6 Common Habits That Are Ironclad Barriers to Your Success (Stop Them)

Several surveys have been carried out to ascertain why some people are successful and others aren't. The results all points to one factor "HABITS".

Successful people are different because of the things they do, likewise those not successful.

It takes more than mere luck to be successful in any endeavor. Success doesn’t happen in an instant.

It happens through the progression of lots of little successes, strung together over time.

Here are 6 habits that can pose serious threat to your success (stop them):

1. Not taking 100%  responsibility for your success.

Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses

   - George Washington Carver

Chemist who discovered over 325 uses for the peanut

Our success is the most important thing in our life and so we should be personally responsible for it.

We simply can't abandon our success at the beck and call of others.

Successful people are successful because they do the things unsuccessful people don't, which the chief is exercising full control over their success.

If you want to create the life of your dreams, then take 100% responsibility for your life as well. That means giving up all your victims stories, all the reasons why you can't and why you haven't up till now, and all your blaming of outside circumstances' you have to give them up forever, because that's the only way you can muster the energy to begin taking key steps to living the life you want.

2. Not clearly defining your goals

The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score. - Bill Copeland

We all have dreams, desires, wishes and fantasies. We all want to achieve our lifelong dreams and do or get something before a given time, and so we go around with hazy views of what we want our life to be like.

Apparently, that's not the best way to go about our success.

In order to turn your day-dreams into reality, you need to map out a well-drawn guide that’ll assist you to easily navigate from one level  to another on your journey to success.

Goal setting helps us stay focused and motivated. Makes it extremely easy to measure our progress. Lessen the time we waste  on insignificant or unproductive actions and push us to take a more direct route to the accomplishment of our dreams among other things.

3. Comparing yourself to others

If you always find yourself comparing yourself to others then you are not alone, and even though that's the sad reality for many. Always comparing yourself to others is not healthy to your success. 

Always comparing yourself to others will easily demotivate you, and that will stall your progress. Believe me you need all the energy you can muster if you want to achieve your dreams.

We are all gifted in different ways, with unique abilities and advantages. Instead of comparing ourselves with others we should look for opportunities and "factors"( events, places, people , niches etc) that will help refine and produce the best copy of ourselves. Moreover no one has a "perfect life" and as long as the world remains we will always have someone better than us at something. We are all unique that way.

So avoid the pitfall of the comparison trap.

You have your divine right to create the kind of success that you have worked for.

4. Gauging your self worth on other people's opinions 

Some people don't just get it  that everybody can't be everyone else,  they would want to judge you based on their limiting beliefs and nebulous understanding.

Of course other feedback from people can be a quite valuable , it's totally wrong to validate your self-worth based on what others think or feel.

Have you made mistakes? Then congratulations, you are actually growing.

Are you heartbroken? Well! If it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger.

The point is when people judge you, they fail to see several underlying elements( your ambitions, the knowledge you've gleaned from mistakes, how close you are to success etc.)

Don’t listen to the naysayers, they either don’t understand what you want to achieve or they are jealous of you. Your value does not decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. If you believe a decision is right for you, go for it. Do what makes you happy and don’t let others bring you down.

Furthermore it's your life not theirs' . They don't know what's best for you and you are the one stuck with the final result.

5. Flocking with the wrong birds

If you want to be successful then you will need all the support you can find.

Some one once said, if you have two friends who are millionaires then watch out , you may end up as the third millionaire.

The idea of consciously picking and choosing  those you "move with"– rather than just letting it happen naturally – can seem callous. But when you think about it, your friends are a very important part of your life and can make a huge difference in the decisions you make and what you become.

If the people you associate with don’t push you to be better, then it is highly unlikely that you will have the energy and support to follow your goals or dreams. 

When you are surrounded by people who are motivated, visionary, goal oriented etc.,  you will suddenly find that you are more productive and proactive about chasing your dreams and becoming better. Just being around them makes you want to work harder towards your goals so that you can feel comfortable in the group.

So "flock" with the right birds or you would be turned from an eagle into a chicken .

6.Having a "Too-Busy-To-Read" approach to life.

This last point can easily pass as the most important.

Why did  former president Barack Obama, read an hour a day while in office?

Why has the best investor in history, Warren Buffett, invested 80% of his time in reading and thinking throughout his career?

Why does Bill Gates, read a book a week during his career? And why has he taken a yearly two-week reading vacation throughout his entire career?

Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find one hour a day for deliberate learning (the 5-hour rule), while others make excuses about how busy they are?

What do they see that others don’t?

The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time that we can make. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

I know a lot of successful people and I bet you do too. One key trait they all possess is " lifelong learning" . To be successful, you need knowledge, ideas and inspiration.

Reading exposes you to new ideas, it boost your imagination and creativity, it improves your memory, it helps your communication etc.

Those who read extensively have less unpleasant surprises in life.