In my last post, I described some of the ways in which people undermine their own success. If you own your own business, there is likely no one around (except perhaps a friend or a well-meaning spouse who may not want to bring up the subject) to suggest to you that you may be doing some of these things. As the owner of your own business, you are responsible for checking yourself to see whether underachieving is preventing you from reaching your full potential.
George Eliot said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been”. That is a very good thing. Once you recognize the habits or behavior patterns that are holding you back, you can begin to work on changing them. Any habit that you now have is something that you learned, and it can be un-learned, that is, replaced with something else that is not detrimental to your success. There is, after all, such a thing as a good habit, like brushing your teeth before bed or going for a run every morning.
Since habits are learned behaviors that become automatic over time, how do you get a good behavior to “stick”, to become automatic? It is said that if you repeat the behavior that you seek to turn into a habit for a minimum of 21 days, it is likely to become a habit. What positive habits could you adopt to overcome things like procrastination and self-criticism?
Setting goals is one example of a good habit that can help you to become more successful. Most people that have achieved great success share the common habit of goal setting, yet it is something that most people do not do. Taking time each day to write down your goals will help you make this habit stick. If you want to take it s step further, make timelines for achieving your goals.
Replacing negative habits with positive habits is just one way that we can begin to get out of our own way and claim the success that we are capable of achieving. What other ways have you found?