5 Lies You Tell Yourself That Kill Your Success
Your brain will shackle your dreams if you let it.
Your brain is geared to protect you from any pain or disappointment in the future, so it fills itself with things about you that you think are true, but it’s actually just your brain, lying to you.
It does this so you stay exactly where you are, safe from harm, but it’s not always a good thing.
It’s Been Done Before
There’s no point starting a business if you can’t create something that’s not been done before, right?
Not true.
This will hold you back from a life that you actually deserve.
Let’s consider this; How many different companies sell the same stuff?
Think water.
How many companies off the top of your head sell water? with new ones popping up annually.
There’s someone I’ve read about, who created a brand that sold bottled spring water, only to sell it on to a multi-national.
After he sold it, guess what, he did it again.
He sold that water business too, and he started up another one!
Different company, different branding, slightly different angle, and he sold it every single time.
My point is that just because someone has beat you to the post with a business idea, doesn’t mean you can’t do it too.
How many people are there on this earth? Over 8 Billion, and counting!
There’s no way a single business can serve all of them.
The fact that so many new businesses are doing this, successfully I might add, just shows you that this belief your brain instills in you is a lie.
It Won’t Work
We’ve all done this to someone else.
A person has come to you and asked you for your help or opinion, and you’ve said to them, “There’s no way that’ll work.”
Less people tend to follow up with “But what if I do this instead?”
You spend so much time and brain power on what doesn’t work, that you don’t give yourself room to breathe or even consider what actually might work.
People will do the same to you. They’ll tell you that your business isn’t going to work, simply because they haven’t been there, or they can’t be bothered to help you figure it out.
If it’s a mentor saying this to you, and they have the success you’re trying to achieve, then maybe you should listen but don’t start doubting yourself.
Always come back with an alternative.
Instead, ask “What can I do to make this work?”
It’s Too Risky
In life, you can either take the glass-half-full approach or half empty.
“What if it does work?” or “What if it doesn’t work?”
If you ask the 1st question, there’s a good chance you’ll make it work. If you’re asking the 2nd, you won’t even get started.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard about risk is this:
‘Just imagine, how your world would actually look… how would you feel, if what you’re trying to achieve, actually happened.’
Your brain doesn’t want you hurting. Disappointment will hurt you.
So, you’ll keep your expectations low. There’s no need to risk your comfort for pain and a life that isn’t memorable but isn’t hard either. Just mediocre.
Those people who become successful, know how much risk they can take because they’ve tried it.
People who aren’t comfortable with any sort of risk will do either of the below:
They’ll never do anything that involves risk, or they’ll take too much risk.
You need to start taking risks, a small risk at a time, and learn your tolerance for it.
It’s Too Late
Somewhere in the universe, there is a path you can take, that will change your life beyond your imagination.
Lay with your eyes closed, and imagine a future where you achieve success financially and in life. Where you’re financially free, happy, and fulfilled.
If you can imagine that, then you can do it. That’s the same person as you.
The only difference here is, that the other version of you has carried out a completely different set of actions for a better life.
It’s never too late, don’t let your brain trick you into thinking it is.
You’re Not Motivated
Why people focus so much on motivation to get stuff done, is beyond me.
Yes, it feels good to be motivated, and you can probably get more done. But to wait until you’re actually motivated to do anything means you’re losing so much time.
These days, I very rarely feel motivated to do anything.
I have so much going on in my life, bad things, that kill my optimism most days.
If I waited until the time was right, I’d never get anything done.
Even if you’re motivated, it’ll disappear as fast as you get it.
Instead, when you’re low on motivation, think about the end goal. Think about what it is you’re trying to achieve.
Personally, I like to take a step back from what I’m doing, and in 30 seconds I’ll picture what I want my future to look like.
Successful people don’t feel motivated all the time. Sure, they’ll probably have more reason to be motivated because they’ve already ‘made it’ and life is a little easier.
They have systems in place, so they can get work done without it being too painful. They’ll delegate some of their more boring tasks.
Most normal people don’t have the funds to do that.
90% of the work you’ll do when starting a business, will be tedious and boring. A lot of it will be difficult, and it’ll test your motivation and your patience.
But, think of where it is you’re trying to get to.
It’ll make the process much easier.
Final Thoughts
I’ve spoken to a few millionaires recently, and the thing I hear from them often is that people quit too easily, or are too hesitant to start.
Your brain has an instinctive function to protect you from harm, but sometimes it’s counter-productive.
It’ll tell you that sitting on your couch, in front of the TV, or scrolling through TikTok for hours, is much safer than trying to change your life.
It probably is. You’re not going to fail if you do that, but you will never succeed that way either.
There’s not a single single person in today or in history, that hasn’t become successful on the back of numerous failures.
Rumour has it, that Thomas Edison (light bulb guy), failed 1,000 times before he was successful at creating the light bulb.
Imagine if he gave up.
We’d have light today, yes, but how many more years would it have taken?
Start your thing now, and take each day as it comes.
If you’re still on the fence, let me ask you this:
If you started your journey to a better life 5 years ago, what would your life look like now? Are you happy to delay it by another 5, or do you want to taste that success 1 year from now?