Everyone wants to be successful. Success does not necessarily mean having a high paying job, being famous, having all the money you could ever dream of, etc. Everyone defines success in a different way. A student sees success as having straight As in exams while an athlete strives to break the championship record. While some people seem to attract success and wins, others are struggling. In order to be successful, we need to break ourselves from damaging traits and mindsets that could be the stumbling block that keep success distant.
Here are 5 common traits or mindset that successful people avoid :
1. Thinking everything is important
Often, we make the mistake of thinking everything in the list is important and must be attended to immediately. While it is true that we cannot omit certain things in life, the fact remains that not everything is as important as we thought it is. Everyone has 24 hours a day. So why do some people seemed to be able to achieve more than others given that everyone has the same amount of time in a day? The fact is, while the number of hours is the same for everyone, the quality of the time is not. What you can do in that 24 hours is not the same as everyone else.
Successful people understand the importance of time management. The next time you are looking at the schedule of your day, think again and decide what is the one thing that you can do that day that will lead to success? Focus on this one important thing rather than doing bits and pieces of this and that that would get you to no where.
2. Multitasking
It is a common misconception that doing multiple tasks at the same time would lead to higher productivity. However, nothing is more true than the contrary. Multitasking is often the cause for low efficiency and efficacy. With so many tasks in hand, one get distracted more easily. Studies have shown that a person needs at least 25 minutes to get his focus back to task after being distracted or when he jumps from one task to another. Multiply this with, say, 3 tasks that we are working on at the same time. This means that everytime we shift from one task to another, at least 75 minutes were wasted on just to get our mind back to what we were working on.
Besides wasting time in getting our focus back, multitasking could lead to feeling of overwhelmed. Mistakes are more prone to happen when we handle too many things at the same time with decreased concentration.
In order to save time and complete a certain task well, we should stay in focus and concentrate on one task at a time instead of trying to multitask. While some lucky people could stay in focus and be productive multitasking, do note that this is not for everyone. Rather, one should focus on getting the job done fast and concise.
3. Unlimited willpower
Willpower is what push us to work, to try and keep trying. People tend to think that willpower is a round the clock thing and that those who do not have willpower is lazy. Nothing is further from the truth. While it is important to have willpower to keeps us going, it is crucial to understand that we have only certain amount of willpower in a day. While some people may have more willpower than others, the truth remains that we will run out of our willpower ‘quota’ sooner than we think.
How easy a task is depends on how much willpower we have left for the day. In this regard, the type of willpower we have to finish a report is equal to that of cleaning the house. Thus, to be productive, one should settle the most important things for the day first before our willpower runs out. This is also the reason why most people find that they are most productive at the beginning of the day because it is the time that their willpower tank is at the fullest. How productive we are depends on how well we manage our willpower.
4. Chasing work / life balance
Some people just seem to have it all. Just like the rest of us, these people have a job and yet they seem to have all the time in the world to chase after their hobbies, spend time with friends and families, and chase after their dreams. Do work / life balance really exist?
Well, yes and no. A young executive could not expect to clock in the same hours as her superiors and think that she will be given the same appraisal when year end comes. To quote Michelle Obama, we can’t have it all. Or rather, we can have it all, just not at the same time.
The CEO of a company may seem to be having all the time and money in the world, which to the rest of us, would seem unfair. Yet, what we do not see was the hard work and hours that he had chipped in years and years prior. It is important to understand that some sort of sacrifice is needed before we can enjoy the fruits of our labour.
5. Setting unrealistic goals
Having goals and purposes in life are what makes it easier for us to get out of the bed every morning. Without goals, one would be drifting aimlessly without the sense of purpose. However, one should avoid setting goals that are impossible to achieve. Nothing puts us down more than failing to achieve what we have dream of for a long time.
If you are feeling constantly being let down, it is time to do a reality check on the goals and standards that you have set for yourself. Ask if the goals you set are achievable with your capability and resources at this point of time. If not, ask yourself if there is anything you can do about it and how long it will take for you to attain it. If the answers are unfavourable, consider adjusting your expectations and set for a more achievable goal. This is not to say that we should not dream high. It would be more beneficial to have small wins along the way that would eventually lead to the final rather than shooting aimlessly for the star from the start.
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