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6 Behaviors That Are Limiting Your Success

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6 Behaviors That Are Limiting Your Success

Success is not limited to the few.  It is something that can be obtained by those who put their mind to it, take action, and develop good behaviors.

When we aren’t finding success in our lives there is a reason or reasons we can’t get past the hurdles.  Sometimes we come up with excuses because, after all, they are the easy way out. However, it often boils down to behaviors. Our behaviors can be the reason why we succeed or don’t succeed. To be healthy we need good eating and exercise habits. To be great in business we need to have resilient behaviors to get over failures.

Many times we have developed bad behaviors which hold us back from leading successful lives. These behaviors hold us back from great careers, building businesses, cultivating relationships, and much more. Bad behaviors prevent us from achieving the success we desire.

If success is eluding your life, here are 6 behaviors that may be limiting your success:

 

1. Jealousy

Today it is easy to get caught up in jealous behaviors because we live in a social world. We get notifications when someone gets a huge promotion, we see every picture from our “friends” two week cruise, and we read the posts about fairy tale relationships.

The problem with jealousy is it can be consuming and ruin your life. It limits success because instead of working on your dreams, you are spending time being envious of others.

Instead of being jealous of others, be grateful for what you have in your life.  It helps you be more productive and happier.

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2. Self-limiting beliefs

The behavior that keeps many people from achieving success is self-limiting beliefs. This behavior is when you hear that little voice start talking you out of doing great things.

Self-limiting beliefs includes thinking you are too inexperienced for a job, believing you shouldn’t take a risk because you’ll fail, thinking it is too late, or you don’t need more money because you are comfortable.

All of these thoughts keep us from success.  Don’t come up with reasons why you shouldn’t, think of reasons why you should do something great because you might actually succeed!

 

3. Living in the past

It is hard to drive a car by looking in the rear view mirror, but there are many people who live life like this.  They live by always bringing up the past and fail to move forward.

This includes living in the past by riding prior successes and past failures. We all see people who seem to be on the fast track to success, but hit a plateau because they are living on that one big sale they got two years ago. We also know people who can’t recover from failure or overcome someone who wronged them.

Whether you are living in the past from a success or failure, you need to move forward. Moving forward and setting goals is the only way to achieve and sustain success.

 

4. Gossip

If you are in business and have a bad behavior of gossiping, then you won’t be in business long. When we gossip to others and say bad things about others; it makes you look bad.

People will stop doing business with you, it will be difficult to rise higher in a company, and you will get a bad reputation. There is no reason to gossip because it can destroy all of your success and limit future success.

As the old saying goes, don’t worry about those who talk behind your back, they’re behind you for a reason.  If you want to get ahead, then talk positively about others. It goes much further than gossip.

 

5. Giving up too soon

Many people never achieve success because they give up too soon. When there is a bump in the road or an obstacle, they resort to backing down rather than persevering.

We must be willing to keep going. We need mind sets like Walt Disney, Abraham Lincoln, and Michael Jordan who all fought on through failures to achieve wild success.

We are wired to persevere. When we were younger and learning to walk, we all overcame obstacles. Many of us fell and got hurt while we were trying to go from crawling to walking. However, we all got back up and learned to walk.

Successful-habits

6. Negative thinking

Negative thinking is a dangerous behavior because it can be detrimental to our lives. When we have a bad case of what Zig Ziglar calls “stinkin thinkin“, we limit our success significantly.

This behavior is bad because we start to think the world is out to get us, things will never get better, or we expect everything to turn out bad. Turn your negativity around. Think about what is good in your life and what you are possible of accomplishing.

 

Take a self-assessment of yourself and determine if any of these behaviors may be keeping you from success. If you are suffering from one of them, then change it.

When you make the decision to change any of these behaviors, you will start to experience more success in your life.

Travis Scott, most importantly, is a husband and father of four in Ohio. In 2011, after losing a child and spending nearly a decade as a financial advisor, he decided a change was needed. Since then he found a career he loves, sold an app business, and learned what was most important in life. He also started StuffParentsLike.com where he provides tools to lead a happier & richer life for parents and teaches how he makes over $1k a month selling on Amazon part-time. You can follow Travis on Twitter @StufParentsLike.

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Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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