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5 Reasons Why People Fail to Succeed in Life

Picture of Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.

5 Reasons Why People Fail to Succeed in Life

5 Reasons Why People Fail to Succeed in Life5 Reasons Why People Fail to Succeed in Life ~ When people come to me for advice on how to be successful in life, whether it is in business, relationships, spiritual growth, developing a healthier lifestyle, or any of a number of other things that they desire to be successful at, they are almost always surprised at my initial statement. From an experiential perspective, I have learned that most people have not even defined what success means to them. Their idea of success is immensely nebulous and ambiguous. So, my first response is to get them to determine what success means to them, something that is absolutely necessary to the process of becoming successful. If you don’t have a clear vision of what you are attempting to obtain, it will be impossible to measure your progress, and if you cannot measure your progress, you cannot make the necessary adjustments as you move forward — leading to capricious and counterproductive behavior.   Most people tend to define success based on basic and archaic concepts, primarily focusing on the number of zeros behind the prefix numbers that express the balance in their bank account. Now, while building wealth should be a priority, in and of itself, it does not define success, at least not to me. In fact, the attainment of wealth, without a clear vision, can be highly detrimental. Success should be judged based on purpose, and purpose is determined by design. When you observe the design of something that design is indicative of the purpose of the thing you are observing. True, authentic success is the fulfillment of your design. Some people are immensely charismatic, making them great influencers of those in their periphery, while others are exceptionally creative, allowing them to develop solutions to common and unique enigmas. When your idea of success is associated with your purpose, you will not have to worry about wealth as much, it will automatically pursue you.

5 Reasons Why People Fail to Succeed in Life

Once we move past understanding the concept of success, which will still vary with each person, there are some common inhibitors that often stand in the way of people living life at the level of their design. Following are what I consider to be the top five inhibiting factors as it pertains to success.
  1. You Don’t Believe
We live in a culture that is designed to shrink the visions and dreams of the masses, in order to develop them into non-thinkers, who can be easily trained (mis-educated) and plugged in where they are needed within the corporate power structure. Most people become happy with the minimal accolades they receive from employers in the way of raises and promotions; however, very few believe they have the ability to pursue anything beyond what they have been told they are capable of doing. They simply don’t believe they are capable of achieving anything beyond what they are already doing. The human brain is a powerful predictive and problem solving organic system, that functions based on multitudinous feedback mechanisms. The most power feedback mechanism is the “input” mechanism. Basically, whatever enters the subconscious will initiate the analysis-evaluation-action process, which ultimately will result in a final outcome. Here is what is important to understand, when your input is predominantly replete with stimuli that negatively impacts your belief in yourself to accomplish a specific task, it will deplete your desire and passion to approach that task, creating a deficit right from the start. Simply put, it is irrational to expect a successful outcome when you haven’t been successful at convincing yourself that success is possible. You must change your thinking.
  1. You Have Allowed Others to Write Your Narrative
This inhibiting factor is highly apposite to deciphering the difficulty in achieving authentic success. Again, we live in a culture in which we are constantly being conditioned to fit into certain molds that usually benefit others more than ourselves. One of the most pernicious paradigms that pervades our culture is the “know your place/position in the world construct,” which suggests that there is this box that you fit in, and getting out of this box is absolutely unacceptable and offensive. People who display a certain level of confidence are often considered arrogant, and they are ostracized. The more docile and acquiescent a person is, the more accepted they are by others. Because of this dynamic, many people function through the proclivity to allow others to write their narrative — being more concerned with earning the approbation of others than fulfilling their own destiny. The concept and philosophy of knowing your position in this world is transcended in its pestilential potential by the those who actually make it their business to thrust this idea upon others, and then enforce it with shaming, intimidation and scare tactics. As long as a person is consumed with the concern of what others expect of them, they will find it to be a Herculean task to achieve any level of long-term, authentic success. One of the most pernicious phrases, when it comes to killing the aspirations of another, is the term, “Be realistic.” I absolutely will not allow that term to be used around me — it is limiting, choking the very life out of vivid and colorful dreams.
  1. Overwhelmed with Fear
Fear can be paralyzing in life. People refuse to enjoy the outdoors because of fear. People avoid investing because of fear. People are risk adverse when it comes to relationships because of the fear of failing, so they end up settling, or remaining single. Some people fear failure, or what others will think. Many times people will be consumed by fear, but not clearly understand what they are feeling. The first step is to identify what you are feeling as fear. Once you become aware of the presence of fear, you will need to determine what is causing the fear. What are you afraid of. Be very specific in analyzing the fear. Determining what is causing the fear will help you determine the best modality for addressing it with efficacy. There are a number of different methods for overcoming fear, including the Sedona Method, The Now method (focusing only on the moment in which you currently reside, recognizing that you are fully equipped for everything that you will face), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), and more.
  1. You Believe that You Have Hit Your Ceiling
This is a common inhibiting factor that stifles success. The truth is that the only ceiling that exists is the one that you personally acknowledge. While others will definitely suggest the presence of a ceiling, they are most likely speaking from their perspective and belief. It is only when you personally acknowledge the ceiling that it becomes real. Never allow someone who has already given up on their dreams to talk you out of yours.
  1. Confused about What Steps to Take
Often, people will have an idea of what they desire to do, but they will not have a clue as to the first step they will need to take to get things started. If this state of mind exists for too long, it will culminate into procrastination. Make a habit of taking action. While a great deal of gravity is given to knowing when to be still, very little consideration is given to the fact that success is a dynamic, requiring constant attention and responsiveness. Write down your vision, conceptualize ideas of what your success will look like, and as you visualize success, make you sure that you visualize yourself in the vision. See yourself succeeding. As far as not knowing what step to take first, you live in the information age, and there is a wealth of information at your fingertips. Additionally, there are service providers that specialize in product and service conceptualization. There are a number of other reasons why people fail to succeed. If you are a person who is struggling with achieving success in your life, I will be more than happy to work with you through one of a number of programs, coaching and counseling sessions, in order to help you identify what is holding you back. Success is not something that is achieved through passiveness, it is seized and possessed through an aggressive state of mind. ~ Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.