I cannot tell you the amount of times I have discussed with friends about the meaning of success and what it actually means to them. So many people say they want to be successful. Yet, they have never really taken the time to be clear on what that actually looks like. What would constitute attaining success to them. They haven't made this vital decision and as a result, they start to become detrimental to their own progress.
Negative self talk and playing the comparison game are other key ways that many are selling themselves short and cheating themselves out of their greatness as they are too busy wishing they were someone else, or focusing on past 'mistakes' and thinking they will never move past them. I would even go as far to say that many people are failing to become successful in their own right because they are their own worst enemies.
From time to time, we are all guilty of behaviors that hinder our own success but it's not always easy to see the signs. Here are 8 Ways you could be standing in the way of your own success....
1. Forgetting your goals and visions, or not having any to begin with...
What do you want to achieve in your business, in the short and long term? What do you visualise enjoying after you have achieved these goals - financial security, better life styles, a new home or car, a holiday? Set specific goals and the activities you will need to undertake in order to achieve these goals. If you do not set down specific goals, or if you forget about them during your journey towards success, then you will be get lost on the journey and will not be able to reach your destination. Create a vision board, design your life and develop an image of all the things you want to be, do and have within your life. Write down what you want to achieve within your day, your week, your month and the next three months. Then set action steps to achieve them. Don't allow yourself to be one of those people who 'go with the flow'.
2. Losing confidence in yourself and your abilities....
You have the goals, but most importantly you will need the confidence that you can do it! This is not to say that confidence is something you just wake up with. Developing your confidence is a daily journey and you need to be committed to strengthening the belief you have in your self and what you are able to achieve. If you struggle with your confidence, start to keep a self-love journal where you take 5 minutes a day to write down what you are good at, what your friends would say you are good at. Reminisce on past successes and take time to revisit and celebrate them. Work on developing your relationship with yourself and make sure you work on making this a consistent daily activity.
3. Having a lack of knowledge or not being committed to continuing your learning...
I say over and over again that the brain is a muscle and it MUST be exercised. Like anything, if it is not moved or utilised it will grow stagnant and it is your job to ensure this doesn't happen. Knowledge is power and you are the only one that is standing in the way of the amount of knowledge you have access to. So with that being said, you need to be of the understanding that this process doesn't have to be complicated.
You do not need to physically go back to college to learn. There are now various channels through which you can develop your knowledge base. Often, what you need to succeed personally or financially is not learnt in a university degree! Search for personal and financial development training programs, and equip yourself with the knowledge and tools you will need to become successful. Successful people never stop learning; in fact they tend to have an insatiable desire for knowledge. Search the internet, find the best learning programs, read books - just learn, learn and learn. Invest a little in educating yourself as this will help you achieve your goals.
4. Believing you can become successful without any investment.....
This is a common reason why people fail to become successful. Everyone wants something for nothing! Well, if it is something that will make you a millionaire, then you must be prepared to invest some money and effort into it. No genuine long term business can thrive without initial capital outlay and consistent investment, whether they are an on- or off-line business. There are some genuine businesses which you can start and run with minimal capital outlay, but they do still need some money to grow them. Being cheap is not recommended, and it will not get you anywhere near your goals of becoming wealthy and successful. Whether you apply for a business loan or decide to self-fund (which is perfectly fine by the way!) It is important that you realise that you need to make continual investments in your business or in your career development. Cutting corners is not the answer.
5. You have a Fear of failure......
This is the toxic trait that keeps a lot of people away from their dreams of becoming successful. I like the quote which says "Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure". If you face a temporary setback on your quest towards success; learn from it, pick yourself up and soldier on towards your dreams. "Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success". Some of your biggest icons or your favourite mentors have failed hundreds if not thousands of times before they reach their 'mark' of success. The only reason why they reached their target was because they failed forward and kept going no matter what. Do the same for yourself.
6. You procrastinate too much....
Yet another nasty one! Taking action TODAY is the foundational key to all success. By procrastinating, you are missing chances to be the best you can be; to make money, and to be productive. Get rid of all the bad habits that waste your time, break down your tasks to small manageable bits, visualise the end result of your project - do all that you can to fight this deadly habit that can keep you away from your goals. So often people procrastinate because they feel anxiety about starting or completing the task at hand because it be long and complicated. Take time to tackle those challenging jobs first and instead of focusing on the process, think about how good you will feel when it's completed.
7. Lack of focus....
Sometimes it's so easy to blame instances outside of ourselves when it is purely our lack of focus on completing a task which is holding us back. You can have clearly laid out goals on the success you want to achieve, but if you do not have focus, you will soon sabotage your success. There are a lot of 'business opportunities' , career development pathways and personal development options that may become both available and accessible to you but you don't access due to not applying enough focus. The trick is to make your daily action items manageable. Action lists do not complete themselves, you need to take stock yourself. But don't make your job more difficult by overloading yourself as you will struggle to figure out how best to apply yourself.
8. You are easily discouraged.....
This is a common one. Your family or friends may not believe that you will succeed. Do not let this discourage you. It is recommended that you have a good network of positive people who can support and encourage you as you work towards your success. People will say discouraging words, discouraging things will happen around you; but it is only you who can let that get to your mind and affect you. You need to be your biggest cheerleaders and more vitally, have your own back when no-one else does. If you are not for you, then why should anyone else be. Take the rough with the smooth and remember; opinions are not facts.
9. You dislike constant change....
In order to be successful, you must be constantly improving yourself, your business, and your products. If have an online business - this is even more important since the internet is very dynamic. Stay on top of recent developments and be constantly learning new ways of running and growing your business. Change is inevitable and thing never stay the same. As a person, you are always learning, growing and transcending to new levels and therefore, you need to work on embracing change and the insight and new developments change can bring with it.
10. You lack dedication....
This is the vital one. If you want something badly enough, it will be yours. A lot of people fail because they do not have the necessary desire to become successful. You have to have a serious question and answer session with yourself and ask whether you are really dedicated to your cause; whatever your cause may be. You have to know whether you are committed to making the dream you have within your heart a reality and if not, you shouldn't be investing time and effort into it if you are not fully invested. Be real with yourself and if you are serious, put your head down and get your focus up!
In conclusion, I will share with you these quotes on success: "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire". "What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose". "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him". "Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success".
Go for it and go after the success you deserve.
W | By Women Who Slay @women_who_slay_