Frustrated with failure? Ever feel like you fail all the time? Here are 7 reasons why you fail all the time. Learn to recognize them so you can avoid them in the future.
1. You’re Lazy
Honestly, you’re not trying.
You like the idea of success, but you’re lacking effort.
You like to act like you’re trying, but you’re really spending more time thinking about how you’re going to explain your work to other people than actually doing any work.
Stop being lazy.
How to fix this: stop being lazy and start developing a work ethic. Do something — anything.
2. You Make Too Many Excuses
See the above excuse. In addition to being lazy, you probably make excuses all the time about how something wasn’t your fault and why you’re not actually lazy, but it’s really because the stars didn’t align and someone else was somehow responsible.
No.
Stop being lazy. Stop making excuses. Get to work.
How to fix this: take responsibility for everything — including stuff that isn’t your fault.
3. You Dream Too Much
Dreaming is great — nothing has ever happened without someone first imagining that it could exist.
That said, there’s a point where dreaming is overdone. Sometimes you just need to get down and take some action. Get out of your head and start piecing together the puzzle. Stop overanalyzing everything and dreaming about what could be and get started on actually bringing it into existence.
How to fix this: Find one actionable way to bring your dream one step closer to reality.
4. You’re Scared of Failure
This is actually a hilarious sort of reason in an ironic sense. You fail because you’re so scared of failure that you either
- Never start, or
- Are so scared of failing that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Failure isn’t a bad thing — in fact, it can be one of your greatest teachers. But you’ll never find out if you’re too scared to even try. Stop acting out of fear and start taking action.
How to fix this: Find the thing that scares you most — then jump in and do it.
5. You’re Unfocused with Your Actions
You’re all over the place.
Sure you can blame this on ADD (see reason #2), but the real reason is that you don’t have a plan of action so you lash out at any shiny object that sounds like it will fix your problem.
But, that’s not going to help.
What will help is a solid plan with intentional action that gets you closer and closer to your goals. Laser-focus your attention on the 20% of things that will get you results.
How to fix this: Create a schedule, a routine and a plan to accomplish your goals — then stick to it.
6. You Don’t Know How To Quit
The one thing worse than a failed project is trying to convince yourself that there’s still hope.
If the project didn’t achieve its goals, know when to cut bait, learn your lesson and get started on the next one. There’s no need to throw good money after bad on a project that wasn’t worth it in the first place.
How to fix this: Have clear goals with each project and endeavor. Abandon the ones that don’t achieve their stated purpose.
7. You Forget The Basics
You get so caught up in the flashy aspects of the dream lifestyle that you forget the basics. You get lazy with fundamentals and spend too much time in lala-land.
Strip away the flash. Stop trying to be so hollywood and go back to the start. Get the basics right.
How to fix this: Take away the flash and get back to the basics. Get those right first.
Featured photo credit: Sybren A. Stüvel via flickr.com
