Most people are more than capable of achieving success. What holds many people back, though, are habits that dictate the way they think and behave. Here, investor Daniel Calugar details ten negative patterns that are likely to prevent a person from achieving success.
In his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey defines effectiveness as the balance of obtaining desirable results with caring for that which produces those results. Ineffectiveness, then, can be seen as the inverse – the neglect of that which produces desirable results. Contrary to Covey’s habits that, if developed, will lead to success, these ten thoughts and behaviors will subvert your efforts and block your path to success.
1.) Give up easily
Success takes effort and usually over an extended period. For anything in which you are attempting to become successful, refuse to give up until you achieve your goal.
2.) Avoid risk and fear failure
No one wants to fail; it is uncomfortable, at best. It can cause anxiety and weaken your resolve. Avoiding risk because of a fear of failure is a foolproof recipe for failure. You will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Every successful person had failed over and over before they succeeded.
3.) Don’t take care of your body
If you are not healthy, you will not have the energy and drive needed to achieve success. You must take time to “sharpen the saw” to be effective.
4.) Berate yourself regularly
Negativity is a poor motivator. Whether for yourself or those around you, you may achieve some modicum of behavior change using negativity, but never a long-lasting positive outcome.
5.) Underestimate gratitude
Develop the habit of recognizing the good things in your life to bring yourself joy and help combat negativity. Start each day by thinking about all the times you have achieved success and those people and things for which you are grateful.
6.) Continually “should” on yourself
We all have things that we recognize we should have done, not done, or done differently. Developing the habit of dwelling on these “shoulds” will not help you do better next time. Recognize your mistakes, vow to try and do better next time, and then move on. No good will come from beating yourself up over things you can not change.
7.) Reinforce your myopic perspective
If all you ever think about is yourself and what you want or need, you will not be the sort of person others want to be around. You will find yourself isolated emotionally, physically, or both. Instead, focus on helping others. You will feel better about yourself, and others will be much more inclined to help you be successful.
8.) Put no effort into maintaining relationships
We all need other people in our lives. Good relationships are essential for personal and professional success. Relationships require time and effort. Spend some time each day reinforcing the good relationships you have and developing relationships you may not yet have fully cultivated.
9.) Never read a book
Being well rounded in a variety of subjects will help you be more successful in your chosen field. A narrow field of study or knowledge limits your ability to be creative and find new ways to apply abstract concepts.
10.) Stay firmly in your comfort zone
In short, the best way to fail is to never push yourself out of your comfort zone. Growth, in almost every sense, can be painful. The adage, “no pain, no gain,” is valid for achieving success in life or business.
While these may look like behaviors or attitudes more than habits, habits are developed by repeated behavior and reinforced thoughts. You can create a pattern of failing to persist in challenging situations, for example, just as quickly as you can learn to become persistent.
About Daniel Calugar
Daniel Calugar is a data-driven investor with an academic and professional background in computer science, business, and law. He developed a passion for investing due to frequent interaction with investment professionals who serviced his legal clients’ investment needs. As a tax partner at the Atlanta law firm of Hansell & Post and the global law firm of Jones Day, he incorporated his partnership interest to set up and serve as trustee for his tax-qualified profit-sharing plan. Calugar utilized his technical skill set to design computer programs that would help him make more effective investment decisions. When Dan is not working, he enjoys spending time working out and being with friends and family. As a pilot with over 2000 hours of single-pilot experience flying business jets, he enjoys flying volunteer flights for Angel Flight.