7 Bad Habits of Unsuccessful People that might Hold You back
Many of us admire Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos for their tremendous success and wonder what their habits are and what they do differently. But, it’s often not the secret habits of successful people but rather the bad habits of unsuccessful people that make the difference, though. In an interview, Elon Musk said that unsuccessful entrepreneurs’ most common mistake is that they spend their time on things they don’t like doing.
Here are seven everyday habits that might separate successful people from the unsuccessful. If you find yourself imposing one of these habits — take a step back, analyze your behavior and point yourself in another direction.
Bad Habit 1: Procrastination
Procrastination is the thief of time. It steals your energy, depletes your resources, and costs you money. The positive side of procrastination is you are always putting off the bad things in your life. The negative side is you are also putting off good things too, like exercise, studying for an exam, or finishing a project that could increase your income.
Procrastination can become addictive. It feels good to keep putting things off. There’s a sense of comfort in knowing that someday, you’ll get around to do this or start on that project. If you give in to procrastination, you risk losing the race. You might lose your job or ruin a relationship.
People have missed their chance to do things that they have always wanted to do by waiting too long to change. They have lost the opportunity to meet someone special, get married, have a child, learn something new and exciting, or pursue a lifelong dream.
There’s nothing worse than knowing what you want but not getting it because you gave in to procrastination. Take charge of your life now! Don’t wait for tomorrow. Do it today.
Start with taking on the small tasks, then begin tackling the big ones. The more you do, the more momentum you will create. Eventually, it will become more comfortable and easier to get things done.
Bad Habit 2: Perfectionism
Perfectionism is holding yourself to an impossible standard of performance or behavior by which no human being can ever live up. It’s like trying to eat a perfect diet. You’ll never be able to do it because there aren’t any perfect foods out there.
In fact, all foods are imperfect somehow and don’t give you everything you need anyway. Eat the right food for your body type for optimal health and vitality, and don’t get hung up on being perfect — it’s unattainable and counterproductive!
Don’t try to be perfect! Instead, try to improve every day. That’s a more realistic goal that will move you forward and help you create success on your terms! Keep trying, keep improving, keep moving forward! Good enough is good enough — so stop beating yourself up over all those imperfections and enjoy your life instead!
Bad Habit 3: Over Planning & Over Scheduling Your Life
It makes sense to plan and schedule your time, but don’t overdo it. Use your planner or calendar to plan, but be flexible in your approach and don’t get too rigid about it. Be willing to change things on the fly as necessary when new opportunities arise. Get organized, but don’t be obsessed with it.
You don’t want to live your life obsessively trying to get everything organized and entirely in place. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you do, and it will eat up a lot of your productivity, time, and energy. Stay organized but don’t be too harsh with you. Keep things simple, clear, and concise. The less complicated you can make things, the better off you’ll be.
Aim for simplicity in the way you organize your life to keep things as simple as possible. This will minimize confusion and clutter, which can both slow down your productivity.
If something is taking up all of your time, then cut back on it or eliminate it. This way you’ll have more time for other things like family, friends, yourself, hobbies, etc. Having balance in life is essential to living a happy life.
Bad Habit 4: Overthinking & Overanalyzing Everything
Having a lot of information is not always a good thing. It can also lead you down the path of overanalyzing everything. We tend to over-analyze because we want to find the perfect solution, the best way out of our situations so that we won’t disappoint anyone or make any mistakes.
But this type of thinking happens at the expense of seeing what’s right in front of us. If you’re self-sabotaging like this, try simplifying instead and take one step at a time.
We tend to overthink because we’re insecure about ourselves. When we feel insecure, we want to make sure everything is perfect for other people to like us. We want to be perfect, but we don’t realize our imperfections make us unique and special.
If you’re self-sabotaging like this, try accepting yourself for who you are and not trying to be perfect. Tell yourself you’re doing the best you can in any given situation.
Bad Habit 5: Being Apologetic for Who You Are & What You Do
If you’re an entrepreneur, artist, or creative type who is always apologizing for being different than others in your space or having a bigger vision than those around you, don’t worry, it’s OK!
It’s good that you’ve got big dreams and goals, and you’re willing to take risks and put yourself out there! I’ll bet no one else around you has scary visions like yours, and that’s a good thing!
Be bold!
And if people think your ideas are “crazy,” wear that badge proudly because it means they cannot stop you from reaching your goal.
They’ll have to watch as you prove them all wrong by making your dream happen! Because almost all great people were once considered crazy, too, ask Bezos & Musk…
Bad Habit 6: Waiting for Perfect Conditions Before Taking Action
If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done. The secret to success is that it’s all about action! And taking action in the right direction is better than doing nothing at all. Don’t waste time waiting for the perfect conditions!
For example, if your goal is to lose weight and you’re not getting it done because it’s too hot outside, or you don’t have enough time to exercise, change your schedule to accommodate whatever obstacles prevent you from achieving your goals. If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen!
Bad Habit 7: Focusing on What You Don’t Have Instead of What You Do Have
How many people out there focus on what they don’t have instead of what they do have? We’re always looking for more ways to be happy and forget that we already have everything we need right now! Think about what makes you feel loved and fulfilled right now.
Focus on those things! Remind yourself that this is all you need to be happy. So stop judging yourself based on what others have and start celebrating your unique gifts.
There’s no one else in the world like you — so embrace the unique qualities that make you special and remarkable! Be grateful for everything in your life — especially yourself!
