Overcoming Self-Sabotaging Habits on the Path to Success

I wrote on my blog few days ago about my definition of success and the characteristics that define who to be tagged as successful, it was an interesting topic that had me reflecting on the world around me, and then an incident occurred today that prompted me to come up with this post.

I've got a smart cousin, a lawyer, she topped her class, beautiful, very smart and very industrious as she also owns a small-scale business on the side, with all of these achievements at a very young age because she's less than 30 years old, someone you could easily tag as successful, yet, she still feels like she is an underachiever and even fell into depression all because she wishes to be a superstar, she is into acting too and craves to be a celebrity, but with all her effort, she's still just known by the locals, who admire her success, yet she fails to see herself as a successful person and gave room for depression which got the whole family worried.

_{Image edited using canva}

Do you ever feel like you’re doing all the right things to be successful, yet somehow never quite getting there? No matter how hard you work, how much knowledge you acquire, or how thoroughly you plan, success always seems just out of reach. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to take a step back and evaluate whether your behaviors and mindsets are what's holding you back just like my cousin. Sometimes, we unknowingly sabotage our chances of success even when it is staring us in the eyes because of our toxic thought patterns, counterproductive habits, and self-imposed mental barriers.
I came up with these habits we need to say goodbye to before we finally achieve that breakthrough we’ve been chasing, remember, success is a journey, and every little achievement counts.

• Perfectionism

Coming from a perfectionist myself, this very habit is daunting because no matter how hard you try to be the best at what you do, you always spot an error, there is nothing bad in getting the best out of what you do, but know this, humans can not be 100 percent perfect at all times, there would always be other forces beyond our control, do your best and leave the rest you can't control, it's just life, This excessive fixation on flawlessness is imprisoning and prevent you from putting yourself and your work out there. Strive for excellence? Yes. But perfectionism? Say goodbye - it’s the enemy of done and achieved. Perfectionists will never feel successful enough no matter how much they achieve.

• Scarcity Mindset

People with a scarcity mindset believe there’s not enough resources, money, opportunities, etc to go around. They don't appreciate the little they've got, they think everything is limited, so they have to continuously compete to grab what they can, and this cycle continues Here’s the thing, we can't always have it all, the universe has unlimited abundance and that’s more than enough success to be had in every arena. Say goodbye to scarcity mindsets dragging you down and open yourself up to attracting abundance.

• ** Idea Hoarding**

Do you hold your brilliant ideas close to your chest, afraid to share them and put them into action for fear someone might steal them? You are being stingy to yourself and the world at large, successful people are solution givers, and if your idea provides a solution, why keep it to yourself, idea hoarding restricts opportunities instead of creating them. No one can steal an idea that’s actively being developed. Say goodbye to this self-limiting mindset. The more you openly collaborate and seek input from others, the more your ideas can take shape. Achieving success together is better than not at all.

• Procrastination

Some of us spend the whole time planning out goals, without taking action, you might have a brilliant plan, but not activating it still leaves us at the planning stage, and yet no progress. Next steps and strategies are important, but excessive planning becomes yet another form of procrastination. You can spend years planning the perfect business on paper without ever launching it. At some point, you have to say goodbye to endlessly planning and say hello to action. Without entering the action stage, you have no chance to succeed. As the saying goes: a good plan executed now is better than a great one executed later.

• Isolation

Highly successful people understand that no one achieves great things entirely alone. And yet, failing types often isolate themselves out of arrogance, fear, or feelings of inadequacy. A successful businessman for instance knows that he needs support to grow, say goodbye to trying to achieve success all alone, you’ll only stunt your growth. Building a network of mentors, collaborators, and cheerleaders accelerates the speed to your success. Open yourself up to asking for and receiving support from those that care to do Abundant success on your terms becomes available when you engage with others instead of hiding alone.

• Quitting Too Soon

I had to repeat this point again, because you fail once or maybe several times at something doesn't mean it is over for you to quit and fall into depression, check out stories of hugely successful sports stars, entrepreneurs, and artists who endured years of rejection and failure before their big break. But how many people do you know who quit on their dream right before pivotal success was about to happen? None, Unfortunately, too many give up too soon because they lack resilience and emotional endurance. It's time to say goodbye to limiting beliefs about overnight success. Understand mastery takes time and fortifying yourself for the long game.

• Fear

I remember when I started my fashion journey, an introverted personality like me, In had fears of, 'how would I get clients to make dresses for when I hardly make friends or even go out often' if I had given in to this fear, I probably would have given up, but I had myself to dress up nicely, people would always notice something unique and today the story is a successful one, from looking good, I attracted not just clients but good friends.
The final barrier between you and success is likely rooted in fear. Fear of embarrassment, vulnerability, inadequacy, uncertainty, and failure causes hesitation and self-doubt. Left unchecked, it turns into perpetual hesitation and little action towards your goals. Say goodbye to playing small and not sticking your neck out. You have to overcome that fear you face and step into courageous action if you want to achieve breakthroughs. Feel the fear, then show up powerfully anyway.

Conclusion

Check yourself today, which of these habits may be holding you back currently. By intentionally saying goodbye to internal success saboteurs, you open up space for new success-attracting behaviors. Then replace the negative patterns and adopt empowering habits that pull you towards success instead of pushing you away. Maintain a commitment to personal growth and align actions to aspirations.

The more mindfully you cultivate success habits while pruning limiting beliefs, the quicker you see yourself achieving. You begin achieving milestones efficiently with growing confidence and clarity. Instead of just chasing success, you intentionally create it by design. This choice to intentionally evolve and lead yourself puts actualizing long-desired accomplishments within reach at last.