Habits are just part our lives. The things that we do every day — both for our business and personal needs — provide a framework on which we build our careers, help others and find personal happiness. From our earliest days in school, we are taught that structure is important. We also learn that habits are building blocks of the success we want to have.

That’s why we want to mimic the habits of successful people; whether they are people we know personally, famous industry titans, athletes or creative masters. But does following the daily habits of others produce results? Or does that come from adopting a mindset?

Unfortunately, there are no infallible lists of habits from business leaders and no one person gives us all the answers. Yet, as entrepreneurs, there are things you can do to become more enlightened.

You can observe. You can ask questions — both to people you admire and of yourself. You can make sure to go beyond talking to put your best effort behind a vision. These steps and more contribute to a positive mindset; which can position an entrepreneur with aspirations.

Acquire Knowledge that’s Relevant

Michelangelo was once credited with the famous quote, “I am still learning”. Despite mastering painting, sculpture and illustration, as well as ultimately painting the Sistine Chapel, this creative legend was not one to bask in his achievements or rest on his laurels. Michelangelo was said to have always sought out new experiences, thirsty for new knowledge.

Yet, discovery of the new is not just a Renaissance concept. The best entrepreneurs continually seek out more knowledge to help them in their businesses. And you should too.

As Sujan Patel writes in Fast Company, discovering what knowledge that will benefit you comes from personal initiative. Patel writes, first, evaluate your actions and priorities on a daily basis. Then, among other things, make sure to “always be learning” — about your customers, the solutions you sell and how you can (and already do) help people in your business.

Mega-entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who made a fortune distributing software long before others started doing it, talks about getting a “knowledge advantage”. Now the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Cuban isn’t referring to insider information but about effort. He decided to make acquiring knowledge a habit. In doing so, a non-technical person in a tech industry figured out that "with time and effort, I could learn any new technology that was released."

In the end, remember that you can’t learn everything, just like you can’t read everything, or see every single news report or piece of industry research out there. But keep your mind and senses open, to gain insight from every experience.

Observe, Think, Act

Steven Covey starts his famous book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by telling readers to “begin with the end in mind”. That’s good advice. Yet, when it comes to observing the habits of others, thinking may be more important than copying and doing. For example, Forbes contributor Paul B. Brown says that, when looking to highly successful business entrepreneurs for examples, it is more meaningful not to duplicate their deeds, but to look at how they think.

“If you just observed the actions entrepreneurs take, you would conclude there isn’t that much to be gained from studying them,” Brown writes. “Put simply . . . entrepreneurs act. They deal with uncertainty not by trying to analyze it, or planning for every contingency, or predicting what the outcomes will be. Instead, they act, learn from what they find, and act again.”

Brown’s point is that successful people — entrepreneurs of new ventures especially — think outside the box and act upon own their vision and goals with persistence and a sense of urgency.

As such, the average business owner need not “follow” what another is doing step by step. Rather, pursuing your own goals and vision with persistence and urgency is enough. In fact, putting energy and consistency behind your vision may be the most important habit to add to your repertoire in 2016.

Be Honest with Yourself

Periodically evaluating your performance and your business plan throughout the year is almost as important as opening the door and turning the lights on every day. Introspective questions can also be helpful.

Are you putting customers first? Is your business — meaning your marketing, social media and branding — visible enough? It is critical to consider this, writes Entrepreneur Magazine contributor Dev Tandon. But he also says that it is equally crucial for your company to stay true to its culture and what has made you successful.

If you need to shift gears at some point, whether it is hiring new help, adding new products or services to the mix, or even ending a business relationship, that’s okay. Flexibility is a necessary ingredient in business and it helps entrepreneurs to keep the horizon in sight.

Exactly what habits you need to adopt and tasks you need to tackle in 2016 are as specific to your business as is your product and you, the person who runs the business. But keeping an open honest, and flexible approach, and an enlightened state of mind about your goals and vision, can lead to endless possibilities — and success!