If you feel like you haven’t managed to obtain any of your goals even though you think you worked really hard to achieve them, I must tell you that there actually are a few reasons you aren’t as successful as you should be. Of course, you should first define what success means to you because if you don’t, you might waste your time and energy pursuing someone else’s dreams. In Earl Nightingale’s opinion (a very famous motivational speaker and author who is considered the Dean of Personal Development), success is “the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal,” so it’s basically not a destination but a progressive journey (just like happiness). Here are a few somewhat harsh, yet truthful reasons you aren’t as successful as you should be:
In my opinion, fear is by far one of the most important reasons you aren’t as successful as you should be. I know that for me, it really is the thing that always prevents me from reaching my goals. I’m always working towards overcoming it and I’m always trying to not allow it to define me or my actions. It may look silly, but fear can be your own worst enemy and will definitely get in the way of your happiness if you don’t do something to control it.
Negativity (from yourself and others) can really be a big obstacle you need to overcome in order to be successful at what you do. Jim Rohn, the motivational speaker, said “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” and he is absolutely correct since we learn by repetition and imitation. If you realize that you are surrounded only by negative people who constantly discourage you and bring you down, then maybe it’s time to make some new friends who will support and encourage you and most importantly, who will believe in what you are capable of doing.
I must admit that this is one of the things that prevents me from reaching my goals because I waste too much time basically doing nothing. I should listen more to the advice of Joel Brown, the CEO and Founder of Addicted2Success.com and who is also one of the people who I find really inspiring: He said “Actions speak louder than words, the longer you leave something as just a thought someone else out there is taking action and achieving YOUR dreams, only problem with that is, you will never feel what it’s like to achieve success because someone came along and took the rug from underneath your lazy ass.” A bit harsh maybe, but so, so true and I really think that we all need a bit of tough love from time to time to remind us how to be successful.
I know that big dreams might be intimidating sometimes because they can make you doubt your ability to fulfill them. Nothing is impossible if you work really hard to achieve it. You will never be successful if you think small and if you only look a day or a year ahead, because you will never get the courage to take some risks and do what you always dreamed about. Dream big and never be afraid to take chances no matter how impossible your goals might seem! If you work hard enough and if you have enough patience, you will achieve even the craziest dreams.
In order to be successful, you need to believe in yourself. You can do whatever you want to do if you have enough patience and if you work hard. There are so many ways you can learn how to increase your self-confidence and boost your self-esteem; just don’t give up on your goals! There are a lot of books on this topic and you can also take a few classes that can teach you. Have faith in yourself and believe in your dream, because if you believe it, you will definitely achieve it!
Don’t be a part-time player and work towards your goals only when it’s convenient for you and when you have nothing else better to do! Instead, dedicate yourself to reaching your goals and do everything in your power to fulfill all your dreams. Okay, so maybe your dream might require a few sacrifices from you, but I’m sure that the results you obtain are definitely worth it.
Not everything always goes as smoothly as planned but you shouldn’t give up the moment you encounter bumps in the road and are overwhelmed by the situation. Pick yourself up and keep going! Be passionate about what you are doing and the rest will come easy!
Try not to let all those things that I mentioned above prevent you from reaching your goals. You can do whatever you want to do if you are motivated and if you believe in yourself. Can you think of other reasons why you aren’t as successful as you should be? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
Sources: lifehack.org, epreneur.tv, addicted2success.com