Success is a process, a collection of habits that define your work ethic and your approach to life. It is not about who can grab the biggest amount of opportunities in the shortest space of time in the hope that something, maybe just one thing, will come off and make you successful. Your success can and will only grow to where you have grown as a human being. Small personal growth, small success.

Thus, watch out for these habits I found held success back in my life.

1. You do not define what success means to you

You have to be clear what is it you are working towards, otherwise you will never know when you get there. Like saying I want to be rich, then you work and work until one day your children are grown, resent you and your wife left you without you really becoming aware of it. Define your success.

2. Not reading

Knowledge makes you grow and see things differently. It helps in creating your own unique world and business view. The less you read, the less you grow and the more you see the world just like everybody else. That makes it impossible to stand out in the crowd.

3. Not having a sleep routine

Sleep has its place, but has to be scheduled and planned like all else in life. Defining the amount of hours you sleep makes planning your day/week easier and creates a work ethic. I get up at 04:00 every day, 7 days a week. If I am tired during the day, I meditate for 20 minutes.

4. Not planning your week

I do plan my day and my week, but each week I plan and list the things I want to accomplish and do. I do not try to fit it into a day, because if you have children like me, you will no doubt be aware that plans can change in the blink of an eye. Planning over 7 days relieves performance stress and you can move and schedule stuff to suit your mood and needs for everyday. Be gentle with yourself.

5. Hanging out with people that make you feel good

If you only hang out with people that make you feel good by agreeing with you and looking up to you, you are doing either one of two things. You are hanging out with people less successful than you, so that you can feel better about yourself because you view yourself as more as them. You are avoiding real and honest feedback about who you truly are. Hang out with people that question you and where you are in life. True friends help you grow and see and treat you as an equal. They will tell you with love that you are an asshole if needs be.

6. Thinking health is last on the list of things to do

Health is not like dessert that you order at the end of the meal. It is the whole meal plan. Your body and mind are the tools you use to achieve success. If this tool is run down, poorly maintained and treated like a rubbish dump for food, it will impede your success and increase your chances of failure. Think about racing cars – badly maintained cars will not get you to win races. Neither will a neglected body.

7. Not listening

Dr. John Demartini said, “the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions”. If you are talking the whole time, you cannot ask questions. Success is found in learning and you learn by listening and asking questions. When you listen, you find opportunities.

8. Not reviewing where you are

You have to know where you are and what you are trying to achieve or accomplish. If you do not know, you will not know what is left to do or what needs to change.

9. Not celebrating wins

When you achieve something, celebrate it. Have fun. Enjoy the moment. Take in the enjoyment and then work again. Remember, a running horse cannot drink water. The joy of a win is sometimes like life-sustaining water. If you planned to reach that goal, plan to celebrate that goal too.

10. Not taking responsibility

You are what you are and where you are today because of your decisions. You made those decisions, not someone else. You made the choices, so stick with them. If you blame someone else for your life, you effectively give THEM the power to control your life. Rather control your own life. In my indivineur program I teach people how to take charge of their own economy trough the power of co-creation.

These habits have shown up in my life sometime or the other. Be careful of them. Habits can lead to a long time of your planned course in life.

If you feel you would like to discuss and flesh out some of your goals and business ideas that you think are holding you back, book a Skype session with me and let’s get you on the most successful and fastest track possible.