7 Things You’re Doing That Stop You From Being Successful

Are you aware of what's getting in your way
from fulfilling your potential? What's stopping
you from being a massive success (your
definition of success of course)? Many times
when we think about success we think about
what we need to do… we think of better
productivity.

Often times we can maximize our potential and
our productivity simply by not doing a few
things.

Let's look at some examples.

SOCIAL MEDIA JUNKIE

For most people, if they spent 50% of the time
they spent on Facebook (or other social media
sites) on their goals, they would be more
successful. Bottom line.

We all want to keep in contact, we all want to
stay connected, we all want to know what's
going on with our friends and family; but a line
has to be drawn. If you're using Facebook to
network, great. If you're using Facebook to
connect and build relationships with people
who are headed in the same direction as you,
great. If you're using Facebook for multiple
hours a day because you're bored, that's a
problem. If you don't have a plan and can't find
anything better to do with your time, that's a
problem. Wasting time is a habit we cannot
afford to have. Time is the 'stuff' of life
and if we allow different things to suck up
our time, we are killing opportunity.

TOO DISTRACTED

We live in the age of information overload and
mass distractions. In today's world the people
who are least distracted win.

How much work
can we really accomplish online if we have 20
different tabs open? If this sounds like you,
take some time to study productivity, habit
building and the best practices for whatever it
is you're trying to accomplish.

Distraction will
allow you to waste time and dilute your
potential. Make a decision; what's more
important your dreams or the distractions?

THE LACK OF VISION,
PURPOSE AND DIRECTION

Where do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years,
or even next month? What do you want to
have? What do you want life to be like? We
can't stay on course if we never set one to
begin with. When we have a sense of purpose
and direction the distractions become a lot
less appealing. If we don't generate a sense
of purpose and direction, we're just blowing in
the wind falling victim to all the time wasters
around us. Take the time to define yourself;
who you are, who you want to be and where you
want to go. Of course love life, have fun, smile.

I'm not saying take life TOO serious. Just
know who you are and don't compromise it, you
will regret it later.

SPENDING TIME WITH ALL THE WRONG PEOPLE

It's real simple, if you're hanging out with
people who don't push you – you're losing. You're
losing out on all the positive relationships you
could be having. You're losing out on how your
time is spent. Of course motivation and
inspiration come from within, but we can never
underestimate the influence of external
circumstances like friends and relationships.

Think about the people that you surround
yourself with on a regular basis. Do they
support you? Do they believe in you? Do they
really want to see you succeed? If the answer
is yes, you're blessed. If the answer is no, then
you know what you need to do.

For fun, sign
into a social media account and look at all the
people on your list. Be honest with yourself.

Who are the people you could build your dream
with? Who really improves the quality of your
life? Only surround yourself with quality
people.

MULTITASKING LEADS TO AVERAGE EVERYTHING

Multitasking is a myth. It's impossible to be
great at multiple things at the same time.

What is one thing you want to accomplish right
now? What will have a positive impact on many
other things? Don't try to do too much.
Cutback. Do what is essential.

Do what is the
most important thing right now and don't put it
down until it's complete. When you've
completed with focused and undistracted
action, you will tap into a new level of
creativity, a new level of confidence and you'll
get a new result. A result that could open up
doors that previously would've been locked.

PUTTING OFF CHALLENGES

Are you a procrastinator? Do you major in
minor things? Are you doing things that don't
really matter to avoid doing the things that do
matter? Every time we don't act, we push it
back. Why is it that we can get so much done
right before it's due? For my travellers out
there, why is it that we are so productive the
day before a vacation or business trip? Break
the habit of putting things off.

If it's a small
thing, knock it down now. David Allen says
that if it can take you less than two
minutes to get done, don't put it on a list –
get it done!

OVERTHINKING

Are you a perfectionist? Do you think about
things more than you act on them? Are you
afraid to fail? Study after study shows that
we learn from failure. Quick launches are
vital for success. Stanford calls this process
'Design Thinking', which is when you find a
social need or want and come up and
experiment with the solution as fast as
possible, so it can be enhanced as soon as
possible. This same kind of thinking is true
in our day-to-day lives. Of course we have a
reputation to uphold and of course we want to
produce quality work all the time, but nothing
can be corrected until we put it out there. You
can't improve what you haven't started.