Expert Village Media Blog 6 Self-Inflicted Obstacles That Successful People Eliminate

Success doesn't come without challenges. Here are 6 you may create and must learn to overcome. The success of others often appears to be an easy path. In truth nearly every successful person faces major challenges along the way. Some obstacles are external and unexpected. Others are self-inflicted and mostly preventable. Here, my Inc. colleagues and I have identified 6 critical self-inflicted challenges you must overcome on your path to success. 1. Poor due diligence Many are so excited about reaching the finish line they don't do their homework in the beginning. Entrepreneurs are notorious for jumping ahead to gain speed to market, only to find they missed major flaws in their business model. Successful people spend the time to do their homework so they can proceed on solid footing. They would rather succeed slowly than fail fast. 2. Giving up Most people decide not to try. They decide whatever they want to do is too hard, too challenging, or too scary for someone like them. You can't always control your level of success, but you can control whether you take the first step toward any level of success: deciding to try-and then to keep on trying. Jeff Haden-Owner's Manual Want to read more from Jeff? Click here. 3. Blind stubbornness Refusing to change one's business model or approach when circumstances change can kill a formerly successful business or career more quickly than nearly anything else. I'll never forget the illustrator I once knew who lamented her failing business because she only worked by hand and refused to learn to use digital tools for graphic design. She's an extreme example, but how many times have you chosen not to learn a new piece of software or try a new approach because it clashes with "the way we've always done things," or because your current way of doing things has "worked well all these years"? If that sounds familiar, watch out. You could be leaving yourself vulnerable. Minda Zetlin-The Laid Back Leader Want to read more from Minda? Click here. 4. Limiting your own potential The big obstacle is usually that guy or gal staring back at you in the mirror. When it comes right down to it, only you can put limits on yourself. You're the one who decides which job you'll take, how high you'll rise in an organization, or if you're going to break out to start your own business. I know so many people who have found great success, and they did it by understanding that they needed to stop limiting their potential and set the bar high. Peter Economy-The Management Guy Want to read more from Peter? Click here. 5. Negative thinking A former client's business was perfectly positioned for dramatic growth. Yet she came to her sessions without having made any progress, always too busy, too tired, or too distracted, she would say. So I asked, "What are the negative consequences of your success?" As we explored this question she realized how much fear she had buried within herself. [...]