Success Barriers

Most people would make New Year’s resolutions only to feel bad because they break them either immediately or sometime later. We all want to be better individuals and the only way to do that is to constantly remind ourselves of what we need to do to achieve our goal. We need these reminders everyday.  You take a bath daily because you need to rid yourself of the filth you encounter in your environment.  Same thing with our thoughts, we need to clean them daily because we may be affected by situations and thoughts of those around us. Resolutions should not be done yearly but daily.

Only when we get this habit of cleaning our thoughts daily will we be successful. The most quoted two words by successful people are “hard work”. But how come some people get to their goal fast while others are still struggling in the first base? To be successful is more than hard work. Hard work is energy which create activities that increase the value and equity of a person. But then there is also an energy that is wasted on activities that do not contribute to one's success. Hard work is not enough; you need to have the right thoughts

When you think negatively, this will transform into a negative life. As the Proverbs say, "As a man believes so is he." There are beliefs that can poison people and lull them into a state of wasteful living. These beliefs should be uncovered, erased and changed.  They should be replaced by productive thoughts that would lead to productive work and living. These negative thoughts must be taken out of our system so that we can build on our success.

Following are negative thoughts that you must erase from your mind.

1. I am not lucky.

Some people say that those who make it are the people who were at the right place at the right time. If you imbibe this kind of thought, you will not be motivated to work.  Remember that success is partly due to hard work. To be successful you must take the initiative to make things happen. Stop thinking about luck; it is beyond your control. Take action on what you can control; work to make things happen. 

2. I have messed up. 

We all make mistakes; no one is perfect. Everybody experiences setbacks. If you don’t erase this mindset, you will become discouraged and dispirited. You will be prone to play it safe, fit in and merely comply.  You will start to avoid challenges and therefore miss on opportunities.  

3. People don’t believe in me.

Pardon me, even if this is true, so what? It doesn’t matter what others think.  What matters is what you think. Your self-worth is not based on the approval of others. Stop thinking poorly of yourself because if you do, you will lose the confidence to take the initiative to be successful.

4. I need to set extremely high goals in order to surpass others so I can be successful.

First of all, stop competing with other people.  Compete against yourself.  This will be the best measure of your success.  Secondly, do not set unrealistic goals which will push you to greater levels of disappointment. Great successes are accomplished by small steps, one at a time. 

5. I always feel that I am not achieving any level of success.

Do not be driven by your feelings; check on reality.  This is the reason why it is best to have measureable goals.  A person's feelings are the most unreliable basis for decision making. A person's feelings are not accurate indication of current realities. Rational thinking and an honest assessment of facts and figures should be the basis for right decision making.

Analyze these thoughts and evaluate if you suffer from them. We are just halfway through the first month of the year 2015.  I hope you are keeping your New Year’s resolutions by keeping the right thoughts. Channel your energy to productive activities that will bring you success. Stop thinking lowly of yourself for this will hinder your success.