avoid unnecessary meetings.

Are you tough to schedule a meeting with? That’s likely because of your drive to succeed. You realize that time is a limited resource and you’re very strict with how you choose to spend it.

Avoiding meetings with people that won’t help you achieve what you covet is just another mark of someone serious about success. Be careful though not to dismiss possible relationships too quickly. That may hurt your reputation, which certainly won’t help you find success.

5. You focus on one thing at a time.

Multitasking is overrated. While multitasking is something that has been praised, it’s falling out of favor, and the truth is that it makes it harder for you to be successful. In fact, more often than not, it’ll be the driving force behind your failure to achieve your goals. Successful people know that you must focus on one thing at a time to get it done more efficiently. Distractions prevent you from doing that and make it harder for you to get back on track.

6. You know how to say no.

Successful people know how to say no to things that aren’t aligned with their goals. You’ve defined the core values in your life, for friendships, relationships or work, and you make choices attached to them. There will be a lot of opportunities and many people coming into your life, but you don’t feel the need to be a people pleaser. If you know how to give people a solid no, then you’re clearly focused on your ongoing success.

7. You make time for your friends and family.

Your success and overall happiness is tightly connected to the quality relationships in your life. You realize this fact and consequently always make sure to share some quality time with the people who matter most. After all, important people deserve your attention and time. Never forget that.

8. You’re active.

Do you find yourself regularly hitting the gym or taking a walk even though you don’t always truly feel like it? Wondering why?

Research indicates that exercise not only releases feel-good hormones, but a person who’s regularly exercising also tends to exhibit greater creativity than they would have otherwise been able to produce. In other words, exercise not only helps you to look and feel better, but also be a more creative thinker. And, that combination of perks undoubtedly helps lead to greater success.

This article originally appeared on Inc.com on November 16, 2017.