Are you sick of being stuck in a rut? Feeling like you’re being left behind?
Well, perhaps there are some things you’re doing, which are hindering your success.
If you start changing some of your bad habits, you might just zoom ahead of the pack by next year.
Keep reading to find out which behaviors you should give up, if you want to get where you want to be.
1) Procrastination
I don’t know about you but when I was younger, if I could put something off until the next day I would.
I was the biggest procrastinator of them all. But it came with a price. And that price was being left behind by the rest of my peers. Sure, I was out there having fun, but I was always stressing about what I needed to get done instead of just doing it.
Once I started to get my priorities right, I started to see positive changes in my life.
My dad would always say “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Get it done and then you can relax.”
When I say procrastination I’m not just talking about work or assignments, I’m also talking about eating right, exercising, and meditation. All those things that we say we’ll start tomorrow, would help us more if we started them today.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s do this!
2) Negative self-talk
Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought or said something negative about yourself?
Yeah, you need to stop that.
There’s been so much data that’s come out recently that tells us that we become what we believe.
Even if you don’t believe in the power of The Secret or manifestation, there is a lot of research being done that proves that our thoughts really do affect our realities, even down to our health outcomes..
So if this is true, then standing in the mirror saying “I’m going to have an amazing day. I’m going to smash this test. I’ve got this!” is a better start to the day than “I can’t do this. I’m useless. Other people can do this better than me.”
Choose your words wisely and you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve in the next year!
3) Overthinking
Has anyone ever told you to stop overthinking? It happens to me all the time.
Overthinking makes us second-guess ourselves. So now that you’re speaking more positively to yourself, it will help you overthink less.
I’ve missed out on many possibly great opportunities because I overthought something too much and decided against giving it a go, picking up the phone, or applying for the job.
Think things through when making important decisions, but don’t let them go around and around in your head and take over.
Not only does overthinking stop us from being able to enjoy the present. It can also cause anxiety and burnout according to this article.
The author shares some signs to look out for which are:
- Fixating on negative feedback.
- Bringing up your past failures when speaking with others.
- Being extremely over-cautious because you’re so worried about making mistakes.
4) Closed-mindedness
Have you noticed how much the world is changing? Nothing ever stays the same, but it seems like things are changing faster than ever before.
One thing that is going to hold you back in life is this – you can’t change the way you think if you don’t open your mind.
A common quote teachers often have up on their classroom walls is, “Your mind is like a parachute, it works best when it’s open.” And I think that this is true for us no matter what our age.
Instead of thinking “But that’s the way I’ve always done this.” Think “maybe if I try this new way I’ll get a better outcome.”
Opening your mind to new people and perspectives can bring you opportunities you never thought possible.
Nothing changes if you don’t.
5) Lack of prioritization
Once you’ve decided you’re not going to procrastinate any longer, you need to get your priorities straight.
It’s all well and good deciding you’re going to do all these wonderful new things, but how and when and can you manage them all at once?
What happens when something disrupts your new schedule?
When we prioritize the things that matter, it enables us to get the important things done with the least amount of effort. And doesn’t want that?
Use to-do lists and only make 1-3 things per day your priority. After all, if everything is a priority, then really, nothing is.
6) Fear of failure
Get rid of that fear of failure, or do you know what will happen? You’ll fail!
The only way to succeed is to think you can. (Usually anyway!)
But the fear of failure is often the reason why we don’t try in the first place. We think it might be embarrassing if we tell everyone we’re going to try something and it doesn’t work out.
But what if it does work out?
Sometimes people experience something called Imposter Syndrome, which makes them feel like they aren’t good enough to accomplish or achieve something that if they tried they probably could.
Two big parts of Imposter Syndrome are fear of success and, you guessed it, fear of failure.
But there’s no way you’re going to get lightyears ahead of everyone else by next year if you’re worried about failing.
7) Avoiding feedback
Have you ever received negative feedback? How did it make you feel? If you’re like me then it probably knocked your confidence a bit.
But here’s the thing – what did you do after you received it?
Usually, negative feedback feels bad at the time but can be the catalyst we need to power forward and do better next time.
If we avoid all feedback, not only will you miss out on constructive criticism that will help you for next time but you’ll also miss out on positive comments about the things you’ve done well!
You’ll never be able to do your best if you don’t know what you’re doing right or what you need to improve. Feedback from others is invaluable for success.
8) Depending on others for validation
Have you found yourself waiting for others to tell you you’re good enough to do a task, or start a business, or create something new, and it just never happens?
If you have a great idea for something, don’t wait around for others to tell you it’s a good idea, or you might be waiting forever.
If we’re always waiting for others to make us feel good about ourselves, how can we truly be happy?
Real happiness starts inside. And once we’re happy with ourselves we become confident in our ideas. This is when we truly begin to succeed because we are doing it for ourselves and no one else.
This article says that depending on others for validation prevents us from reaching our full potential.
And if we want to be lightyears ahead of everyone by 2025, we need to be doing our absolute best. And that starts with believing in yourself.
