Habits that hinder our success

By: Lucell Larawan

SOME say that success in whatever field is a matter of hard work and having the skill set, but they also need to know what they do not see which might steal their dream. To be successful, Brian Tracy—a popular entrepreneur and motivational speaker—lays down 10 bad habits that can become roadblocks to one’s success. Ponder on these:

Waiting for the perfect time. In launching a business or in making one’s idea work, one can be tempted to hesitate and tarry until the signs are all perfect and there are no more bumps to consider. Nevertheless, this mindset will not go far because this prevents many opportunities from coming. So, if you are an entrepreneur, test your ideas immediately even if you have to do it little by little.

Talking about goals but not setting them. After you share your plans with others, they might ask, “What have you done so far about this plan?” Having good plans alone will not give you wings.

Not taking care of yourself. Having a good sleep and exercising regularly are not optional. If the body cannot function well for the grind, no one can implement your brilliant ideas in business. Taking care of ourselves should be as important as managing your finances in business.

Forgetting the importance of continuous learning. Many people do not like reading because they think they can just learn from experience. But if we look at the most decorated entrepreneurs—Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos, among others—they read a lot each day. Their achievements are directly proportional to their inclination to learn without ceasing.

Giving up instead of persisting. There are many reasons to give up when reaching one’s goals. “Overnight successes are a culmination of years of hard work,” Tracy said. Persisting should define us. It shifts our mindset from “I want this” to “I am creating this.”

Procrastinating. Someone told me that someday, she is going to paint abstract images in her dream. She repeated that statement another time we met. What did she do? Nothing. The brush will not paint without a hand. One might wish to write a book and tell a friend about it. But if he or she cannot aim for a page to write per day or five pages per week, she is writing on water.

Doubting yourself. No one should believe more in yourself—it should be you. How can we expect others to believe in our ideas if we cannot exude the confidence of ourselves before others? Doubt fuels fear which stops one from taking action.

Making empty promises. If you commit on something and you do not fulfill it, will they still believe you? No. In the same way, you should take your commitments seriously by making a calendar. The groundwork of success involves credibility.

Blaming others. If we miss our expectations for ourselves, blaming our friends, family and colleagues simply mean that we depend on them for our progress. However, we should consider that achieving is inside us; it does not depend on anyone else. In lieu of blaming people, we can ask, “How can I avoid this from happening again?”

Comparing yourself with others. The problem with this habit is that you are comparing your chapter one with some else’s chapter 30. If you wonder why you are not as stable as Jeff Bezos, it is because he started in 1994 with the right ingredients to cook while you are still starting to learn the basics of entrepreneurship. One will never be happy with such a comparison with someone else.