Do you know some people are not aware of what they want to achieve in life? They don’t have any set goals or targets to meet. So, if you are not one of those and are well aware of your goals, you are one step ahead of others. However, it’s hard to move forward towards achieving your goals consistently. And some people cannot figure out why the progress is very slow even when their goals are well-defined.

What does it take to be truly successful? Your goals are like colossal mountains, which you need to surmount. Even if you are trying to reach them with your full will and planning, some habits have the potential of hindering you from reaching your goals. And guess what! Most of the people are unaware of these habits, which are standing in the way of their success. Aristotle says, “We are what we repeatedly do.” This brings us to the conclusion that it’s your habits, which determine your excellence and success.

These habits are blocking you from achieving success just like your internet security protection software blocks virus and malware. To reach your full potential, first, recognize these self-destructive habits and then get rid of them.

Top 8 Habits Which Stand in Your Way of Success

Negative Thinking.
Squandering Time.
Expecting Perfection.
People Pleasing.
Under-Saving and Overspending.
Being Reactive and Not Proactive.
Multitasking.
Forgetting Your Long-Term Vision.

Let’s discuss.

Negative Thinking

That’s where it all actually starts! You have no idea how negative thoughts and behaviors can hold you back. Allowing negative and contradictory thoughts is like allowing poison in your brain. If you are a negative thinker, recognize it and avoid it. Allow your close friends and family members to point out if you are exhibiting negative and pessimistic behavior.

This can lead to frustration, doubts, and depression. You need to be aware of all the factors, which trigger negative thinking. And you need to be strong enough to get rid of it.

Squandering Time

You need to figure out what hogs your time the most. You can have answers like texting, social media browsing, TV or Netflix binge, and so on. All these things are intensely distracting. Don’t let yourself be sucked into these diversions. Especially in your productive hours. Your gadgets and apps allow you to zone out and you can waste hours under the impression of getting some refreshment. Successful people do not waste time like that. You need to limit the time you spend on flipping channels, streaming, or social media browsing.

Expecting Perfection

Expecting perfection is not only overburdening, but it also kills your success. Believing in perfection is not bad but sometimes good enough is the best solution to keep the ball rolling. And expecting perfection right in the beginning is so wrong. Allow yourself to make mistakes and evolve gradually. Success is a step-wise process and you can’t achieve it overnight. The moment your brain will receive the message that it wasn’t good enough, it will start procrastination. So, give yourself time to improve, refine, and grow.

People Pleasing

People who try to appease everyone end up compromising on themselves in the process. And guess what! People are still not pleased and you end up only wasting your time. You cannot act to be someone else that you are not.

Free yourself from the unreasonable desire of being loved and adored by everyone. don’t justify others in your head and focus on people who accept and value you. This will give you your peace of mind.

Under-Saving and Overspending

The way you deal with money matters has a lot to do with your peace of mind. If you have a habit of overspending and you make your spending decisions even when the money is not in your bank, you have the bad habit of overspending.

You need to learn proper budgeting and plan ahead of time for all possible finances. Also, no matter what, always save for the rainy days. With financial stability, you will have the ability to take new opportunities. At the very least, a sense of financial stability and security gives you the ultimate peace of mind. You can achieve an anxiety-ridden lifestyle if you get rid of the habit of overspending and under-saving.

Being Reactive and Not Proactive

You cannot dictate what’s coming at you. Neither can you change it! Not everyone would behave nicely; some will always test your patience. There will always be another meeting or a burdening expense. Don’t let these burdens make you myopic.

Weight your options and always consider what would be the best course to take. You need to be proactive in these situations. If you are always reactive, know that you are in a sinking boat. Blaming circumstances will not help. Unpleasant things always come up. You need to learn to deal with them.

Multitasking

Various studies have proven that multitasking is not humanly possible. So, if you are one of those people who claim to multitask, know that it has been defied with scientific proofs. The only possibility is one activity to be highly passive. For instance, driving while listening to some podcast.

Productivity is all about better focus. So, if you are in a habit of multitasking, it would be better to focus your attention on one thing at a time. While multitasking, you are dividing your concentration and your productivity drops clearly. So, get back to the old school routine of doing one thing at a time. You will do it faster and better.

Forgetting Your Long-Term Vision

Don’t let yourself make short-sighted decisions and don’t be happy with short-term success. If you are only thinking about tomorrow, know that you have chosen the best recipe for burning out. You need to have a long-term vision right from the beginning. And then you should keep yourself reminding of that vision. Don’t get carried away with small achievements. And don’t let yourself halt at them. I happened to visit the Optimum Customer Support and had a little chitchat with the owner. He claimed that the biggest factor behind his success is that he managed not to forget his long-term vision whenever he achieved small achievements.

Author

Daniel Jack

For Daniel, journalism is a way of life. He lives and breathes art and anything even remotely related to it. Politics, Cinema, books, music, fashion are a part of his lifestyle.