Blame
If you blame people or circumstances for your lack of success you are not mentally tough. Blaming others is what we do when we’re not responsible enough to accept the consequences or outcomes of our decisions. You are the only one that can bring success to your life. Do not confuse this with accepting responsibility for the bad behavior of others. You can’t control what others do, but don’t use the actions of others as an excuse for you not doing whatever it takes to improve your life.
Complain
Anthony J. D’Angelo said, “If you have time to whine and complain about something, then you have the time to do something about it.” If you often find yourself whining and complaining when you face an unwanted challenge or a stubborn obstacle, then you probably aren’t on a fast track to succeeding. Moaning about the situation does absolutely nothing to help. It just tears you down mentally and fills you and those around you with negativity. Steel your resolve to partake in less talking and more doing. If complaining always follows less than stellar circumstances, guard your mind against these cracks in your optimism. There’s more at stake here than annoying those around you, all that whining can keep you from your goals. Successful people don’t have time to complain, they’re too busy being productive.
Procrastinate
Procrastination is marker for failure. There are two differences between the successful enterepenuer and the other guy. One has a strong will. The other has a strong won’t. Success isn’t always about doing what you love, sometimes it’s about doing what you hate! Successful people will tell you that their goals were met, not by always doing what they wanted to do, but by doing what others didn’t want to do. They force themselves to get up two hours earlier when they’d rather be sleeping, turning off the television when they’d rather be watching the game, or investing time in a book or seminar when they’d rather be on the lake. People who have disciplined themselves to do what others don’t do understand that they may be just one idea away from the very thing that will catapult them to the next level.
Do you put off the things you know you need to do or just don’t do them at all? If so, you lack more than just self discipline, you probably lack success. Doing what others don’t want to, or aren’t willing to do is what separates you from the other guy.
Mental Weakness
An important perequisite to success is learning to be mentally tough.
Allowing yourself to be bothered by everything that doesn’t go your way increases your chances of failure. Don’t let these unfortunate events get to you, then you don’t have to waste the time it takes to get over it.
Apathetic
The opposite of perseverance is apathy. If you fail, back up and try it again from a different angle. If it doesn’t work one way, then try it another, but DON’T GIVE UP! No one achieves success the first time they try. Here’s a few examples from people you may have heard of:
Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. He was defeated in his first run for legislature, his nomination for congress, his application to be land commissioner, his first senate race, and his vice-presidential bid.
Thomas Edison was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive” and made 1,000 UNSUCCESSFUL attempts at inventing the light bulb. He is quoted as saying that he didn’t fail 1,000 times, but that “the light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He went bankrupt before building Disneyland, but at the time of his death in 1966 his net worth exceeded 24 million dollars.
You need to look back over your life to evaluate how well you’ve stuck to the difficult things that have come up. Do you throw in the towel when things get a little uncomfortable or do you press on even when success is questionable? Apathy, or lack of perseverance can keep you from achieving the success you desire.
If after an honest evaulation, you find yourself to possess some of these traits, it’s not too late. Making a decision to change will be your first step to success.