Successful People Avoid These 5 things

There’s a quote by Christopher Wilson that I read earlier this year that stuck to me like glue. It was something so simple but so grand at the same time. It said,

“Both winners and losers have the same goal.”

For a second, I couldn’t process its magnitude then it hit me like a truck. No one plans to fail, no one wakes up wanting to be the last, everyone desires to be the lead and succeed. So if it’s not the goals that set people apart, what does?

In this article, we’ll find out what makes this difference by finding out the 5 things successful people avoid.

They don’t pay too much attention to People’s Opinions.
We’re all human, as much as we’d like to deny it, no one is 100% immune to people’s opinions. The need to belong sometimes overpowers our own judgment and we stretch our ears closer to people’s words than our own intuition.
The difference that successful people have is that they hear their opinions but do not listen to them. Take a look at Oprah, she was fired from a news anchor position and told she was unfit for TV news, or Beyonce who was told she couldn’t sing.
If they had listened to the critics, we wouldn’t even know their names. They heard the opinion but didn’t listen to them. They didn’t let it discourage them and instead kept believing in themselves and kept trying.
If you want to be successful, you have to understand that the journey will be tiresome and ever so lonely. Many will wonder at your huge dreams, shake their heads and call it childs’ play. A mere dream that you’ll have to eventually wake up from, but as long as you keep the fire burning from within, there’s nothing too far from your reach.
They Don’t Procrastinate.
This is more like an obvious one but it has a lot of truth in it. As much as we’d like to convince ourselves that we have time, we actually don’t.
Just like Benjamin Franklin put it, “Don’t put aside for tomorrow what you can today.” Note the keyword is can, meaning it is in your capability.
Ending a procrastination habit won’t happen overnight, it’s followed by a series of activities. Start by acknowledging that indeed you procrastinate. It’s not something to be embarrassed about or be ashamed of, half the world’s population does it. But that half is in the middle class, and your goal is to step up to the upper class.
In order to get there, you need to put in the work. That’s the next step, set reasonable goals for each day and don’t go to sleep without finishing every single thing. You don’t have to do them continuously, take breaks during the day but ensure you complete them before the sun goes down. This is how you work to be among the world’s richest 1 %.
They don’t Compromise on their Sleep and Health.
There’s absolutely no need to have thousands of dollars stacked up if you’re stuck in bed ailing. All because you worked too hard, compromised your health and your heart began failing.
In order to enjoy the success you’re working so hard for, remember to pump your breaks every once in a while. As a workaholic, this is something that racks my brain. I used to believe in working extra hard, even on weekends. This led to serious burnouts and my productivity kept on going lower and lower. That was until I learned that taking breaks doesn’t mean I’m lazy.
That each one of us needs to recharge and re-center ourselves. It’s okay to shut down your laptop for the whole weekend and spend time with yourself and your loved ones. It’s okay to go to bed early and rest after a long day. Take a look at Jeff Bezos, he gets 7 hours of sleep every day and is in perfect shape at 57 years.
You only get one body with no spare parts, so even in your pursuit of success, remember to take care of yourself.
They’re not financially impulsive.
Have you ever walked home and saw a nice-looking shoe or a dress that seemed to call your name? Did you buy it? Or did you turn a blind eye and kept on walking?
I’ve had my fair share of impulse buying while in college but once I began paying bills, I had to cut this habit out. The bills came first and still do.
This doesn’t mean that you should deny yourself the fine things of life. Instead, budget for them. Take the money out of your luxury fund, after you’ve paid the bills, and set aside savings too.
Plan your purchases and know where your money goes.
They don’t self depreciate
There is an ongoing kind of “trend” that involves people calling themselves ugly on social media. I’m not sure if that’s truly what they truly feel or it’s a sad cry for attention and affirmation. Either way, that doesn’t sit well with me.
The tongue holds the power of life and death. Whether you believe you can, or don’t, you’re right. If you convince yourself you can’t do a certain task, reach a certain goal or achieve a certain lifestyle, you never will. But if you believe in yourself despite the external environs screaming something different, you will achieve it.
This doesn’t cancel out the subtle ones that we sometimes do subconsciously. One trick you can use is to use a depreciating jar, it works similar to a swear jar. Put in a dollar every time you say something negative about yourself. As punishment, you can donate all the money to your annoying sibling without touching a cent. Over time, that pinch will help you reduce this habit.
Change your talk, be your own biggest fan and watch yourself transform into a force to be reckoned with.

Final Thoughts

Success has never been termed as a destination but a journey that requires discipline and meticulousness.
In order to effectively walk that walk, eliminate these 5 things gradually until they no longer hold weight in your life. Following this guide ensures that you are halfway there. Best of luck.