Thread by @Insights_ias

Sometimes in life,we tend to self-sabotage or delay the successful accomplishment of a task. As a #UPSC student or even otherwise,one needs to be self-aware in order to avoid certain traps/traits.

Here are 10 ways that you may be sabotaging/delaying your success:

A thread 🧵:

UNDER-CONFIDENCE:
Being plagued by self-doubts, we may constantly wonder if we possess the abilities to succeed. This stops us from channelling all our energy & focus into our goals.

ANTIDOTE:
Have faith in yourself first. Trust yourself. Remember confidence is half-success!

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”- Norman Vincent Peale

BEING FEARFUL:
We fear the future,change,the uncertainty associated with the outcome of a task & let it paralyse our progress. Fear becomes that brick wall that stops us from moving forward.

ANTIDOTE:
Face your fears boldly- you will find that they lose their hold over you.

“You gain strength,courage & confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself,‘I have lived through this horror.I can take the next thing that comes along.'You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
E.Roosevelt

FOLLOWING THE HERD,NOT YOUR HEART:
Falling prey to the herd mentality:doing what others are doing in order to fit in,can arrest the growth of your precious originality & sabotage your goals.

ANTIDOTE:Be unafraid of following your heart/goals,however crazy it may seem to others.

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”-Paulo Coelho

BE ORIGINAL:Follow the path less taken & leave your own mark. Make way for others to follow.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”-Emerson

INCONSISTENCY:

Several times,we may begin a task with great enthusiasm but lose steam midway & start being irregular in putting in efforts, monitoring progress,etc. Several dreams have been laid to rest at the altar of inconsistency.

ANTIDOTE: Be consistent to see progress.

“You become a master in what you repeatedly do in consistency. Mastery is not born; it is acquired. It is not blood-linked; it is skill-learnt!”
Israelmore Ayivor

NOT BEING OPEN TO FEEDBACK:
Insulating ourselves from constructive criticism & valuable feedback from those who know better due to ego-harms our growth & progress.

ANTIDOTE:
Do not be egoistic. Listen, understand, learn & course correct. ACT. Treat failures as feedback.

“Feedback is the bridge to effectively connect lesson-learned from the past to the future performance and potential.”

Pearl Zhu

PROCRASTINATION:
We make it a habit of delaying tasks & goals till the last minute. This induces stress & panic.
Remember,
“You may delay,but time will not.”
Benjamin Franklin

ANTIDOTE:Take prompt action.Don’t delay your success by evading your responsibilities.Time is precious.

“My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him!”
Charles Dickens

CHASING PERFECTION:

We want to be perfect: write perfect answers on the first try, get the perfect score in the first mock test, have the perfect lifestyle- the list is endless.

We delay taking action till we achieve the mythical state of perfection(FYI: it doesn’t exist).

ANTIDOTE:
Learn along the way & improve!

“Healthy striving is self-focused: ‘How can I improve?’

Perfectionism is other-focused: ‘What will they think?’

Understanding the difference between the two is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life.“
Brené Brown

BEING PESSIMISTIC:
Do you always imagine & fear the worst:that you’ll never accomplish your goals?Has negative thinking become a habit that you can’t get rid of?
Being pessimistic about our chances induces stress,stops us from experimenting & taking risks & delays our success.

ANTIDOTE:
Be an optimist!Life is what we make of it. Be positive & look at the bright side.

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future.Because unless you believe that the future can be better,you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”-Noam C

GETTING EASILY UNSETTLED BY SETBACKS:
Being fragile & getting easily fazed by hardships-sabotages our progress since we tend to give up easily!

ANTIDOTE:
Trials & tribulations toughen us up. We must develop a strong mindset to overcome them, be calm & face them with equanimity.

“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, & the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.”
Carl Jung

Be strong.Temporary setbacks lead to permanent growth.

IGNORING OUR HEALTH & WELL-BEING:

In our relentless quest for success, we tend to neglect our health:we consume unhealthy food, ignore the importance of exercise, etc. The stress affects our mental health too.This greatly sabotages our progress.

ANTIDOTE:Focus on your health.

Do not compromise with your well-being in the quest for success. A healthy body & a healthy mind are essential.

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”Mahatma Gandhi

“He who has health has hope; & he who has hope,has everything.” – Thomas Carlyle

These were the 10 most common ways in which we self-sabotage & delay our success.

Take note & avoid these traps & traits at all costs.

Raise your self-awareness, remember your worth & go on to fulfil your potential!