Greatness might not be as easy to achieve as motivational posters would have you believe, but there are a few tricks of the trade that make the road to success less bumpy.
On the discussion forum Quora, someone asked, "What are a few things that very successful people never do?"
If you're looking to work out a new plan for success, don't do these four things:
1. Waste your time
Quora user Christian Bonilla noted that successful people think about time as if it were literal money:
Most people spend time, but really successful people invest their time in things. By that, I mean they do things on which they expect a positive return on their time. They realize that time is the scarcest resource there is, and they place their bets on things that they expect to work out.
So don't squander your time as if it were worthless—treat it like pure gold.
If Oprah also gave this advice, you know it has to be true.
2. Indulge negativity
Do you tend to beat yourself up? Gerard Danford said it might be keeping you from being successful:
Negative self-talk can only see limitations (rather than seeing possibilities and thinking in terms of "I will" and "I can"). For successful people, nothing is more embarrassing than watching someone do something that they felt could not be done.
You know who else says "I will and I can?" Successful actress, Gina Rodriguez:
3. Lose authenticity
If you want to be more successful, being fake AF won't help you. Gregory Larkin wrote that being superficial and obsessed with status only hinders success:
People who are focused on a superficial metric of success seem to always be looking to use you as a stepping stone. We’ve all been in those conversations with some who is is looking around for someone more important, or is so eager to get you to sign a contract that you’re immediately skeptical of their honesty.
Be you, and be real.
4. Focus on the past
Even though it's tempting to look back, Anushri Shukla said it's important to never let the past dictate the present:
We all make mistakes, we all have challenges. Remarkably successful people believe their past should inform, them but not define them.
Anyone hoping to boss-up should cut these behaviors ASAP. Nobody said success was easy, but if Simba can do it, so can you.
