There are a myriad of ways to define and achieve success. Though its definition may vary between people, more often than not, success entails fulfilling personal goals, living a comfortable life, and enjoying professional triumphs. The path to success isn’t always paved with gold, and it’s on each person to do what we can to overcome the hurdles we might encounter.
In this post, we’ll discuss four possible things that might be preventing you from achieving success and what you can do to prevail over them.
Failing to Prioritize Yourself
Before anything else, your well-being should always come first. Colleen Manning, VP of Sales for life science startup Clora, notes that neglecting to prioritize your overall well-being can affect your personal and professional relationships. After all, it’s impossible to pour from an empty cup — and not taking care of yourself is a quick way to deplete your energy for career and personal developments. It’s best that you make it a point to always prioritize yourself — no matter how busy you are. Eating healthy, taking breaks, and exercising regularly are just some simple steps that go a long way in maintaining your physical and mental health.
Weak Willpower
Another reason why it might be taking you some time to reach your goals is that you might have weak willpower and often succumb to temptation. Indeed, evidence shows that in order to find success in life, you need to have strong willpower. A 2011 study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that those who exhibited self-control during childhood tend to have higher chances of achieving superb physical health and financial stability later in life.
If you feel like you have weak willpower, you can use two strategies to build it. First, try to distract yourself whenever you get the urge to do something that compromises your progress — whether you’re on a diet or trying to maintain a workout streak. Second, try to set and conquer tiny goals that require willpower to achieve. As you train yourself with these strategies, you’ll soon find that you can exercise a great amount of self-control for larger and more significant goals.
Not Addressing Your Stress Properly
It’s normal to encounter stressful situations on the path to success. Suzanne Rohan Jones, an online instructor at Maryville University’s psychology programs, points out that failing to balance your work and life is the primary reason why people feel stress and burnout. If you cope in unhealthy ways, such as incessant self-criticism or eating your stress away, this can affect your mental and physical disposition. Consequently, it could possibly impede your professional success. Often times, the best way to avoid this is by managing your time well and accepting that you shouldn’t always bite off more than you can chew. “Setting realistic expectations for the amount of time needed to successfully accomplish work activities when also juggling personal commitments will set the stage for more acceptance and less anxiety,” Jones advises in an article on Thrive Global.
Being Motivated by Extrinsic Rewards
In order to cultivate contentment in your life, you have to take stock of what motivates you the most. While extrinsic rewards such as praise, awards, and money can push you to strive to be a better person, employee, or boss, nothing beats being motivated by finding meaning in what you do. In a nutshell, intrinsic motivation is doing activities that can advance your career and personal growth without any obvious external and physical rewards. In order to cultivate intrinsic motivation in yourself, you can challenge yourself by trying your hand at more difficult tasks that excite you and keep you engaged. Additionally, taking a more active role in your community and workplace can reward you with a great learning experience to help you overcome hurdles and achieve success.
Author: Jona Byler
