Ethan Sterling
The habits that we cultivate when we’re younger will pave the way towards our future – if we want to build ourselves up for success, it’s important to set the stage years before.
Therefore, if a man wants to be more successful in life, he should not only create an environment where he can thrive, but also turn away from negative habits that may hinder his progress.
If you want to achieve more success in life, here are 7 habits you should say goodbye to.
1) Procrastination
This is one of the most harmful habits for men who are striving towards success.
But it’s a very common habit because people naturally want to go on the easier path.
Personally, I’d very much rather scroll through TikTok than work on a presentation deck, or get to cleaning the house.
It’s not wrong to scroll through social media, but sticking to a set schedule helps prime yourself to complete necessary tasks before enjoying yourself.
When you procrastinate, it shortens the time you have to work on the task assigned to you.
This could result in slipshod work because you’re working hard to meet the impending deadline instead of performing well.
Therefore, if you want to become successful in life, it’s important to kick this habit away.
Set your mind to work on the task at hand and enjoyment can come later.
It will feel uncomfortable at the start, but when you prime your body and mind to get used to this, it’ll feel much easier as time goes by.
2) Fear of failure
The first step towards any man’s success is to accept that failure is part and parcel of everyone’s journey.
Meeting setbacks is normal because this is life.
However, the thing that will set you apart from the rest is getting up and trying again.
If you choose to let your emotions win and allow yourself to get scared of failing again, this will paralyze you from taking the next step.
You may be one step away from the path to success, but because of your fear, you decide not to move forward.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s normal to feel wary of taking the next step after failing.
Take some time to process what went wrong and feel the disappointment rather than bottling it up.
But don’t wallow in these negative emotions for too long! Get back up and try again!
3) Negative self-talk
We’re our worst critics. When we find ourselves in an unfamiliar situation or have just experienced a setback, we tend to overthink and get into the habit of negative self-talk.
You may tell yourself:
- I’m not good enough
- I’ll fail again if I try
- There’s someone out there who deserves this more
And so on and so forth.
But remember that you’re also your strongest supporter!
Turn your negative self-talk into positive ones. Even if it feels as if you’re faking it and makes you feel strange.
Get into the habit of turning negative self-talk into positive ones.
You can start by thinking about one good thing about yourself or what you learned after a setback or when you’re thrust into an unfamiliar situation.
This will help reframe your perspective and motivate you to take the next step forward.
It’s also important to reflect and look at how far you’ve come.
Remember the mistakes you made and how you’ve learned from them, which has helped you to grow into the person you are right now.
4) Poor time management
Being unable to properly manage time can also hinder a man’s path towards success.
It’s not about cramming more work into a to-do list, but learning how to complete each task efficiently.
Everyone has a finite number of hours and resources to work with each day, hence it’s important to see how one can make the most of what he has.
For example, I have a friend who has to juggle between balancing work and taking care of the family.
As she owns the business, she has a bit more flexibility in hours, plus she works from home.
However, because she has to take care of the kids and the overall upkeep of the house, she needs to prioritize tasks and do them as efficiently as possible.
If you want to chart your path toward success, try getting a planner (digital or a normal paperback one, whichever works for you) so that you can see what you need to do for the day.
It also helps you to map out your goals and break them down according to timelines and milestones.
This will give you the overall big picture of your progress that you can take note of or amend while enabling you to manage your time effectively.
5) Resistance to change
Another hindrance to a man’s path to success is being resistant to change.
Change is constant, whether it is unexpected situations in your life or changes in the industry you’re in. Being adaptable is important for you to succeed.
You may have it all planned out – your goals, milestones, and the time needed to achieve them. But you do not have visibility on what’s to come.
The important thing is to be flexible. If you have to take a detour because of a life event, then plan around it.
Even if this delays where you want to be, remember that getting there is the most important part.
Moreover, you should also be aware of the changes to the trends in the industry you’re in.
This will prevent you from being left behind.
Read up on the latest news, continue to upskill, and learn new things, because the world is advancing at a rapid pace.
It is more important than ever to stay informed because this is foundational to being successful.
6) Lack of self-discipline
The word discipline sounds harsh, but it’s a very important habit to have.
Therefore, if you lack self-discipline, it’s nearly impossible to achieve success.
Having self-discipline is essential to getting you out of bed to work on the tasks for the day, because on days where you have zero motivation (and this will happen more often than you think), discipline will be the force that pushes you.
Committing to a schedule, and seeing things through even when the going gets tough is what self-discipline will empower you to do, even when you don’t feel like doing anything.
Over time, this habit will come so naturally that it won’t feel as uncomfortable as before.
7) Being ungrateful
This may seem a bit off-topic, but ungratefulness can hinder your path toward success.
If a man lacks gratitude, it prevents him from being present and appreciating what he has in life.
He may even start to focus on the negative aspects a bit too much, and this can lead to a cycle of disappointment and constant complaining.
However, learning how to be grateful is important because it forces him to change his perspective on life, especially when he’s going through setbacks.
A habit I’ve learned is to end the day thinking of one good thing that’s happened.
Even if it’s something small, it helps me to conclude the day on a positive note.
If you want to become more successful in life, try cultivating a habit of gratitude.
This will help you reposition your attitude towards life into becoming more positive, happier, and generally more content.
Concluding thoughts
So there you have it – 7 habits to say goodbye to if you want to become more successful in life.
If you’ve identified some habits from this article in your life today, it’s not too late to unlearn them.
The first step is to have a mindset shift – that unlearning these habits will empower you to succeed, and then setting your mind towards replacing these with better habits.
You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll grow in a few years.
