Becoming successful is much more about your beliefs than it is about your current skills and talents. When I went from a hobby blogger to blogging as a business, the first shift that I had to do was in my mindset. Recognizing the mental blocks that limit your success might be the most important step you can take on your journey to a successful life. Mental blocks are insidious. They begin at a young age and quickly become the norm.
We become so used to their existence that we don’t even question them. We learn to limit ourselves and blindly accept the criticisms of our family members, teachers, peers, and even strangers.
The First Thing You Have To Do Is Recognize These Mental Blocks
Listen friends: denial isn’t a river in Africa.
Being able to recognize that these mental blocks even exist HAS to be acknowledged first otherwise you won’t be ready for the shift. Why? Because you don’t even think you need it.
Here are 7 of the mental blocks that many of us deal with:
- Your self-doubt is limiting your ability to take action. The most successful people tend to overestimate their abilities at first. Studies so that when women are looking for jobs, they feel like they have to meet every qualification whereas men will apply with only a couple of them. Here’s the thing: you have to leave room for you to grow. So what if you aren’t the most perfect or the most qualified–that doesn’t discredit your other skillset, qualifications or the secret sauce that you bring to the table.
- You refuse to get or accept help from others. Life is too short to gain the necessary knowledge and perform every task yourself. You can find others that have already been successful in your field of choice. Seek these experts out and get the help you require. Get help and learn to allocate your resources.
- You think you lack the necessary education. While a lack of education can prevent you from becoming a brain surgeon, it’s possible you already have all the education you require to be successful in other endeavors. Also: what is “necessary” relatively speaking? My husband only completed some college and has a six-figure job in his field of choice. I have multiple degrees and have success in entrepreneurship. Education is NOT an indicator of success.
- You think your competitors are better than you are. Studies have shown that we tend to underestimate ourselves and overestimate others. Consider the fact that you might be giving your competition more credit than they deserve! Examine your competition and improve upon their efforts. Otherwise, ignore them and get busy.
- You believe that your goals aren’t achievable. If you’re sure you can’t be successful, you’ll never get started. Be objective with your goals. Are they really too challenging? Or are you failing to believe in your capabilities sufficiently?
It might be worthwhile to scale back your goals slightly until you feel more confident. You can always grow into your goals in the future. - You’re afraid to see your truth. It’s possible you’re nervous about discovering your shortcomings. It’s easy to maintain a little hope if you stay on the sidelines. After all, maybe you really do have what it takes. You haven’t done anything to prove yourself wrong yet. Try your best and see what happens. You’re unlikely to be successful on the first attempt anyway. However, the second attempt will be better than the first. The third will be even more effective. Continue until you’ve attained success.
- You believe that you lack the necessary time and money. Convenient excuses are tools for those that lack commitment. Successful people have started from every possible starting point. Some were wealthy. Others were very poor and had to work multiple jobs just to eat.
You can get started without financial resources.
You can find time if you desire to do so–we make time for the things we want. How bad do you want what you’re chasing?
Mental blocks are common, but you’ll notice that your most successful acquaintances have the fewest mental blocks. You have a powerful ability to succeed if you can enhance your mental state. Examine yourself for the most common success blockers. Once you’re able to recognize them, you’re able to address them.