Why Smart People Fail: 10 Hidden Traps on the Path to Success
Failure is oftentimes not accidental, it is the product of what we do or fail to acknowledge in our journey to achieve our dreams.
Here are 10 reasons why even smart people fail in their careers or businesses, and what you should do instead to maximize your chances for success.
1. They say they can’t without even trying
Self-doubt is one of the most crippling things against your success. Those thoughts of “I am not good enough”, I can’t achieve that”, and “only smart people can do that” is destructive.
Your brain is like a powerful machine, self-doubts are like the cog that prevents its wheels from running. When you say you can’t, hinders your capacity to do so.
You have to understand that you have the potential to achieve great success, you need to let go of the self-doubt. Take your shots, there is a good chance you will succeed, and even if you don’t at the first trial, you will learn from it and improve next time.
2. They Stop pushing when it is the final step
Just one push may account for the difference between failure and success. Here is what Elon Musk recalls about the success of SpaceX
I messed up th first three launches.The first three launches failed. And fortunately, the fourth launch, which was, that was the last money we hd for Falcon 1. That fourth launch worked. Or it would have been – that would have been it for SpaceX
It is easy to say this in retrospect, but the truth is that most people do not persevere in their strive to succeed. Elon persevered with one more launch, otherwise, SpaceX would probably have failed as a company.
Perseverance is what separates success from failure in many instances. People who do not persevere in their final push are seldom successful.
3. They don’t get out of bed
When you have a dream of creating something valuable. You have to get out of bed to make it happen. Don’t be lazy, don’t procrastinate. Procrastination is the thief of time, it denies you the ability to seize opportunities while they are still viable.
You should be patient with results and inpatients with your actions. As soon as you have an idea, start putting it to work – no matter how little at first. One good idea you take action on is worth more than a thousand that remains a dream.
4. They don’t learn new things continuously
To avoid failure, you must be willing to learn new things continuously and adapt to changes. If you are in business, you will quickly find out that what worked yesterday may not be effective today.
Learn new things, catch trends early, and see what people are doing and that is working. Learn even from other peoples’ mistakes. The more open you are to learning new things, the better your odds of beating failure.
The knowledge you have at the start of a business is often not enough to carry you through tough times. Treat the business as also something you learn from, rather than being the master, who knows it all.
5. They simply don’t have a plan
Success is not accidental, it takes deliberate planning. If you do not plan, you plan to fail. Having a plan is akin to having a map of a destination. It is your guide for the journey. You know where the obstacles are on the map, the alternative routes you should take when you see the obstacle, and how you will change course.
A good plan should break the tasks into smaller bits you can manage, set a time limit on, and evaluate. Having a plan gives you a sense of purpose, a benchmark so that you will recognize success when you achieve it.
6. They do the talk but they don’t do the walk
Your words only represent a tiny part of the plan but they don’t mean much in themselves. To make your dreams come true, you have to take action and do things. Say you want to build a tower, it remains only a wishful thought until you start the site for the building.
This is why most investors don’t value your ideas, they want to see the action you have taken because they understand that words and planning are only a tiny fraction of what leads to success. It is the action you take that truly matters.
7. They don’t stick to a healthy routine
It is easy to forget that your health is a vital part of your life. Health is wealth. Many people fail because they fail to stick to a healthy routine. You need to be physically and mentally healthy to carry out your business goals.
Ignoring your health for some quick short gains can be a recipe for business failure in the long run.
Eat healthily, get enough rest, exercise. Let go of the computer screen for some time – spend time with friends and family to improve your mental health. Do not miss your appointment with your physicians.
8. They are not ambitious
Not having big dreams or a clear plan in life can lead to just being “ordinary’, just going through the motions, taking each day as they come. No plan to improve or make changes.
You are not having a destination, you are not failing either. Such a boring state of mind rarely yields excellent results.
To be successful, you must be driven by something – have a goal you want to achieve. If you do not have a destination, you will not bother to figure out how you are going to get there. Success is driven by passions, by ambitions -not by lukewarmness.
9. They are afraid they will fail
The fear of failure itself is the reason why most people do not venture into business in the first place. They do not understand that failure is itself a useful tool in the entrepreneurial space. They are learning opportunities, and valuable feedback to do things better.
The fear of fear will rob you of the possibility of ever attaining success. It is like a child learning to ride a bicycle, you look at the wheels, and then you look at the road ahead. Sometimes, you fall, you get up, and then try again, you keep doing so until you can ride.
10. They don’t consider the opinion of others
You matter how smart you are, you have a lot of blindspots that other persons can easily figure out. The opinions and feedback of others are valuable inputs to improve your planning and execution. When you don’t consider the input of others, you are more likely to experience business failure
This is why all successful businessmen have a mentor or team around them.
