Why We Fail at Success
“Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.”
-Shirley MacLaine??????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
This week our count down on the causes of failures continues with reasons 4, 3, and 2. Let’s begin.
Number 4: A Negative Mindset.
A negative mindset can be a major obstacle to success. It limits our potential by creating self-doubt. This lack of self-confidence can stop us from even pursuing worthy goals. Negativity creates a fear of failing causing us to avoid taking risks. Successful people often embrace failure as a learning experience, but a negative mindset leads us to focus more on the risks than the potential rewards. Your glass is always half empty. It can create a self-fulfilling prophecy; you anticipate failure and disappointment, and you then make this a reality that comes true thus reinforcing the negativity you feel about yourself. Negativity can diminish your motivation. It is almost impossible to remain motivated on any task if you feel that failure is inevitable. During my athletic career I watched many individuals who were more talented than I was fail. The primary reason was that they gave up as soon as the first thing did not work out for them. I wonder what they could have accomplished with a positive mindset.
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Number 3: Procrastination
Procrastination is a major barrier to success. It disrupts your progress and derails your chance of positive achievements. It undermines your productivity and can destroy your self-confidence. You miss out on opportunities when you put things off and these chances may never come around again. Procrastinating often forces us to rush at the last minute, which increases stress and reduces the quality of work.
I think everyone can recall an opportunity that they missed. I have hiked 12 miles into the Grand Canyon twice. I always wanted to hike from the south rim all the way across the canyon to the north rim. There were always reasons to postpone this hike. None of my family members wanted to go with me, or I was just too busy to go. Now that dream as passed and it will never be fulfilled.
Number 2: The Fear of Failure
Fear is one of the most common barriers to success. It stops people from taking risks or trying new things. A fear of failure is the fear that stops a person from doing certain activities due to a self-perceived risk of not being successful. When we fear failure, we often avoid taking risks or trying new things. This limits growth because we miss out on opportunities that could lead to significant progress, learning, or even a breakthrough success. ?It can create an inner self doubt which undermines our confidence making us feel unworthy or incapable, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We become what we believe to be true. The fear of failure causes us to focus on the negative. We concentrate on what can go wrong and not what can go right and because of this we fail to take any chances and stagnate versus learning and growing. ?
As a chubby 3rd grader the high school football coach informed my dad that he was conducting an after-school gymnastics class during the winter. My dad strongly encouraged me to go, if I recall correctly, it wasn’t a choice it was mandatory. The fact of the matter is if it was truly my choice I would not have participated. I knew I would be terrible at this, and this class was for 3rd graders through 6th graders making me doubly nervous. I can tell you that I wasn’t successful during this program, but I did improve, and it helped me overcome my fear of failure..
Next week we will discuss the number one reason for failures and pull all ten items together!