Get out of your own way!

Often, we’re our own worst enemy. Procrastination, self-doubt, denial, and laziness are just some of the ways we hold ourselves back from achieving true success. I am guilty of all of these.

While there are ways to overcome self-doubt and a wealth of tips on how to be successful, sometimes we simply need a wake-up call to fully become aware of the problem and begin the change.

Here are the habits and traits of successful people versus people who self-sabotage and never reach their goals. If you find yourself in the latter, like I did for years, don’t take it as an insult, but a well-intended (and necessary) nudge for you to focus on turning it around.

1. Don’t make excuses vs. Find a way to avoid action

When you really want to do something, you make it happen. When you don’t want to do something, you make excuses.

Successful people are known to never let any reason get in the way of what they want. Self-sabotaging people let even the smallest inconvenience be enough to postpone or cancel their plans. If you find yourself making excuses for something you supposedly want, take a closer look to find the real reason why you’re avoiding it.

2. Take responsibility vs. Blame everything else

There are always ups and downs in our careers and lives in general, but there is a key difference in how successful and self-sabotaging people handle them.

Successful people recognize what went wrong and take responsibility for their failures. Self-sabotaging people avoid being held responsible and blame just about everything and everyone.

Being too afraid to accept responsibility for your own shortcomings makes you seem untrustworthy and also prevents you from learning from your mistakes. So, own up to your failures and offer a solution so that it never happens again. · 

 WOW. Change is good. 

3. Embrace change vs. Fear change

Change brings new horizons and new challenges into the game. If you’re stuck in your ways and reject anything that goes against the status quo, you will never learn anything new.

Successful people embrace this fast-moving world and adapt to the changes within it. Self-sabotaging people avoid change and prefer to remain in denial.

Try to open yourself up to unplanned changes in life to give yourself the chance of gaining a fresh perspective or discovering new opportunities you never knew existed