Let go of these habits to become more successful

Many activities — like reading, working out, and journaling — will help you progress in life. Others, on the other hand, will have the opposite effect.

For many years, I was performing various activities on autopilot — simply because they were habits. At some point, I realized that these were creating anxiety and doubts.

In other words, these habits were toxic, and they hampered my progress.

Just because you’ve been doing something for a long time doesn’t mean it’s useful. In that same vein, too much comfort prevents you from taking your life to the next level.

The following are six habits that created mental, physical, and financial blockades in my life. As such, they were stopping me from getting closer to my goals.

On this basis, here are six activities I cut out of my life to make serious progress.

Spending time with naysayers 🔗

We all have friends and acquaintances who do not share our ideas. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Having a circle of yes-men would be terrible as it would prevent us from dealing with contrasting opinions.

Nevertheless, the opposite isn’t helpful either — especially when it comes to supporting your growth journey. If you spend all your time with people who do not buy into your projects and plans, it will become challenging to encounter mental support.

Likewise, naysayers can ignite previously non-existent doubts in your head.

The solution is social minimalism.

As with conventional minimalism, the social equivalent is all about values and intentionality. It isn’t about owning nothing. It’s about owning things that you bought intentionally.

Spend your time with people who share your values but not all of your opinions. Choose your peers intentionally, and cut out the naysayers. Once you find the right circle, you’ll see that making progress — in your personal or professional life — will become a lot easier.

Consuming content that doesn’t adhere to the “Two Es” 🔗

Like most people, I consume a lot of content.

I haven’t reduced my time on Youtube or Instagram in the last few years, but I’ve come up with new rules. And these include the two Es:

• Educational content;
• Entertaining content.

Hold on, isn’t every type of content either educational or entertaining?

Not really. I’ve defined the two Es narrowly. As such, content is only educational if I learn something from it that I can use shortly. In that same vein, content is only entertaining if it gives me joy right now.

With the two Es, most of the news, imbecilic Youtube videos — and other random content disappear.

After that, I’ve also limited my non-business screen time to two hours a day.

In conjunction, these two norms were critical for my progress as they immensely improved my relationship with social media.

Spending money on things that don’t matter 🔗

Expensive clothes, car loans, fancy shoes, and a lot of other material things start to become completely irrelevant when you travel full-time.

Not just that, spending too much money on things you don’t need is also a surefire way to hamper your progress.

In today’s consumption-crazy world, we buy things because we are bored, because other people have them, or because companies create artificial needs.

It sounds simple, but it’s super-difficult to stop buying a lot of stuff if you’re used to it. Such was my case.

I wanted a different lifestyle, and I realized that sacrifices were essential. Canceling subscriptions, selling my car, and cleaning out my closets were some of the most liberating activities I ever did. Better still, they were a crucial part of getting my finances on track and progressing as an entrepreneur.

Living in the past or future 🔗

One of the most toxic habits that’s difficult to shake off is living in the past or the future.

In this context, we cannot stop thinking about past mistakes. Similarly, we endlessly worry about how our personal situation — or the world, in general, will evolve in the future.

The trouble with these thoughts is that they create apathy.

To progress today, we need to accept and resolve the mistakes that we made yesterday.

In my career as I freelancer, I made lots of bad decisions. I also experienced my share of financial anxiety. However, once I understood that I cannot change the past — or control the future, I became more aware of what to do in the present.

Simply put, when you let go of the past and future, you’ll be ready to act today. And this readiness will kick-start your progress in life.

Following a perfectionism obsession 🔗

The next obstacle to your progress is perfectionism.

No matter if you’re building a business, ascending a corporate ladder, or taking on a personal growth challenge, there will be bumps along the way. You’ll never reach perfection because it simply doesn’t exist.

As such, once you accept the inexistence of perfection, you’ll stop chasing it. You’ll start to focus on how to become a little bit better every day. You’ll base your mentality on small, gradual gains — putting you in a pole position to actually progress.

Comparing myself to others 🔗

The last profoundly negative habit concerns comparisons.

In this regard, we have to accept one simple truism: everyone is different.

Yes, some people are more intelligent, wealthier, and better-looking than you. Likewise, some people are in a better starting position when applying for a job or launching a business.

Nevertheless, we can only work with what we have — and build on that.

The more you compare yourself to others, the more you lose sight of your strengths, and the more you’ll tend to see your weaknesses. As such, you’ll reduce your self-confidence because you’ll always find someone better.

It’s impossible to ignore everyone else, but there is an antidote: inspiration.

Instead of comparing yourself to others, try to find inspiration in their work without thinking about your weaknesses.

Use other people’s success to fuel your own progress — not to underline your lack thereof.