Defeatism: Five Roadblocks on the Path to Success


How do you define success? I bet if you were to ask ten different people, you would get just as many answers. I am writing this article to point out some of the road blocks I've seen when someone is trying to pursue their idea of success. My definition of success: The ability to monetarily, emotionally,  intellectually, and spiritually support ones self, and family; by a means that both challenges and rewards their unique abilities.

There are many road blocks in life if one is to truly succeed, however many of those would be circumstantial and situationaly variable. Some of the obstacles we encounter on our journey will be out of our control. That doesn't mean we should avoid these obstacles; on the contrary, it is the manner in which we face and ultimately conquer these outside forces that will help to define our success. However, In this article I would like to discuss five of the most prevalent self imposed road blocks. So here we go.

1. Self-motivation

Many people fall short in the area of self-motivation. I believe this is because, any large goal requires many tedious tasks. When you fix your attention on the mountain that is before you, it is difficult to focus on the first step. A desired outcome of any endeavor is reachable, if we focus on each step required to reach it. It doesn't matter how large an endeavor may be; if we can realize at the point of attack how important each small gain is, to the bigger picture. For example: if someone left their home fully intending to run five miles, we all know this to be an attainable goal. However, that goal could never be reached without the first stride, the last stride, and every stride in between. Although the last stride will feel the most rewarding; it is no more crucial to the attainment of the objective than any other. They were all required, without the first stride there is no last.

2. Allowing ourselves to be side tracked.

If there is something you truly want, you have to learn to take advantage of every spare moment to advance yourself toward it. Especially if you are already working a job that's not in your desired field. Truth is there will always be something else that needs to be done. Considering any steps you take toward your goal aren't instantly recognizable; it's all to easy to set it aside, to do something that produces more immediate results. So it is important that you move your ambitions to the top of your to-do list. Also it's important you take time to cultivate and master your particular skill or talent. When your hard work begins to open the door to your future, you want to be sure you are well versed in the talent that got you there. No matter how great your natural talent or ability it can only be improved by practice.

3. Self Doubt.

This is a big one. Self doubt can drive you to give up on your goals; before you ever have a chance to succeed. No matter what it is your trying to achieve; chances are someone has already reached what is considered the pinnacle of success in that field. Nevertheless, if you have a strong desire to work in a particular field, and you possess a reasonable amount of natural talent, you can succeed. No matter how achieved another maybe in a particular arena, they do not have the same outlook or insight on the subject matter. Your experiences by default will make your approach original. If you want to be an author for instance: Most likely your first works will not achieve the success say, Stephenie Meyer enjoys. However before Stephenie Meyer there was Stephen King. If she would have let the achievements of Mr. King stop her from pursuing her dream we wouldn't have those literary masterpieces to enjoy. You see. Her particular experiences and imaginative traits spawned her writings. Stephen king couldn't have written them. The list goes on and on; before facebook, there was myspace, before CDs there was cassette tapes, before Brad Pitt, there was James dean. The list goes on in every imaginable area. Trust in your ability, trust in your desire. However, I can not over emphasize the importance of practicing your craft.

4. Negative feedback from your inner circle.

I've noticed when people come from a working class family there is almost, this 'stigma' that comes with success, a sort of jealousy really. In many cases some feel undeserving of success because the people they love have not achieved the same level of success. Achievement requires a lot of time devoted. This can be misunderstood, and lead to comments such as: you think your to good for us now, or now that you hit the big time you don't have time for the little people. To make things worse; the jealousy becomes two fold. Because generally speaking if a person achieves a high level of success; it's normally due to thier love of the work. That love allows them to spend many hours a day studying and perfecting thier craft. This kind of commitment cannot be understood by someone that is stuck in a job they dislike. They do not understand the burden they place on the achiever. Sadly many people either stop trying so hard to avoid the ridicule, or feel guilt for the benefits their hard work and intelligence bring them. This is not a new phenomenon. It has been used by politicians throughout the centuries to bring people to the ballet box; it is still in play today. The term is "class warfare" peoples natural tendency to begrudge another success, they themselves haven't achieved.

5. Failure to recognize the first four roadblocks.

It's important that you be able to identify these trappings. There will be many roadblocks on our path to success, no need for us to impose our own. 

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Photo by: runlevel0/@flickr.com

 

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