[bctt tweet=”What do you know about enemies of success? Learn how to overcome them here” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
As we know, success is not a destination but a journey. In our road to climbing up the corporate ladder or building our businesses we will face obstacles that try to discourage us from moving forward or to derail our success.
Sometimes these challenges may catch us by surprise, but at other times they are of our own making. Here are 5 enemies of success you need to be aware of:
Pride
There is good pride, which is a consciousness of worth and a feeling of happiness about yourself or accomplishments. But there is also bad pride, which comes from thinking you are better than others and results in arrogance – many great men and women have fallen because of pride.
As you climb up the ladder it is important to remain humble, never look down on others or reach a point where you begin to think of yourself more highly than those around you. Pride is a silent but powerful enemy that can hinder you or bring you to downfall.
A #MotherlandMogul we can learn from in this area: Oprah Winfrey
For two decades Oprah was the most watched daytime television host. It would be easy for such fame and success to get to anyone’s head; however, no matter how successful or famous she became Oprah remained grounded, as she still is today. Here is one of her most famous quotes on remaining humble: “I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.”
Losing focus
Why do some people start well but sadly you wonder what ever happened to them? You must know of someone who was doing so well in their studies or career, and then suddenly their grades or career went downhill. In several cases that is as a result of losing focus.
If you’re aiming for success, you can’t allow yourself to be distracted
A #MotherlandMogul we can learn from in this area: Bonang Matheba
On the topic of success Africa’s leading lady of entertainment has shared that one of the things that will help you remain focused. One is to remind yourself of why you started, on her blog she wrote this as one of her life lessons learned: “The most important rule for any person that’s passionate enough to see their dreams come to fruition is to BE FOCUSED!”
Lack of preparation
While there may be a few instances where you get away with sitting in a meeting with little or no preparation, the truth is no matter what you’re doing, if you fail to prepare then you sabotage your chance of success.
There is a reason successful people put a lot of thought into planning and making preparations for what they want to achieve – it works.
#MotherlandMogul Aminata Dumbuya said: “When preparation meets opportunity, success happens.”
Lack of discipline
Lack of discipline or self-control is an enemy that has led to many successful people’s downfall. In order to obtain what you want tomorrow, you need to be willing to suffer a little for a while and to sacrifice or delay what it is you want today. Athletes know this well.
In order not to be taken out by the enemy called “lack of discipline”, write down a list of disciplines you need to keep and make a commitment to yourself to keep them.
“Lots of guts and discipline are needed to increase patronage of your brand.” – Idonrenyen Enang dropped this wisdom at #SheHive Lagos
Showing no gratitude
If you kept on doing something for someone and they never once came back to say ‘thank you’, chances are you would think twice about doing something for them again. Without a grateful attitude, you may not go very far in life. Successful people have a sense of gratitude.
You destroy this enemy by showing gratitude for everything you have and have accomplished. You know the saying “Count your blessings one by one”, you can fuel your career just by showing gratitude.
A #MotherlandMogul we can learn from in this area: Oprah Winfrey
She said: “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
Can you think of any other enemies to your success? Deal with them before they sabotage your progress in life.