5 Things Successful People Don’t Do

October 30, 2014

I previously wrote a post about 5 Things that Successful People Do.  I realized when I created that post that there are just as many things that successful people don’t do as well.  Or rather things that successful people do to overcome challenges.

Things Successful People Don’t Do

  1. They don’t allow negative thoughts to take over their minds.  That is not to say, that they should be unrealistic, but I’ve found that successful people generally do focus on the positive, rather than the negative.  And they don’t talk bad to themselves.  If you see yourself as bad, dumb, stupid, or whatever, then you project that image.  I frequently laugh, because I am a fat lady, and I think that a lot of times people don’t realize it, or realize just HOW fat I am because I don’t project that image.  It comes across in so many ways, but it does get to be downright comical at times.  Yes, I know I need to lose weight, and I work on it constantly.  But I don’t beat myself up for it either.  It is what it is, and it is changing, and I don’t allow it to rule my life.
  2. They don’t allow excuses to get in their way. How many times have you heard someone say that they’ll do something once they lose weight, or that they’ll do something once the number of hits on their webpage gets to where they want, or wait to publish a book because the bounce rate on their website is too high?  Seriously.  I think that sometimes we are our own worst enemies here.  Between the negative talk and excuses, how do people get any work done?  Simply?  They don’t allow them to.  Just set a goal and go for it.
  3. Allow analysis paralysis take over – One of the worst things you can do is to allow analysis paralysis to take over.  Sure, there will always be a better way to do something.  But, if you spend too much time trying to figure out which way to do something, you can really cost yourself in time, and money.  Sometimes a good enough answer is going to be fine.  Will it be perfect?  Nope.  But, the decision is likely to be serviceable, and allow you to move on with your life.  Take that as being good enough.
  4. Burn Bridges – Remember that the world is an incredibly small place.  If you burn bridges and annoy people, it will come back to you.  Karma is a bitch.  And be careful about stabbing people in the back too, or setting them up for failure.  You could be setting yourself up for a later act of revenge or Karma.  Just don’t go there.  It’s not worth it.  You’ll give yourself a lousy reputation.
  5. Lie –  Mean what you say, and say what you mean.  Don’t lie.  It never goes over well.  You may get away with it for a while, but eventually, you will be found out, and you will destroy your reputation.  Once you’ve done that, it’s nearly impossible to get back.  It’s easy to start good, and stay that way.  So, just tell the truth, and it will go much better for you.

What things can you add to this list?

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