Successful people operate differently from the average person—that’s no secret. After all, they didn’t get to their unique positioning in the world by following the same path as everyone else.
Related: 13 Daily Habits of Highly Successful People
Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for becoming successful, there are specific things to avoid if you want to become a better version of yourself. Here are five of them:
1. Don’t blame others.
Successful people don’t blame others for their problems or issues in life. They recognize that when you blame external elements for your problems, it gives those sources more power while draining power from yourself.
Blaming others doesn’t allow you to take ownership of the events in your life. When you stop directing blame, it forces you to take complete responsibility, which helps you realize that you’re the captain of your own life and can steer it in any direction that you desire.
2. Don’t resist change.
Successful people realize that change is enviable and required for consistent self-improvement and betterment of themselves. If you’re not changing and evolving, then you’re heading backward.
I’ve been guilty of this in my life—resisting change and sticking with the status quo just because. I resisted coaching or asking others for help because I was scared of how it would make me look, or that the changes they would recommend would be too difficult to bear. This type of mentality only leads to plateauing in work and life.
Let go of any ego or fear that you might have when it comes to changing up your habits and beliefs, because that’s the only way to reach the next level of success in your life.
3. Don’t let fear stop you.
We all have fears and self-limiting beliefs, but successful people acknowledge theirs and act in spite of them. The biggest difference between the top achievers in the world and those who want to get there but can’t is their belief systems.
Limiting beliefs can manifest from many things, such as family, peers or your everyday environment. Overcoming them starts with replacing I can’t with I can in your vocabulary.
Let go of your limiting beliefs and invisible scripts. Take a step back and analyze where those self-limiting beliefs and invisible scripts originated. Are they valid? Do they make sense?
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Many of us pride ourselves on our intellectual capability. But always needing to be right about situations is an ego problem, one that places a glass ceiling on your potential to grow into your most successful self. And although many of us know a little about a lot of things, we don’t have enough time or mental capacity to reach an expert status in a plethora of subjects. So at times, we all need to reach out to others smarter than us for help.
Successful people realize that no one becomes the best version of himself or herself by trying to be an expert at everything. Instead, they realize that it takes a community to unlock the best version of yourself. Everyone has a strength in something, and if you work together, everyone benefits.
5. Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment to take action.
It might sound morbid, but thinking about death and realizing that our time is finite is one of the best ways to propel yourself into greater success.
Successful people realize there is no time greater than the present moment to change trajectory and start marching toward the life and success they envision. The perfect moment is right now. The world favors those who take imperfect action over those who wait and wait until they deem the moment perfect to take action.
If you keep waiting, then you’ll always have an excuse about why you can’t take action. Waiting for the perfect moment is a fairy tale. The only place where perfection exists is inside your mind. Once it leaves there, the imperfections of life will take over.
It doesn’t have to be a gigantic leap of action. A small step is just as powerful because you’re sending the message to yourself that this is the time to move forward with the life you want. Seize the moment and realize that no time is better than right now.
Related: 12 Simple Habits That Set Ultra-Successful People Apart
