Success in life is a top goal of everyone worth their salt. Successful people have the capacity to live life on their own terms and help others live better lives. Your success should give you a sense of fulfillment, happiness and satisfaction. It’s all about living a meaningful life.
Achieving success does not come easy. And that is because there are many obstacles, roadblocks, setbacks and disappointments to overcome. One must persevere despite failure if success is to be achieved.
Here are 9 obstacles that can militate against your success and prosperity in life and business. Avoid them if you can or deal with them headlong or forget about obtaining success.
The lack of a clear and concise vision
Brian Tracy, leadership and motivational expert once noted, “Decide upon your major definite purpose in life and then organize all your activities around it.”
I believe we are all born with a unique purpose in life. It is important for you to discover this or else you will merely drift aimlessly through life and achieve little or nothing.
Your vision is a picture of your ideal life projected into the future. The following questions will help you develop a vision for your life.
How do you want your future life to look like, 5, 10, 20 years from now?
What do you want to do with your life?
What do you want to have?
What contribution can you make to improve the world?
How do you want to be remembered when your time is finally up in this world?
What is the one thing you would do if you knew you could not fail?
Having a vision will give purpose and meaning to your life. A vision pulls you into taking inspired action towards its achievement. It is therefore not out of place to suggest that the lack of vision is a stumbling block to success and prosperity in life.
The lack of core values
We come from different families and therefore have different values. During our childhood years we imbibed various beliefs (good and bad) from our family members, peers, teachers and other institutions that we came into contact with.
Some of these beliefs were superficial and transitory and fizzled out as we grew up. Some were deeply-rooted and stayed with us for the rest of our lives.
Those that are deeply-rooted are our core values. They help us as we deal with every situation we encounter in life.
Your core values determine your daily conduct and what drives you to do what you consider to be important. Your core values can guide you to get firmly established in life and take inspired action to actualize your dreams, visions and goals.
Here are some core values that can make your life purposeful and significant: determination, ambition, honesty, integrity, creativity, innovation, work harder and smarter, wealth, learning as a lifelong pursuit, wisdom, intelligence, independence, industry, respect, humility, vision, religiousness, courage, fearlessness, flexibility, patriotism, service with humility, team-spirit, risk-taking among others.
The lack of core values can seriously hamper your progress in life. Such people are blind to good things around them. With no aim in life they become failures.
Laziness is a sin and a curse
When God created man, he engineered him to work and be blessed. Work is God’s gift to man. He provides for us through the work we do.
Work is a blessing but laziness is a curse. Idleness is the devil’s workshop. Thomas Brooks spoke truth when he said, “By doing nothing men learn to do evil things. It is easy slipping out of an idle life into an evil and wicked life. Yes, an idle life is of itself evil, for man was made to be active, not to be idle. Idleness is a mother-sin, a breeding sin, it is the devil’s cushion- on which he sits; and the devil’s anvil- on which he frames very great and very many sins.”
On the other hand, God rewards those who are hard working. Matthew Henry, theologian and philosopher said, “The devil visits idle men with his temptations. God visits industrious men with his favours.”
Laziness can take several forms- physical, mental and spiritual. Physical laziness takes the form of a person who neglects his work and duties.
Mental laziness is characterized by cutting corners and resorting to get rich quick schemes.
It is spiritual laziness if you fail to acknowledge God, pray to him and obey his commands.
Laziness leads to poverty. The lazy person desires much but gets very little. Procrastinators are considered lazy people. They don’t take action towards reaching their dreams. They can never become rich as a result of their lazy lifestyle. Proverbs 6: 6-11 sums up the character traits of a lazy man in the following words: “Lazy people should learn a lesson from the way ants live. They have no leader, chief or ruler, but they store up their food during the summer, getting ready for winter. How long is the lazy man going to lie in bed? When is he ever going to get up? I’ll just take a short nap,” he says; “I’ll fold my hands and rest a while.” But while he sleeps, poverty will attack him like an armed robber. ”What the scriptures say is this: You cannot be rich by being lazy.
Failing to get sound counsel
No human being can claim to have all the answers in the world as life has its ebb and flow. You need the assistance of others as you embark on your success journey. In life and business seek sound counsel from the experts or from those who have succeeded before you. This is to stop you from blundering which can ruin your life, career or business.
The author of Prov. 15:22 says, “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” If you are going into any business venture for the first time, you need to get as much information as possible about the business. What challenges are you likely to face and what are the possible solutions?
Wise counsel from the experts will save you from a life time of struggle and failure. The counsel you get must come from credible sources. Sound counsel will help you make the right decisions for your business success. Without wise counsel, you are likely to face frustrations, disappointments and failure.
Your unwillingness to share with others.
I believe whoever wants more must do more. Plant a few seeds and you harvest a few crops. Sow or plant more seeds and chances are that you will reap more crops or have a bumper harvest. Bible is clear on this. “Remember that the person who sows few seeds will have a small crop; the one who sows many seeds will have a large crop. You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. And is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good course. As the scripture says: “He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever.” And God, who supplies seed to sow and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity. He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us.”
Not willing to give to others can seriously hinder your progress and prosperity in life. Giving brings blessings. Jesus said, “Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands- all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.” God will reward you for your generosity. Always keep this in mind: Giving starts the receiving process.
Not asking God for what you want
“You’ve got to ask. Asking is, in my opinion, the world’s most powerful and neglected secret to success and happiness.”-Percy Ross
Dear friend, it is not a sin to ask for what you want from other people. There are stories of many people who have achieved massive results in their life simply by asking others for what they want. You may not have all the resources you need to help you accomplish your vision. Ask with faith and you will receive. Be persistent in your asking and you will receive.
With all humility ask God who gives generously. His word says, “Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.” (Phil. 4: 6). When asking God for whatever things you need, remember to express gratitude for the things you already have. This is a powerful secret of success.
Failing to help your own family
“Charity begins at home” the sages have said. It means help your family members before you go out to help other people. It is not a good practice to make donations to other people when your own family members need the very things. First things first. First help your family, then others. That is what the Bible says in 1 Tim. 5: 8, “But if anyone does not take care of his relatives, especially the members of his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Be a kind and compassionate person. Help your relatives that are needy. God will decorate your life with more blessings.
The habit of making excuses
“Excuses destroy success every time.”-Jon Taffer
Making excuses is a leading cause of failure in life. We all have the ability and power to make things happen. The one who has that mind-deadening disease called excusitis cannot make things happen. They give excuses to escape their duties and responsibilities.
Excuses will close the door to opportunity to learn from one’s mistakes, to grow, develop and gain experience. Success-oriented people, people who are solution-oriented never offer excuses, but will persevere in the face of odds and move forward in life.
You cannot make a mark in life, you cannot reach your full potential when you shirk your responsibilities by giving excuses. Excusitis is a failure disease. Avoid making excuses to avoid failure.
We can easily identify those afflicted with the disease of excusitis- ‘I’m tired’, ‘I’m busy’, ‘I’m old’ ‘I’m sick’. These excuses are given because the person wants to avoid work or he may duck behind excuses to avoid his duties and responsibilities.
An undisciplined life
You cannot succeed in life and business when you lead a reckless life. Some people waste their time and resources doing things unrelated to their goals. They forget that life is short and that they have to let every minute count.
Some people have poor money management. They spend their money without making provision for savings. W. Clement Stone aptly remarked, “If you cannot save, you do not have the seeds of greatness in you.” To avoid failure, exercise a high sense of responsibility in managing your life. Use your talent, skills and every resource at your disposal to move forward in life. Your life is a message to the world. Make it an inspiring one. You can always discipline yourself to do what needs to be done to accelerate your progress in life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are obstacles that can militate against our efforts to achieve success and prosperity. It is within your power to clear such obstacles to pave the way for your success in life. Be a world changer. Be a force for good. This is possible if you have the right mental attitude and you pursue your dreams with passion and enthusiasm.
Yours in inspiration,
ARK AWOLUGUTU, Your Guide & Mentor
Email: awolugutu@yahoo.com
Cell: 0559 466 048; 0208 455 296
