15 Reasons Why You're Not as Successful as You Should Be

Do you sometimes feel like you should be more successful? Like you should have achieved more by now? Many of us feel like that sometimes. 

The reason you are not as successful as you should be may be because you have picked up bad habits that do nothing but drain your time, energy, happiness, and success. 

Below is a list of some possible reasons that may explain why you aren’t as successful as you should be that you need to address.

Reasons You Are Not as Successful as You Should Be

Consider these points as a wake up call to push you in the right direction and encourage you to live out your best life in business and in life.

1. You live in your own head.

Everyone who has ever achieved anything begun by taking action. They began where they were. You don’t achieve success by dreaming only and doing nothing. Get out of your head and pursue your dream. Don’t let fear and doubt steal your greatness. Dream big, but don’t stop there. Do what you have to do to make that dream come true.

If you are only just sitting in one place thinking of success and never actually doing anything about it, you are wasting your potential and will always feel like you can be more, but sadly never actually be more. As Ghanaian author Israelmore Ayivor says, “You cannot score a goal when you are sitting on the bench. To do so, you have to dress up and enter the game.”

2. You cling to your comfort zone.

We all have that place in our minds and life situations where we feel safe, secure and sure about things. A place where we do the same things and get the same expected results. While this comfort zone seems safe and warm, living within it only leads to stagnation. Nothing ever grows in a comfort zone. If you want to really grow and develop, you need to stop playing it safe. Burst that comfort bubble and take your chances.

The real purpose of life is to live it—and to do so to your fullest potential. That means stretching yourself and taking risks. If you are always doing what you’ve always done, you will always be who you’ve always been. Get out there and try new things. Follow your heart. Be comfortable being uncomfortable, and don’t give up on your dreams.

3. You are not sure who you are and what you want to achieve.

Chinese military strategist and philosopher Sun Tzu, author of the critically acclaimed classic combat guide "The Art of War" said, “Know yourself and you will win all battles." Even in the battle with mediocrity, you need to know yourself to win. Knowing yourself starts with knowing exactly who you are (your gifts, skills, shortcomings.) and what you want to achieve in life (your dreams, goals, ambitions, desires). Set clear, specific and measurable goals that align with your abilities, and that lead you toward your ultimate goal. This way you will remain motivated until you get there.

If you don’t know who you are, where you are coming from and where you are going, you will be susceptible to taking any road and that road will take you anywhere and leave you feeling shortchanged in the end. 

4. You refuse to accept reality (or adapt to it).

Life is in a constant state of flux and sometimes things don’t work out exactly the way you want. It is important to adjust accordingly, and to stay grounded in reality throughout. If you don’t accept the reality of things in your life and change or adjust your actions accordingly, you will lag behind and feel like you are not as good or as qualified as you should be. So, be flexible and adaptable. Embrace the inevitability of change. If you don’t get the result you expected, accept it and learn from the experience. That’s the beauty of having tried—you learn from trying. The magnitude of your happiness and success will be directly proportional to the magnitude of your realness and adaptability to new and emerging interests, goals and realities.

5. You are distracted by social media.

I know that you need to be on Facebook and Twitter for your business, we all probably do. However, when you spend endless hours on social media mindlessly thumbing through updates that make no difference to your life or business, you have fallen victim to one of the biggest time sucks known to man. Research shows that the average American spends more than three hours on social networking sites each day. That is time you will never get back. And time needlessly lost will ultimately make you less productive. Remove distractions from your life and stay focused on your core goals.

6. You think you’re working hard, but you aren’t.

It is easy to fool yourself into thinking you are working hard if you spend the whole day at your workstation. But, are you really getting any work done? Look carefully at how you are spending your time and track how and where you are expending your energy during work hours. You may be shocked to learn that a huge chunk of your day is wasted not just by mindless internet browsing, but also by chronic interruptions and way more breaks than necessary. If you don’t get work done when it out to, you become less productive and ultimately less successful than you could be.

7. You don’t start your day with a purpose or plan.

Highly successful people clearly define their short- and long-term goals, and also plan their day ahead. They know exactly what priority tasks they need to tackle first thing tomorrow. This way they are able to take full advantage of the morning “Golden Hour” when you are mentally, physically and spiritually recharged. If you don’t rise early, plan ahead and assess whether you are moving toward your goals, you are groping blindly in the dark for success. Change tact and start each day with a morning ritual that sets you up for a productive day, whether it is meditation or reflecting on your goals.

8. You don’t end your day with gratitude.

Studies show that those who take a few minutes every night to reflect on the good things that happened to them that day sleep better. And how well you sleep determines your energy level the following day. Moreover, reflecting on the positive things of the day and being grateful before bed helps you unwind, improves your mood and motivates you to wake up early the next day and keep going. Author Melody Beattie said it best, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

Count your blessings each night before bed and you will significantly boost your levels of happiness and success.

9. You surround yourself with negative people.

Jim Rohn observed that, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If you surround yourself with negative people all the time, you will eventually absorb their negative energy and haemorrhage toxic traits and attitudes. However, if you associate yourself with positive, hardworking people, you will expose yourself to a positive energy and be inspired and encouraged to live full out and achieve great things. Choose wisely who you surround yourself with.

10. You live in the past.

If you live in the past and dwell too much on what was, you deny yourself the ability to be fully in the present and plan for what is. This negatively affects your productivity and leaves you feeling less happy and performing sub-optimally. Accept that the past has already happened, learn from it and move on. That way you grow from strength to strength. If you have suffered in the past, recognize that you are here today and you can make tomorrow better. Failure and setbacks are an integral part of success; they make us stronger. Nobody ever truly succeeded without failing at least a few times. The trick is to learn from your setbacks, rise up again more determined and keep moving forward. Failure is only guaranteed when you stop trying and quit.

11. You are too preoccupied with pleasing people.

Nothing destroys the spirit and makes you feel unworthy and unsuccessful more than constantly comparing yourself to others and trying to please people all the time. If you are a people-pleaser, just stop it. You cannot please everybody and shouldn’t even try. People will always be more preoccupied with their own issues -- not what you do to please them. Be master of your own life. Listen to and learn from others, but make your own decision. If someone makes a judgment about you or your way of doing things, it doesn’t make it a reality unless you agree with it. The buck stops with you.

12. You allow yourself to be victimized.

Some of us are too timid. We shy away from trying and let people walk all over us when we try. If you are always quiet, passive and allowing people to take advantage of you, they will do it. And do it they will ruthlessly and mercilessly. You will then feel (and actually be) less successful than you could be. Don’t be a pushover. Be strong. Stand up boldly for what you believe in. Demand more and say “No” to anything that doesn’t align with your values and dreams. In our hyper-completive world today, you should not give people free reign to take advantage of you when and however they want.

13. You underestimate the power of play and fun.

The old adage holds true even today, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Don’t neglect taking time off from work to relax and have fun. Fun and play sprinkled with strategic effort towards set goals is what has helped super successful people like Richard Branson become as successful as they are. Make time for fun, rest and relaxation—it’s never wasted time. Besides, what is the point of working hard day in and day out everyday if you are only left feeling exhausted and frustrated afterwards? Relax, life is never that serious.

14. You take your loved ones for granted.

Your family and loved ones play a crucial role in your life and success. They give you moral support, keep you grounded and also give you the motivation you need to succeed. Taking them for granted is a big, big mistake. If you take loved ones for granted, you will be left feeling lost, unhappy and unfulfilled in life. Spend quality time with those you care about and make a concerted effort to create fond memories with them, including your spouse, family members and friends. Success starts from within. It begins from home, which is where you are free to be your true self.

15. You stopped learning.

When you stop learning, you limit your own personal growth and hinder your own professional path to the top. Learning entails extracting lessons not just from books, but also from your own experiences (both good and bad), and also from the advice and experiences of others, including your juniors and business competitors. So, be open to learning and experiencing new things. It will help you improve your own life and the lives of others. And you will be happier and more successful for it.