5 lessons in winning from highly successful people: What do Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg have....

What do Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? They wear the same thing every day!
Rather than waste time and energy on trivial things, the two leaders choose to keep things simple. As a result, they free-up energy — albeit a small amount — to concentrate on other, more pressing matters. This is called decision paring. And it's a trademark habit of ultra-productive people.
The road to success is paved with sage wisdom. Here are five tips to get you started.
1. Prepare for tomorrow before closing the book on today
Benjamin Franklin famously said, “For every minute spent organising, an hour is earned.” You should take that to heart in your day-to-day work. Try to end each day with preparation for the next. Taking stock of the tasks you’ve completed today will help ensure that you get off to a fast and efficient start tomorrow.
2. Get out of your comfort zone
Before founding Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page were Ph.D. candidates at Stanford University. However, instead of completing the program, the two innovators dropped out and cleared their bank accounts in pursuit of something bigger. They could've easily stayed put and walked the safe path, but their unrelenting passions drove them out of their comfort zones and led to the birth of a company that the world wouldn't be the same without.
3. Stay in the game, even when the going gets tough
When the chips are down, it's easy to just give up. But it's in those moments that successful people buckle down and work harder, finding new ways to reach their goals. Ma Huateng, the founder of Tencent Inc., and the second-richest man in China, almost flamed-out during the early years of his business. However, instead of quitting, he took on various roles within the company — ranging from caretaker to web designer — in order to keep the company out of debt.
4. Never underestimate the power of technology
A quick look at any smartphone user will show you how technology can be an awful distraction. But the past decade has also showed us what a powerful tool technology can be. Take Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, who left a financially secure and powerful position as the vice president of an investment firm, in order to set up shop in the fledgling world of e-commerce. At the time, it would've been easy to think that Bezos was making a mistake, but the rest is history: What began as a digital bookstore in 1994 has become our one-stop-shop for everything (it worked out for Bezos, too, who's one of the richest men in America).
5. Do what you're passionate about
Steve Jobs once said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Jobs' philosophy reminds us that success isn't just for the geniuses of the world: We all possess the power to do amazing things if we put ourselves in the position to do the things we love. So find the thing that makes you get out of bed in the morning and make it happen.