Success often comes from the knowledge and experience you receive when you make mistakes. We are human and are bound to make mistakes—and in that moment, when nothing seems to be working out, you can decide to give in to what you feel or you can learn and move forward.
Related: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes
Successful people don’t let mistakes hold them back from taking the necessary action required to hit their big life goals. They view mistakes as invaluable life lessons and experiences that shape who they are. They also learn what not to do again.
Here are seven mistakes successful people have experienced, learned from and won’t repeat.
1. Successful people don’t allow toxic relationships into their life.
The relationships in your life are an indicator of your success. As Jim Rohn said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” The negative relationships will drag you down to their level. The positive ones will push you further than you felt like you could go. If you want to make this one of the most successful phases in your life, evaluate the relationships that are in your life. Get honest about who needs to go. Don’t make the mistake of allowing toxic relationships to stunt any progress toward your success goals.
2. Successful people don’t spend years doing work that doesn’t fulfill them.
Most of us will spend at least 40 hours per week in some form of work. It can be a traditional job or a business, but if what you’re doing during those 40 hours doesn’t fulfill you, it will affect every other area of your life. Before you know it, you’ve given years of your life to something that is slowly eating away at your resolve and determination to live a better life. It’s not easy—especially in our current economy—to find work that fulfills you and pays well, but nothing that’s worth it comes easy. Spend time finding or creating work that supports the kind of life you want to live and one that gives you freedom.
3. Successful people don’t let doubt and fear dictate their choices.
Doubt and fear are a normal part of anyone’s life. But your reactions to these emotions will affect your success journey. Successful people make decisions from a place of value and strength. They know what values are most important to them and make decisions that align with those values. Doubt and fear are not a factor when they are making decisions.
4. Successful people don’t chase other people’s dreams.
It’s natural to want what seems and feels like success. You see someone else do something and you want that for your life. But dreams, goals and freedom have to be personal. You have to figure out what your dreams are and why they are important to you. Successful people don’t waste time and energy on shiny objects. Don’t let the allure of someone else’s dream derail you from discovering yours.
5. Successful people don’t underestimate the power of physical fitness.
What you eat and how active you are has an effect on the energy you have and that will affect how to tackle your goals. Your physical fitness is closely tied to your success journey. Successful people make their fitness and health a priority because they realize it’s one of the keys to living a long and happy life. It goes beyond just maintaining your fitness; harness the power that comes when you are in tune with your body.
6. Successful people don’t do things they know they don’t want to do.
There are a lot of things you could be doing, and even things that seem important but aren’t if you were honest with yourself. Successful people cut those things out of their life and make it a point to create a life of freedom. They spend each moment on the things that lead to and support the kind of life they want to live. Time is precious and life is short. Don’t waste either on the things you don’t want or need to do.
7. Successful people don’t copy someone else who is successful.
It’s natural to want to mimic or even copy success. Those who are successful see the value in modeling success, but they understand copying won’t produce the same results. Just because something worked for someone else doesn’t mean it will work the same way for you. Your goals, dreams and aspirations have to be personal.
Learn from your mistakes. We all make them and will continue making them for the rest of our lives—so view them as life lessons. The key is to not repeat where you stumbled before. Fall and get back up determined to work on your goals harder and smarter.
This is your life and you only get one of them. Make it count.
Related: 12 Simple Habits That Set Ultra-Successful People Apart
