Beating the odds on the way to success!

Here is a simple question for you: Do you want to be successful?

Obviously, right?

The desire for success is an intrinsic desire that most humans have. Of course, success means different things to different people. Nonetheless, almost every person wishes to be successful in the endeavors that they take up during the course of their lives. It also goes without saying that the path to success is not necessarily a cakewalk. There are challenges that we have to face in order to achieve the success we desire. These challenges could be emotional, psychological, or even physical. So, how do we beat these odds and rise up despite our failures to be successful? Let us understand what some of the common obstacles are, and how we can tackle them.

• Keep frustration at bay.

The journey to success can be a time-consuming one, and naturally, it can make us feel frustrated. Another reason we may experience frustration is due to rejections we may face in our personal and professional journeys. This could lower our morale considerably and affect our progress. So, how do we tackle this? One of the best ways to do that is by taking periodic breaks. Working constantly and not seeing results can be disheartening, and can also adversely affect productivity. So, taking breaks can help rejuvenate ourselves and take newer approaches into account. Another method you could use to keep frustration at bay is to set micro-goals which will help you take things into perspective. It will also give you a sense of accomplishment when you start achieving these goals and will keep you motivated to go after your bigger goal.

• Beware of overthinking!

This is a major problem that plagues the lives of so many people today. Very often, we sabotage our chances of success by overthinking what might happen. For instance, before an interview, you might think of everything that might go wrong, and obviously, this ends up affecting your performance. In order to deal with this issue, we must learn how to challenge those thoughts which are causing stress and anxiety. You will find that more often than not, these thoughts do not have any rational basis, so there is little to no reason to dwell upon them. Also, learning to be mindful and present in the moment can prove to be very effective in dealing with overthinking.

• Don’t let desperation get the better of you!

Imagine that you have been working really hard on a project, and you know that this could be your potential big break. You send over your proposal to the client, and they tell you that they will get back. A week, ten days, two weeks have passed and you haven’t heard from your client. And here enters our sneaky friend: desperation! Desperation can make a person restless, agitated, and frustrated, and is a major roadblock on the path to success. So, what can we do? Ryan Holiday, in his book, The Obstacle Is The Way shares a key insight about patience. He says that sometimes, you cannot do anything about the obstacle because the obstacle could be too difficult or too strong. So, when nothing is working out, one of the best ways is to wait it out. And, while you’re waiting for things to look up again, it is a good idea to hold on to the faith and hope that things are going to work out eventually.

• Self-doubt is your enemy; stay away!

It is roughly estimated that 85% of adults worldwide have low self-esteem. That is a really staggering number, and it has been impacting many of us negatively. When we doubt our ability to be successful, we lose half the battle then and there. People who become successful are those who have learnt how to silence the ever-critical voice within themselves that tells us that we are not good enough or worthy enough to succeed. If you want to be successful, you need to let go of the scarcity mindset and remember that you are MORE THAN ENOUGH. If you put your mind to something and work towards it, sooner or later, you will be successful.

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”

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While success is about the work that you put in, your abilities, and your skills, a large part of it is also psychological. Thus, in order to become successful, it is important to understand what kind of roadblocks and hurdles are in your way and start working on them. This will help you direct your energies towards your goals and will allow you to create a roadmap towards success! After all, as Winston Churchill rightly says, “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”