Success is subjective. It’s different for everyone. But, for any person who is successful, their success is not an accident.
To reach your goals you have to be intentional. You can’t just drift through life hoping things will work out. You have to do things to make success happen.
The majority of people live a life of mediocrity and, eventually, regret because they do the same things as everyone else, day after day. Examine any person who has reached great heights in life and you’ll find they did so by doing things different than the majority.
We live in the greatest era in human history. Today, the conditions in which you were born do not have to determine your future. We have free access to an infinite amount of knowledge. You are solely responsible for your success or lack thereof.
As humans, we’re just conditioned to believe in the things that we most often experience. We see the limitations of those around us and believe that those limitations apply to us as well. But, you don’t have to be mediocre. Your circumstances don’t have to define your life.
If you want a life of success, you have to break the mold. You have to break free from limiting beliefs and the limitations placed on you by others.
If you want to reach your goals and facilitate a life of success, avoid these things.
1. Lack of Work Ethic
I’ll put this one first. Because if you aren’t willing to put in the work, reading this is pointless, and you should probably just close your browser.
If you aren’t prepared to work for your dream you’ll never live it. Trust me, you can’t achieve anything worthwhile in life without effort. You can’t just sit around and wish for things to happen. You have to set goals and take action.
If you want success, you have to be willing to work for it. Period.
2. Excuses
If you’re serious about changing your life and finding your definition of success, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse. You can have results or excuses, but you can’t have both.
Many people refuse to do the work, but will make excuses or place blame for why they don’t have the life they desire. Those who achieve success own their failures just as much as they own their success.
If something doesn’t work out, don’t give up on it. Don’t make excuses. Instead, hold yourself accountable then ask yourself how you can do it better next time. Work harder, try a different approach. Do whatever it takes.
3. Fear
Fear could be the biggest reason why most people give up on their dreams. If you let fear prevent you from taking action, you will fail by default.
Fear is natural. It’s a primal survival mechanism designed to keep us safe. However, fear can overtake our lives if we allow it.
This is pretty cheesy, but here’s an acronym for the word fear that I like to use: FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real. In my experience, it’s 100% true. The vast majority of things we fear or worry about never happen. Yet, so many people let a fear of failure prevent them from accomplishing their goals.
Failure is just a part of life. If you don’t fail, you don’t learn. In reality, the only way you can truly fail is if you quit.
Jump in the deep end. Even if things don’t go as planned, you’ll learn a big lesson and grow from the experience. Keep going. Don’t let fear rob you of your dreams.
4. Toxic People
Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”, and no truer statement has ever been spoken.
The people that you surround yourself with will transfer their mindset and beliefs to you, and you won’t even realize it.
Even though they mean well, your family and friends will often put their self-perceived limitations on you. Just because they couldn’t do something doesn’t mean you can’t. Just because no one in your family has been successful doesn’t mean you can’t be successful.
Respect their opinions but give no weight to them. Only believe in yourself and your opinions.
5. Lack of Discipline
It’s common to think that living a disciplined life means limiting yourself or missing out on fun stuff. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Self-discipline means having self control. It means having control of your actions and reactions. Discipline will allow you to achieve any goal you set for yourself
Self-discipline is a sign of inner strength and it’s a trait of all people who are successful. To reach your goals you have to be committed to work every single day, regardless of if you feel like it or not. It requires consistent effort, and you can’t be consistent without discipline.
Discipline is what will get you out of bed on those early mornings. Discipline is what will keep you going when you want nothing more than to give up
Success and discipline go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.
6. Refusing to Learn
Many people think that just because they’ve graduated high school or college, their education is complete. But, just because you graduated doesn’t mean that your learning should stop.
All successful people are lifetime learners. The more you learn, the more you earn. That’s a fact.
As mentioned earlier, we have an infinite amount of knowledge freely available at our fingertips. Develop your skills through self-education. Attend seminars or webinars, take online classes, google stuff, use YouTube.
These days, ignorance is a choice. In order to grow into the person you know you can become, you must never stop educating yourself.
It’s Up to You
Remember, success is not an accident. It’s a journey and not a destination. If you want success you can have it. Seek out successful people who resonate with you. Learn from them and model their processes. Likewise, notice the people you least want to be like, and avoid doing what they do.
You’re not a victim of circumstance. You are in control of your life. The only person stopping you from living your dreams is you.
