Fifteen habits of a successful person are ruining your career. They are obsolete — get rid of them
When building a career, we often choose the path that someone else has already taken before us. However, the world is changing. And the strategies that led to success in the past no longer work today.
Learn about everyday habits that, contrary to expectations, will not help you have a dizzying career. But first, subscribe to our Telegram channel. We often publish such valuable articles!
1. You focus on current problems instead of looking around
Even if you quickly solve work problems one after another and react with lightning speed to the emergence of new ones, this leads to a loss in the long run. The reason is simple: by focusing on problems, you predictably stop noticing what is happening around you. Your ability to see new possibilities is drastically reduced.
Most likely, when a chance to make a career breakthrough appears, you will not notice it because you will be busy fighting another minor problem.
What to do
Rise above the problems; look at them wider. Perhaps they — especially those that are repeated day after day — have a standard solution. Look for him. Do not concentrate on the little things, even if you consider them essential.
2. Go with a plan instead of taking risks
The more psychological defeats a person has experienced, the less he is inclined to take risks — so as not to step on the same rake again. If you are afraid to step aside and cling to schedules and plans, perhaps your losing streak has already occurred. In any case, the desire for security and routine at work clips the wings of a career.
What to do
Remember that any growth occurs only outside the comfort zone. A successful career in the modern world is built by creative people who can take risks (how to turn creativity into a profession).
3. You work hard all day long instead of looking for a balance between work and leisure
The old idea that being genuinely productive means working diligently, tirelessly, without sparing yourself from dawn to dusk is becoming a thing of the past. Recent research shows that employees who take breaks from work, rest in the evenings and weekends, and take regular vacations are more productive than workaholics. In addition, they are healthier and more satisfied with life, which means they are protected from professional burnout.
What to do
To remain productive, you must give the body time and the opportunity to recover from labor exploits. Make sure you get regular and complete rest.
4. Jump to conclusions instead of waiting for the facts
Our brain despises uncertainty. Therefore, it simply thinks a lot in the absence of information, trying to draw a coherent picture. A friend didn’t reply to a message? Probably ignores. The colleague frowns and doesn’t enter into conversation. He must have been offended that you became the best employee of the month.
The desire for certainty often leads to false conclusions. And they, in turn, can seriously interfere with your career.
What to do
Keep this brain feature in mind and try not to overthink or jump to conclusions. Wait for the facts. Or find them yourself.
5. Sharply criticize yourself for mistakes instead of supporting
Some career “climbers” severely condemn and even ridicule themselves for the slightest missteps. It is assumed that self-criticism will make you try harder and not make mistakes. However, in reality, the opposite is true: harsh self-criticism undermines self-esteem and reduces the chances of success in the future.
What to do
Treat yourself the way you would treat a close friend. Even if he made a mistake, you should not kick him. He needs support, understanding, and compassion. Promise: “You can handle it.” In short, be your friend. It motivates and inspires.
6. Being a loner instead of playing in a team
Gnawing competitions for each other’s throats in pursuit of a career prize are long gone. Today, some key symptoms of a dying career are a lack of connections, working alone, and problems with teamwork.
What to do
The most successful modern careerists are sociable and maintain warm, open relationships with colleagues. Such mutual support can be handy at the moment when you go to take off.
7. Sacrificing yourself instead of taking care of yourself
Many of us have been taught that self-sacrifice is a virtue. However, neglecting yourself, your needs, and your health is a sure way not to take a single step up the stairs.
What to do
Taking care of yourself makes you manage your time more rationally. Eating healthy, resting, and exercising regularly will increase the stamina you need to build your career. Hobbies, yoga, massages, and spa treatments refresh the body and mind and restore energy and creativity.
8. Fear of failure instead of admitting your right to fail
Fear of failure leads to the fact that you are generally afraid to move forward. Psychologists have determined that some people are more successful than others simply because they have a “winning” mindset. They are just always optimistic about success. And even a possible loss does not bother them: just think that everything will indeed work out because you can try again!
What to do
Cultivate in yourself that very “winning” consciousness. The first step towards this is the same attitude towards both victories and defeats. Any outcome will give you the necessary experience, teach you something new, warn you about traps and allow you to take a broader look at the world. So when you fail or make a mistake, admit it. You have a right to it — and a duty to learn from it.
9. Constantly doubting yourself instead of believing in success
A lack of confidence in yourself in your competencies is typical, especially if you are in a severe position with a high level of responsibility.
But the main thing here is not to overdo it. Fixing on thoughts like “Am I worthy? Can I manage it?” you risk forgetting who you are, what path you have already traveled, and what you plan to achieve.
What to do
See yourself primarily as someone who stubbornly moves forward and learns, acquiring new skills and competencies. Be positive about yourself and replace the thought “Will I succeed?” with “It will work! And if it doesn’t work out, it will also teach me something.”
10. Try to get as much done as possible instead of calmly moving forward
If you’re like most careerists, you’re probably setting yourself unrealistic deadlines. For example, you undertake to complete a project in three days, which is a good way should take a week.
It will demonstrate to the employer (and the world as a whole) what a productive high-speed specialist you are. But in reality, trying to meet unrealistic deadlines is draining.
Perhaps you will draw a project or two in this mode. But one day, the body will inevitably tell you: “Stop.” Strength, creativity, and motivation will be exhausted, and career growth will stop at best (read five ways to stay motivated when you feel like quitting everything).
What to do
Set realistic deadlines. Be sure to include the time for a break, the opportunity to have a full meal, or sleep for the eight hours every day that everyone needs. Only this approach will make your work productive and efficient.
11. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted instead of making time for your head in the clouds
Many still believe in the old English proverb, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” However, taking a break from work for a few minutes, reflecting on something of your own, meditating, or watching birds out the window improves mental and physical well-being. And the lack of such an opportunity, accordingly, makes it all worse.
What to do
Allow yourself to be distracted if you want to. The periods of soaring in the clouds are unlikely to be long — 2-5 minutes are enough. But after such a switch, you will find that your head has become fresh, and your strength has returned.
12. Treat work as a duty instead of seeing it as a hobby
The difference is simple. The work ends at a particular time, and you always keep an eye on the time left before you are allowed to get up and leave. Hobby, on the contrary, captivates to such an extent that you forget about watches altogether (5 obstacles to turning a hobby into a profession).
If work is not such a hobby for you, then you are not very interested in what you do. It is almost impossible to achieve real success on such a foundation (how to understand that you love your job).
What to do
Look for motivation. I mean, the thing that can truly captivate you.
13. Strongly command instead of listening to others
It has been observed that people whose careers inevitably come to a standstill make the same type of mistakes. They always consider themselves right, seek to impose their point of view on others, ignore the opinions of others or criticize them.
What to do
Learn to be flexible and patient. It may turn out that the idea expressed by a colleague will be more promising than yours. If you don’t focus solely on being right, you will hear this thought, and you can use it to your advantage. The attitude “I’m always right!” is equivalent to deafness and is a losing strategy.
14. Listen only to yourself instead of empathizing with others
Empathy, that is, sympathy, the ability to put yourself in the place of another person, allows you to understand others better. Without it, you will inevitably create a hostile environment full of aggression around you. And it is unlikely to be helpful for a career (read Ten tips to become a careerist).
What to do
Remember that empathy is increasingly recognized as the primary tool for leadership in today’s global world. Learn to listen and understand others. It broadens one’s horizons and helps one learn different points of view without arguing or agreeing with them (how to pump up your empathy).
15. Despise “not like” colleagues instead of accepting diversity
Modern large companies are a “cocktail” of people of different races, cultures, genders, and sexual orientations. This situation is strikingly different from what it was a couple of decades ago, when the backbone was, for example, only men or only Caucasians.
But in fact, the current situation is more advantageous. Different points of view, opinions, and ideas that grow out of diversity are a competitive advantage that allows a company to get ahead.
What to do
Avoid discriminatory behavior. Consider “not like” colleagues as a source of fresh, original ideas you would never have thought of on your own.
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