The Seven Habits of Unsuccessful People
If you are reading this article, there is a gap between where you are now and where you would like to be. The good news is that if you spot one of your habits within this list then we can arm you with some workarounds, suggest some new behaviours and you might just make that step into your vision sooner than you think.
Do not worry if you are doing all seven. We are where we are and that is the perfect place to start. So use this as a guide to find your current location on the success-ometer and then we can tackle moving you through to cultivating the habits of successful people. You can and will get there; we just need to get you on track.
Procrastination ? there is no surprise that this is top of the list. When you put off until tomorrow that which you could easily do today, you delay everything you want indefinitely. Successful people are experts at either doing or delegating. Being successful and having a high-powered career does not take twenty hours per day; it takes support and a team of people that you can ?outsource? everything that isn?t on your key task list. Get moving with your activity and you will be amazed how many people step up to help you
Busy-ness ? How can being busy hinder your success? Well, it depends what you are busy doing. When you take on everything and try to do it all yourself you find that your time is taken. Making space for the new activity you need, to get you to the new place you dream about is hard, if not impossible, to find. Prioritise what it is you want in life, look at your list of dreams and then work out which of the things on your general to-do list take you in that direction. Sometimes the easiest way to do this is to keep an activity diary for a week; you will be amazed where those twenty-four hours go to! The thing to keep in mind is this. Successful people have the same amount of hours in their day as you have in yours. The difference therefore is not the amount of time, but what you choose to do with it
Lack of Faith ? This is not a religious statement, this is about self-belief. When you don't really believe that you can have whatever it is that you are wanting and you lack faith in your desired outcome, your energy, enthusiasm and dedication to your goal waver and in extreme cases vanish entirely. Knowing that you have the same ability as anyone to reach their goal and that persistence and application will get you there, are key to keeping going on the days when you cant actually see your desired outcome
Changing your mind ? When you change your mind you do a bit here and a bit there and then wander somewhere else to do something different entirely. Imagine studying for a degree in Latin and three weeks into the course studying Spanish, doing that for a couple of months and then starting French, followed by German and then a bit of Italian. Would you even sit the exam in Latin? The ability to make-up your mind quickly and change it slowly, if at all, is a key quality to achieving success
Perfection ? Surely successful people want perfection? Well, yes and no. They of course like things to be right, but they don't wait for perfection to get started. If you get caught up in the need for everything to be perfect before you start you are going to be waiting as long as a lifetime. Nothing is ever going to be completely right, as time moves on things change and you can perfect your creation indefinitely. Agree with yourself to start when you are perfectly imperfect, and keep working on improving as you go
Indecisiveness ? When you can?t make a decision how can you take any action? There are no real right and wrong decisions in life; it is all just different experiences. So make a decision and get started. Complete a quick pro?s and con's list or think about your choices as you go to sleep and ask your subconscious mind to work on bringing you the answer. Successful people know the power of their subconscious mind and use it to make their best decisions. Quiet time of reflection is time well spent and should be embraced as a tool to help you
Inconsistency ? When you are up and down about your activity then your results are going to be up and down too. If what we get out, is what we put in and you are putting in varying amounts, it stands to reason that what you get will vary too. If you are taking on more tasks, outsource or delegate some of your existing to-do list to free up your time for your new activity. Consistently move towards your goal; this is the action of a successful person.?If you are doing one, some or all of the above think about ways to address it. If you want some help, think about engaging a coach. Remember that all patterns of behaviour become habit when you add time, so with a little practice you can make your new behaviour habitual and your success is sure to follow!
About the author
Author of 'Get That Interview' and 'Clickst@rt Your Career'Julie is The Job Seeker's Guide. She works with thousands of clients through her audio and web-based programmes, helping them get 'job search fit' and successfully navigate their way into that new role.
Select clients are able to apply to work with Julie one-to-one.
Before joining Churchill Brook in 2009, she spent twelve years as an international headhunter, where she successfully helped her clients recruit exceptionally well-matched people, who were passionate about doing a job well done. Julie is an expert at getting candidates noticed by companies and had one of the highest success ratios for CV submission to hire that we know of within the recruitment industry.
Check out what some of her clients have said about her. And check out her Free LinkedIn Review here.
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