Things to give up : to be successful - 3

9. Give Up Being Perfect

Perfectionism is based on the false belief that if we do things perfectly, we can avoid failure.

It’s an unhealthy quest to make your work flawless in order to earn approval and acceptance from others.

Recognize the distinct difference between giving your best and trying to be perfect. Ask yourself if spending the extra time will make an equivalent difference to your success in the long run.

Always favor progress over perfection.

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.” ~Julia Cameron

10. Give Up Playing Small

We are all afraid of failure, so we play small.

Playing a bigger game means following your own path. Listening to your intuition, doing what feels right compared to doing what everybody else tells you to do.

By playing small, you are not serving yourself nor anyone else. Instead play big, go out of your comfort zone.

Be prepared to be wrong and fail. Be prepared to feel fear.

“If you’re are paralyzed with fear it’s a good sign. It shows you do what you have to do.” ~Steven Pressfield

11. Give Up Your Dependency On Willpower

Regardless of willpower being limited or not – tasks done on autopilot require less thought, decision-making and energy. Align your actions with your goals. 

Create routines that automate taking the right actions. Be intentional about setting work, health, fitness and relationship habits.

Automate your behavior, one habit at a time.

12. Give Up Your Resistance To What Is

The present moment is out of your circle of influence.

What is more insane than resisting something that can’t be changed? Acceptance doesn’t not mean approval. It doesn’t mean you can’t take action to change an undesirable situation.

Instead, it means saying “yes” to life as it presents itself and then moving forward. Let go of your resistance. Say “yes” to how you feel, “yes” to what is happening right now. When you do, life will get a hell of a lot easier and will work for you, not against you.

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle

13. Give up Trying to Be too Clever

Be different and innovate, but not for the sake of being different, but out of a quest to make things better.  Overcome your reluctance to make use of proven methods and good advice.

Don’t try to be clever in order to earn other people’s approval and enhance your self-worth. Act out of a desire for improvement and service and you will end up being clever in the process.

14. Give Up Waiting For Luck

Luck builds its foundation on preparation. To be successful, you don’t just have to be lucky to come across good opportunities, but you have to be ready and prepared to make use of them.

Be the right person in the right place at the right time through preparation. Lucky people act in a way that increases their chance of good opportunities.

Be open-minded and optimistic. Prepare for your luck then go out and find it.

“Opportunity is where you find it ….not where it finds you ” ~Old Proverb

15. Give Up Other People’s Versions Of Success

Being successful and feeling successful are quite different things. Reaching other people’s version of success does not come with the joy and happiness that you were hoping for.

Success is a word that means many different things. Chasing other people’s dreams means betraying your own ones.

Define your version of success and give up all the others.

“There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way” ~Christopher Morley

Author and Credits: Maxine Schiffmann