12 Things You Should Give Up If You Want to Be Successful

The secret to success, they say, is as much about the things you gain and about the things you give up.

So,

What are you willing to lose to achieve great success?

In today's post, I will share with you 12 things you should give up to become successful. And for those who are always broke, here are 10 habits of people of are never broke.

Fear of the Unknown

There are no guarantees in life. Fear and uncertainty plague the best of us. When you embark on building a new business or starting a new project, something at the back of your mind will tell you what if you fail, what if you lose your investment.

The thing is;

You will never realize what you would have gained if you let fear control your actions.

2. Letting Emotions Control Your Decisions.

Yes, your workplace may be stressful. But the worst thing you could do to yourself is throwing out a sound idea because you are angry, sad, frustrated, or even happy. I've seen people make financial decisions based on what they are feeling that day, only to end up losing big.

If you are feeling a certain way, it's best to wait until you're level-headed before making a decision that could affect your future success.

3. Being a Control Freak

Some of us focus on every minute thing going on in their life, that they miss out on the big things happening around them.

When you try to micro-manage everything, your attention is all over, which means you don't prioritize the important things.

One thing that successful people do is delegate. When you learn to delegate, you will get things done. It helps to reduce the workload such that you can focus on the important stuff.

4. Excuses

I should have started with this one because it's one thing that CEOs and business leaders hate. Steve Jobs once said that the one thing that separates successful leaders from all the rest and makes all the difference for greatness is that great leaders don't offer excuses for why they failed.

At some point in your career/business, you have to vacate all reasons for failure. You are responsible for your own mistakes. The blame game shows that you lack control.

For Example,

You need goods to complete an order. But your shipment is late. Making sure your order is completed in time is your responsibility. 

You should have made sure commitments were clear. You should have put redundancies and contingencies in place to make sure the goods arrive in time. Your vendor may be to blame, but it's your responsibility to deliver goods in time at the end of the day.

5. Procrastination

Not the same as laziness, but it can give you similar results. Procrastination is when you choose to do something different instead of what you should be doing.

Procrastination leads to stagnation.

If you want success bad enough, you will recognize when you are procrastinating and start doing the things you need to when they need to be done.

6. The Idea of Instant Success.

Watch everyone who has succeeded. None of them believes in instant gratification.

You must have the patience to succeed. Everything that turns out successful takes a long time to materialize.

Prepare your mind that success will come, but only if you are patient. Feel confident about the decisions you make. Not long from now, sound decisions plus hard work will amount to success.

7. Bad Habits

What are your bad habits? Do you watch too much TV? Are you on social media 90% of the time? These are some of the things you need to lose to find success.

Ask any great entrepreneur. They'll tell you they have learned to create minor deterrents to eliminate bad habits in their life.

8. People Pleasing

Let's face it.

Everyone is screaming for attention. Everyone wants to be noticed, to become game-changers, to be ahead of everyone else.

So, who are you to want to be baby-talked into success? No one has time for such stuff. 

You have to prove yourself in the jungle of wannabes. This has to happen through hard work, discipline, and dedication. You have to work as if no one will notice how good you are at what you do. Otherwise, you will stop working hard when the compliments stop coming.

9. Unhealthy Lifestyle

You need a strong and clear mind to produce good output. This can only happen if your body is healthy.

Exercise.

Find time to exercise. Whether it's going to the gym, jogging, biking, etc. You need exercise to reduce stress, improve memory and thinking skills.

Your health is connected to your thoughts. Because of this, you should protect your health and treat it as a precious asset.

Your health also entails getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, and taking the time to meditate. This way, you can uncover your full potential as a person and entrepreneur.

10. Playing it Safe

"Nobody got anything great by playing it safe." – Shonda Rhimes

We are living in turbulent times. But one thing I know is that playing it safe holds you back.

While you sit and not take risks, someone somewhere is taking risks. Ten yeas from now, someone who is no more capable than you, will have accomplished something that you would have if you had taken a risk.

When you refuse to play it safe, to allow fear to control you will consciously choose a stake in the future.

11. Playing Small

"There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." -Nelson Mandela

Just think about it.

Imagine shrinking yourself so that other people do not feel insecure around you.

When you were a child, no one, including adults, would put you down. Shining is in everyone, not some of us. 

You have to recognize opportunities and grab them before everyone else. Don't give others the chance you need.

Allow yourself to realize the dreams you've had for a long time.

Listen:

Voice your ideas. No one was born with all the information. Your ideas may not be the solution, but no one will know your thoughts if you don't speak your mind.

12. Toxic People

Life is short.

Please don't waste it with people who don't appreciate you.

The people you spend your time with add up to who you become. When you spend time with successful people, they challenge you to become successful.

Take a look around you. Do you need to make any changes?

In Conclusion

Success is within your grasp. What you do with your time defines who you become. 

Don't give up yet. Even if you are unsure of the results, you will soon realize your dreams. 

That's it for today guys, I hope you give up the things that are holding you back from realizing who should become.