5 Silent Habits Sabotaging Your Success

5 Silent Habits Sabotaging Your Success If you dont believe in yourself, why should anyone else? Okay, okay, youve  no doubt  heard motivational messages like this one  before, maybe from  your manager; perhaps  a parent. When youre clearly in need of some  kind of motivational boost and someone rattles off a line like this, its easy to shrug  it off as a  corny, slightly patronising gesture.  Thanks, but no thanks! The thing is, we do need to believe in ourselves  if we want others to. We  are our own harshest critics; the first to call ourselves stupid or beat ourselves up about missing an opportunity. We put immense pressure on ourselves to achieve the unachievable, and when we dont; stress about how we could have done things better. These thought patterns are poisonous and slowly sabotage our chances at  success.  As much as wed hate to admit it, often  we are actually to  blame for bringing ourselves down. The good news is its never too late to  pep ourselves back up. Sometimes all it takes is a little self-reflection and resistance. If you want to start achieving great things, these are the toxic habits youll need to break first: 1. Comparing yourself to others If you look around your office or scroll through your  Facebook news feed, its easy to convince yourself everyones more successful than you.  When you start to feel  like  youre  lagging behind your peers, friends or family members, you need to stop right there. Everyone is leading  totally unique lives, full of different challenges and successes. Nobody  likes to broadcast their troubles; so youre probably comparing your bloopers to their highlight reel  anyway (as the saying goes). Stop focussing on everyone else, and start concentrating  on reaching your own potential. 2. Taking too much on Living life on the verge of a major  panic attack from being overworked is incredibly unhealthy; both physically and mentally. Stop saying yes to everything, and learn how to say no (learn from Jim Carreys mistakes below). Taking on an unrealistic workload and over-committing yourself will leave you feeling exhausted all the time, and will strip the enjoyment out of everything you do. Youll start resenting everything that eats into your precious energy stores and things you used to enjoy will likely become burdens.  Recognising your tendency to burn yourself out is the first step in  breaking this habit.  Stop letting guilt pressure you into spreading yourself thin. 3.  Failing to switch off Mastering the art of relaxing outside of work hours is difficult to do,  but imperative to your success. If you want to start each day feeling refreshed and motivated, you need to learn how to switch off when you leave the office. Stop checking your work emails at 10:30pm before you go to bed; stop taking client calls at dinner time. Remember, you work to live; not the other way around. The sooner you  prioritise switching off when youre not on duty, the sooner youll start to feel your energy levels and drive at work increase. 4.  Holding onto your mistakes It turns out Elsa from Frozen was  not just a pretty face; she  was definitely  onto something when she sang  Let it Go. Everyone makes mistakes; no one is perfect. Holding onto past slip-ups and misfortunes will only prevent you from moving forward. If you keep referencing your failures and  obsessing over  how and why you let it happen, youll only feel lower about yourself and hold yourself back form accepting new challenges, for fear of failing. 5. Making self-deprecating  comments This ones not really a silent habit, as it involves talking, but the quiet mental fallout that occurs after youve brought yourself down  is where the real damage manifests.  Stop selling yourself short  and  making jokes at your own expense. A cheap laugh like this will cut into your confidence.  The moment you start taking yourself seriously and supporting your own goals  is the moment others will follow suit.