12 LIMITING THOUGHTS ABOUT SUCCESS
How we think about success determines our
level of success in both good and challenging times. With
unstable world events and stressed economics, you may have
even more difficulty seeing opportunities or imaging the
possibilities for your career or your business. See if you
can identify common limiting thoughts that may be dampening
your spirits.
1. I CAN ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL IN A BOOMING
ECONOMY. How is it that some people are successful
despite economic depression? Read the newspapers and watch
the trends, but trust that you have the resources you need
to be successful. If necessary, regroup: Look for new opportunities
that are being created from current events. Choose to keep
your vision alive by taking consistent steps to make it
a reality. Stay determined. Don’t give up.
2. IT TAKES HARD WORK, SACRIFICE,
AND STRUGGLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL. If that were true,
then everyone who works a 70-hour week would be successful!
Burnout is more likely. When you’re confident and
passionate about your work, it’s not work. It’s
play. If you’re making choices that are in alignment
with your purpose, then there is no such thing as sacrifice.
You’re simply compelled to do the “work.”
Struggle shows up when you get frustrated or doubt yourself.
Success is enhanced when you stay focused on your preferred
results and look for the joy in each task. With joy, you’ll
feel the support of the wind at your back.
3. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE MORE INTELLIGENT
AND TALENTED THAN I AM. Anyone can be a success.
According to the Carnegie Mellon Institute, star performers
do not have high IQs; they use their determination and commitment
to make the most of the talent they do have. Michael Jordan
is an excellent case in point. He didn’t start out
being the most gifted player on the team; he just had the
greatest desire for excellence.
4. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAKE NO (OR
FEW) MISTAKES. Actually, the opposite is true.
The more mistakes you are willing to make, the faster you
will learn what works and what doesn’t. Remember,
Babe Ruth struck out many more times than run-of-the-mill
players but achieved an extraordinary number of home runs.
Edison learned over 300 ways not to build a light bulb but
eventually was successful. So fail often to succeed faster!
You’ll be in great company.
5. IF SUCCESS COMES TOO EASILY, IT
DOESN’T COUNT. You may feel that success
needs to be deserved, that you must work for years before
you can claim it. Who says it can’t be easy? I submitted
a poem to a national poetry contest for the first time,
after having just started writing poetry a few months earlier.
To my surprise and delight, I won first prize! There is
absolutely no reason to take your joy out of any success
you experience. You deserve to feel successful right now.
6. IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL, I HAVE
TO PREPLAN EVERYTHING. A certain amount of planning
and strategic thinking is important; however, you can’t
know what the future will bring. Follow opportunity. Success
is enhanced when you can take risks and feel comfortable
in the realm of the unknown. Give yourself permission to
allow each step to unfold in its own timing. Stay in the
moment, listen to your inner wisdom, and become your own
best compass.
7. IT TAKES LUCK TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
Luck is a natural consequence of positive core
beliefs. Everyone can create luck. It’s a skill that
can be developed by shifting your beliefs to match your
preferred outcome. You need to know what you want, believe
that you ARE lucky already, and let go of your attachment
to the results. In other words, be open for luck to show
up without needing it to arrive by a certain date.
8. IT’S NOT SUCCESS UNLESS
I DO IT MYSELF. Success rarely occurs in a vacuum.
An interesting fact about highly successful people is that
they openly recognize the important people in their life
who serve as mentors, advisers, and coaches. When you let
go of the Lone-Ranger mentality and create synergy with
people who guide, support, and have the courage to challenge
you, you achieve much more and experience success in many
more aspects of your life.
9. IT’S ONLY SUCCESS IF I’VE
MADE LOTS OF MONEY. This definition of success
probably won’t serve you well. You may need to wait
for a long time (or forever) to experience success if you
set it up for yourself in this way. There are plenty of
successful people who aren’t rich, and plenty of rich
people who don’t feel successful. Success breeds success.
You’re better off feeling successful after every minor
milestone, harnessing the energy that you feel, and investing
it in moving further along your path to fulfillment. Success
is a by-product of doing what you enjoy.
10. IT’S ONLY SUCCESS IF I’M
WELL KNOWN IN MY FIELD. You can make a huge impact
on the lives of hundreds, even thousands, of people and
still not be recognized as a leader in your field. Does
that mean that you haven’t been successful? The people
you’ve impacted don’t feel that way, so why
should you? Learn to appreciate your contributions without
needing validation from your colleagues. It may never happen
during your lifetime. Some of the best artists and greatest
thinkers in the world weren’t truly appreciated until
they were no longer on the planet.
11. IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL, I
HAVE TO BE DOING SOMETHING ALL OF THE TIME. Our
culture promotes the belief that to be productive we must
always be doing something. In Taoist philosophy, it is said
that “a truly good man does nothing, yet leaves nothing
undone. A foolish man is always doing, yet much remains
to be done.” The concept of doing nothing is foreign
to Western culture. It means balancing the doing with the
being. It means regenerating. Allow yourself some time out.
Go to the beach and just be with the sun, sand, and ocean.
Or get a massage and allow yourself to zone out. Once you’re
back, you’ll get twice as much done. (If you don’t
have a habit of doing this regularly, you’ll need
to take several days, not just a few hours, to recharge
your batteries.)
12. LIFE WILL BE GREAT, ONCE I’M
SUCCESSFUL. Success is not a destination. It’s
a continuous journey. You’ll still experience the
ups and downs of life that you had before. If you haven’t
learned how to appreciate yourself and each day, such as
it is, then you will still be stressed and unhappy. Real,
lasting success comes from within you. It comes from being
prepared, listening to your inner guidance (your pure heart),
clearing the clutter from your mind, feeling your joie de
vivre, and optimistically acting on the opportunities that
are in front of you right now.
Copyright © 2003 by Barbara McRae. All
rights reserved. If you wish to reprint this article, please
contact me at barbara@enhancedlife.com.
Thank you!
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