5 ways you’re blocking your own growth
Now if you’re reading this, I’m guessing that you really want to get on, get results, and make leaps in your career but for some reason you’re just not getting the traction that you need.
Am I right?
You might have seen other people that you know get to where they want to be and thought — “hang on, what about me?”
You might see your peers and think — “they’re so much more confident, effective, amazingly brilliant at what they do” [fill in the blanks here]
You might even feel like you’re in some kind of crazy Groundhog day where every so often you’ll make a step forward, only to take two steps backward again — and you’ve no idea what you’re doing wrong or why.
If so, don’t worry.
There’s really no such thing as an overnight success but chances are that there are a few things that you’re doing that are really holding you back without you even realising it.
So let’s take a look.
- You haven’t nailed down what success looks like for you?
So many people are searching for ‘success’ but when asked, they’re not really sure what it is. So, grab a pen and a bit of paper and decide what success looks like for you — and I mean be specific.
Get down to the details here….yes it might mean more money, a new car, a new house and so on but instead think about the day to day things. How will you know when you’ve achieved your success? When will you know that you’ve got there? What is it specifically that you’re looking for?
By doing this work it’ll really help you to nail down where you’re going, and more importantly what you have to change to get there.
2. You always do what you’ve always done
In order to get the growth that you’re looking for you need to do something, and chances are you need to do something different.
This is where some people get stuck because any kind of change feels rubbish. It just does. And while you’re doing it your whole body is craving to go back to the old way of working because it’s comfortable, you know what you’re doing, everyone knows what to expect, and life was just better.
But the thing is — you needed to change for a reason, and that’s what you’ve got to keep in your mind every single day, why you’re doing this in the first place.
If you’re wanting growth you’re going to need to tweak the way that you’re working so you start getting the results that you want.
3. You’re inconsistent
Consistency matters. Yes it’s easy to get bored and move on to the next thing, but then you’ll always be starting from scratch. Instead pick the things that add most value and keep doing those. After a while you’ll start to see a snow ball effect and the people around you will always know what to expect as well.
Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come. — Dwayne Johnson
4. You’re self sabotaging
Here’s what I mean by self sabotage. It’s where you find yourself doing something to stop your progress. Common ways of self sabotaging are: procrastinating; holding yourself back from going for new opportunities or trying new things; being too busy; switching direction, or even blaming other things for you not being able to do things.
We all self sabotage at some point or another as it’s just another way for our brain to keep us in our comfort zone, but the trick is to recognise when you’re doing it and notice what your particular flavour of self sabotage is. By being really observant of how you behave and what you do when new opportunities come along, or when you’re reaching a new level you’ll be able to spot your patterns and do something about it.
5. You’re not being effective
It’s really easy to fall into the trap of being all things to all people and being reactive all day. The problem is that although you might kid yourself that you’re actually adding value, the truth is you’re not doing yourself any favours in the process.
Take a good look at the way you’re working to see if you can be more effective. Is there anything that frustrates you about your daily routine, what can you do to streamline your working patterns and feel a lot more productive in the long run.
