13 Things You Should Give Up If You Want To Be Successful
”Somebody once told me the
definition of hell:
“On your last day on earth, the
person you became will meet the
person you could have become.” —
Anonymous
Sometimes, to become successful and
get closer to the person we can
become, we don’t need to add more
things — we need to give up on some
of them.
There are certain things that are
universal, which will make you
successful if you give up on them,
even though each one of us could
have a different definition of success.
You can give up on some of them
today, while it might take a bit longer
to give up on others.
1. Give Up On The
Unhealthy Lifestyle
“Take care of your body. It’s the only
place you have to live.” — Jim Rohn
If you want to achieve anything in
life, everything starts here. First you
have to take care of your health, and
there are only two things you need to
keep in mind:
1. Healthy Diet
2. Physical Activity
Small steps, but you will thank
yourself one day.
2. Give Up The Short-
term Mindset
“You only live once, but if you do it
right, once is enough.” — Mae West
Successful people set long-term goals,
and they know these aims are merely
the result of short-term habits that
they need to do every day.
These healthy habits shouldn’t be
something you do; they should be
something you embody.
There is a difference between:
“Working out to get a summer body”
and “Working out because that’s who
you are.”
3. Give Up On
Playing Small
“Your playing small does not serve
the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that
other people will not feel insecure
around you. We are all meant to
shine, as children do. It is not just in
some of us; it is in everyone, and as
we let our light shine, we
unconsciously give others permission
to do the same. As we are liberated
from our fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.” -
Marianne Williamson
If you never try and take great
opportunities, or allow your dreams
to become realities, you will never
unleash your true potential.
And the world will never benefit
from what you could have achieved.
So voice your ideas, don’t be afraid
to fail, and certainly don’t be afraid
to succeed.
4. Give Up Your Excuses
“It’s not about the cards you’re dealt,
but how you play the hand.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Successful people know that they are
responsible for their life, no matter
their starting point, weaknesses, and
past failures.
Realising that you are responsible for
what happens next in your life is
both frightening and exciting.
And when you do, that becomes the
only way you can become successful,
because excuses limit and prevent us
from growing personally and
professionally.
Own your life; no one else will.
5. Give Up The
Fixed Mindset
“The future belongs to those who
learn more skills and combine them in
creative ways.” ― Robert Greene,
Mastery
People with a fixed mindset think
their intelligence or talents are
simply fixed traits, and that talent
alone creates success — without
effort. They’re wrong.
Successful people know this. They
invest an immense amount of time
on a daily basis to develop a growth
mindset, acquire new knowledge,
learn new skills and change their
perception so that it can benefit their
lives.
Remember, who you are today, it’s
not who you have to be tomorrow.
6. Give Up Believing In
The “Magic Bullet.”
“Every day, in every way, I’m getting
better and better” — Émile Coué
Overnight success is a myth.
Successful people know that making
small continual improvement every
day will be compounded over time,
and give them desirable results.
That is why you should plan for the
future, but focus on the day that’s
ahead of you, and improve just 1%
every day.
7. Give Up Your
Perfectionism
“Shipping beats perfection.” — Khan
Academy’s Development Mantra
Nothing will ever be perfect, no
matter how much we try.
Fear of failure (or even fear of
success) often prevents us from
taking an action and putting our
creation out there in the world. But a
lot of opportunities will be lost if we
wait for the things to be right.
So “ship,” and then improve (that
1%).
8. Give Up Multi-tasking
“You will never reach your
destination if you stop and throw
stones at every dog that barks.” ―
Winston S. Churchill
Successful people know this. That’s
why they choose one thing and then
beat it into submission. No matter
what it is — a business idea, a
conversation, or a workout.
Being fully present and committed to
one task, is indispensable.
9. Give Up Your Need to
Control Everything
“Some things are up to us, and some
things are not up to us.” — Epictetus,
Stoic philosopher
Differentiating these two is
important.
Detach from the things you cannot
control, and focus on the ones you
can, and know that sometimes, the
only thing you will be able to control
is your attitude towards something.
Remember, nobody can be frustrated
while saying “Bubbles” in an angry
voice.
10. Give Up On Saying
YES To Things That
Don’t Support
Your Goals
“He who would accomplish little must
sacrifice little; he who would achieve
much must sacrifice much; he who
would attain highly must sacrifice
greatly.” — James Allen
Successful people know that in order
to accomplish their goals, they will
have to say NO to certain tasks,
activities, and demands from their
friends, family, and colleagues.
In the short-term, you might sacrifice
a bit of instant gratification, but
when your goals come to fruition, it
will all be worth it.
11. Give Up The
Toxic People
“You are the average of the five people
you spend the most time with.”
― Jim Rohn
People we spend the most time with,
add up to who we become.
There are people who are less
accomplished in their personal and
professional life, and there are
people who are more accomplished
than us. If you spend time with those
who are behind you, your average
will go down, and with it, your
success.
But if you spend time with people
who are more accomplished than
you, no matter how challenging that
might be, you will become more
successful.
Take a look at around you, and see if
you need to make any changes.
12. Give Up Your Need
To Be Liked
“The only way to avoid pissing people
off is to do nothing important.” —
Oliver Emberton
Think of yourself as a market niche.
There will be a lot of people who like
that niche, and there will be
individuals who don’t. And no matter
what you do, you won’t be able to
make the entire market like you.
This is entirely natural, and there’s
no need to justify yourself.
The only thing you can do is to
remain authentic, improve and
provide value every day, and know
that the growing number of “haters”
means that you are doing important
things.
13. Give Up Your
Dependency on Social
Media & Television
“The trouble is, you think you have
time” — Jack Kornfield
Impulsive web browsing and
television watching are diseases of
today’s society.
These two should never be an escape
from your life or your goals.
Unless your goals depend on either,
you should minimise (or even
eliminate) your dependency on them,
and direct that time towards things
that can enrich your life.
